Seasons Change

Birdie and I returned to the farm just in time to say goodbye to Anna. She and Coco were very happy to see Birdie again and some serious wrestling and hello-ing went on.

I met up with Whitney and we took a solid walk from the farm, through the woods, down a hill, and then along the beach back up to the farm. I realized I should have been doing this kind of walk all along. Whitney humored me and posed as if she were just a head.

And also helped Bird up the ladder.

My friend Mary from the Chicago/grad days came up to Seattle for a couple of days and made her way to the island. I gave her a tour and she met all of the sheep.

Super flattering photo of us both. Yup.

I knit this afghan in probably around 2004, while I was working on a sheep fiber farm in NY. It held up pretty well, but the various terriers I hung out with while on the farm took a toll on the afghan's structural integrity.

Went to Seattle to see the Ms and joined them at a neighbor's party, where there was a rabbit.

This was a little bit of a meal we had in Seattle. SO GOOD.

Water glistening in the sun.

These were the dwindling days of my time on Whidbey and I was trying to make the most of it, in as far as seeing all the  people whose company I enjoyed before my departure. One such person was Gabby a delightful co-milker and all around person.

Look what she drew for me as a gift!

Somewhere driving east towards the new gig.

I made a few trips to the new farm and house I was going to be moving to in Ellensburg in order to deal with all my stuff. I think this is the morning after one such trip. It was November and frost was already very much in existence.

Then back to Whidbey. I was doing one thing or another when I saw Whitney, and was quite tickled by the fact that we were wearing nearly identical outfits. And so photos had to be taken of course.

Letting Birdie run in a pasture in Ellensburg.

Hear her ROAR.

Lovely light indeed.

The living room of the new place before I outfitted it and made it cozy.

Back to Whidbey, where one morning I looked out and saw that all the rams were 100% not where they were supposed to be.

If they could come up the stairs, I think they might have.

Whitney helped me muchly by borrowing her dad's truck and helping me load up all my larger pieces of furniture and schlep it all across the Cascades. Birdie was her normal driving self...ie: preferred/demanded to be in the driver's lap, sometimes using Whitney's arm as a headrest.

I think this was the last beach walk I took. Birdie and I started out, Billie the border collie joined us. It wasn't the sunniest or warmest, but still lovely. This beach was such a balm and gift and special place to me and so many others who have spent time on this particular spot on Whidbey.

My last regular Wednesday night at Prima.

As I was trying to drive away, Coco did her typical thing and chased my car down the mile-long driveway. So I had to turn around and take her back, which seemed fitting as it had been such a normal part of my life to first find someone or somewhere to restrain her when I was leaving, as that pup can run and does not give up.

The view north from my Ellensburg driveway.

Another view. Winter was coming. As the days and weeks went by, more and more of this panorama became white and then whiter, and stayed that way FOREVER. God the winter was long.

Birdie found a new border collie friend.

Young chickens staying warm.

Cows running towards me for their allotment of hay.

Hoophouse lighting and shadows.

Loading pig feeder, housing and feed (as well as tractor) onto trailer to move to new farm.

Feeding cows.

This was sometime in December I think.

I drove east in December to see family for the holidays. This is the night I stopped in Livingston, Montana. It started snowing a couple of hours after I got there and I had great fear about getting on the road the next morning.

Fear was fair. I left way before sunrise and drove through not too thick but terribly steady snow just like this...except it was black outside.

I think this was somewhere in one of the Dakotas.

Visit with Ruby and the Ohio relatives. Looking at this photo is surreal, because I just saw her two weeks ago and she is so much more grown!

Birdie flagrantly enabled to by-pass the no-dogs-on-the-sofa rule.

Baby's first ramen.

Birdie and Cleo will never be friends.

How I love playing cards with my cousin.

And putting decorative ribbon around my head.

Cleo and Birdie not quite co-existing.

Gah. This was nearly a year ago, but it feels much longer.

Cousin Harry's eggnog in Tennessee.

My great-grandfather's memorial in town...which was taken down last month due to, well, you know, him being a confederate general.

Taking a hike with old friends.

Another Dakota scene on my drive back west.

Badlands Birdie.

More Badlands.