Yesterday was another gentle day of sky watching on the farmy. 
The root cellar is looking mighty fancy with its new coat of grass. But no rain
Now will you look at this Rude Rooster. 
I mean really. Looking up her dress like that.
Sorry Mama, I know I don’t usually use this angle. But I could not help it. 
Oh dear. This is why we call you the Big Fat Mama. She has gone into a very calm phase. This may still take a while. Remember that last time, she had her quads in April. Late April. i put her with the ram earlier this time hoping for earlier lambs. Ah well.
I told John that if something exciting does not happen on the farmy soon, then I am going to have to start cooking elaborate feeds! What is the name of the dinosaur with the long neck and the tail. See? It was so quiet yesterday that I am making shapes out of clouds while I was preparing vegetable beds.
My horizon is slipping, my brain is shrivelling! Next year that ram is going to wear a harness so that I know when to expect the lambs. So far Mama must have been with him a good two months before getting pregnant.
Good morning. The roosters are crowing. The cats are fed, it is dark dawn and TonTon has gone back to bed. There was a stray dog intruder in the night that he had to chase off and he is all worn out. All I saw in the torch light was a flash of gold. People who dump dogs to roam and fend for themselves in the countryside should have their fingers cut off. Until I find it or am sure it has moved on I will have to lock the sheep in the barn every night. Sheep hate to be locked up. They love to be outside on the grass.
Especially gentle pregnant ones and their handmaidens.
You all have a beautiful day. Once my morning work is done I shall pop over to your pages and see what you are doing. Maybe there is something exciting happening in your neck of the woods.
Then I am going to get out the mower and mow. Mowing is like cleaning it calms the mind. Mowing is fun at this time of year as I only mow direct paths through the grass so that the dandelions and lawn weeds can grow and flower. Bees love dandelions. So I encourage them. Also at this time of year I pick the young dandelion shoots for spring salads. Yum.
We have company coming until Sunday. I just found out. Difficult company, you know the sort. The sort who would rather starve than eat a dandelion salad or any salad for that matter. The sort who do not like fresh vegetables and are loud in their disgust of unprocessed meat or milk or eggs. The sort who judge using narrow windowless boundaries and then openly disapprove of our lifestyle. The sort who think sheep are dirty and that chickens smell. The sort who are right all the time. The sort who will walk straight through newly dug gardens, slam and lock open windows, pull curtains against the sun and forget to close farm gates. And I guard peace and health on my little farmy so passionately. So today I will get everything in order for their arrival. And work on transcending my irritation, then focus on juggling good thoughts. Then act calm while being vigilant about gates. And try to do better. Then I will bake cakes, they like cakes!
And I was moaning about the quiet! Have a lovely busy day.
Good morning!
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
85 responses to “Showers and Fat Sheep (still)”
Good luck with the visitors and have a bit of some “drink” stashed away for your nerves 😉
yes i may be spending an unusually long time in the pantry finding stuff!! (glug glug glug) c
Love the clouds and Big Fat Mama’s journey. You may her seem so peaceful. Meanwhile, Celi … as one who enjoys the kitchen, I would love your input on this post. http://afrankangle.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/on-chili/
I loved that post of yours, i had no idea there were so many chili chillis.. thank you for linking me frank .. c
You are very welcome as I was seeking your thoughts regarding this culinary treasure.
Yesterday I glanced at the weather maps and thought for sure we were going to get some rain. We got a few well-meaning drops but nothing that could even come close to being called a shower. Mama looks so uncomfortable. I hope she delivers soon — and certainly without any complications. My family has always enjoyed dandelion salads this time of year and I’ll be blogging about my “tortured” history with the greens, once my back permits me to go out and do some harvesting. No matter what, I do intend to pick some this year, even if it means lying on my stomach, pulling myself across a field! (Pray, God, none of my camera-toting friends drive by!)
More so than in my own yard, I hope yo get some rain today. G’morning!
mercy that pain in your back must be well .. a pain.. to have restricted movement like that must make you very resourceful. I look forward to your greens page as I LOVE wild green salads! c
I certainly hope that you’re going to blog about them, too. We Dandelion Diners need to get the word out about these tasty greens!
Put the surly teenage relatives to work on the farmy and show them what a reall life is about, and things might be a bit different. I love the smells of the farm. And I encourage dandelions too – weed, indeed!
I will give it a crack, they are in their late late teens and so they are just too old to be sitting about in front of the tele all day anymore.. we will see. At least their mother will get a break.. c
I dislike irritating company. Sounds like you are going to need a lot of wine this weekend. 😉
There’s absolutely nothing exciting going on around here either! Well, unless you count the snow. Yes, now we have snow instead of rain. The Robins are confused and I certainly hope this isn’t going to upset all of my trees that are now budding.
Hoping to bake some bread today, but that’s about all the excitement for the day. Hope you at least have a calm before the storm this weekend.
~April
SNOW! how did that happen, goodness i hope it stays over your way, though i am sure Mama would not mind it a little cooler.. I guess it is still March! c
Oh dear. How did you get that sort of visitor and why are they coming to see you if they loathe it so much? Perhaps they will have a change of heart or a change of plans.
Morning Sharyn, you never know, maybe hanging out with the animals might be good for them, as long as they are nice and calm.. c
Oh do try to find beauty in the day and the visit; I know you will.Did you say cakes??
Poor big Mamma, she doesn’t look to be bothered by it though…
I see the T-Rex in the clouds., I do, I do.
I am doing a rain dance for you…(be glad you can’t see it)
Jess xoxo
Cecelia, I love that cloud picture. It does look just like a dinosaur. Sorry to hear about the house guests. I suppose we will be seeing lots of new party cocktails and other anesthetics coming from “The Kitchens Garden” this week. Take care, BAM
Love the cloud picture; looking forward to hearing about our visitors!
Sounds/looks like the calm before the storm of activity. Even the clouds are drifting by to let you store up some peace for future needs. I too find mowing a soothing activity – it is outdoors, so productive and a strange sort of meditation – and people don’t bother you asking you to do things – or you can just yell “can’t hear you” and ignore them. It is sad about people leaving dogs – they don’t realize most cannot fend for themselves, they are heartbroken, – and they become a nuisance…you can just adopt so many! Hope your guests get with the program.
Hi C, Oh, the joys of having company!! Think positively. They will leave eventually 😉
Regards Florence x
Seriously, I was looking for TonTon in the photo of Mama!
the funny thing was i took it without thinking about him and there were only his feet in the image, so i trimmed him out as it looked silly but now that i think about it it may have been funny!! should have left his wee feet in.. c
It is company like that that I detest….and I have them. A whole weekend is horrible, a short stay passable. You just eat what you like…they can go to town. Here in my household we have to get gluten free since Terry is Celiac diagnosis, they won’t even try my food. How sad. I’ve become so good that you can’t tell the difference in the taste.
Here is hoping for peace for you, my friend.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
There is gluten is so much processed foods, how can people object to fresh gluten free food anyway.. they come tonight and peace will come on sunday when they toddle back off. It is a duty visit, and thankfully not my duty, so i can be busy in the kitchen or in the barn no problems!! c
they sound more like intruders than guests. i would un-invite them! i can’t wait to see the babies!
Just look at mama.. I’m telling you the animals are wearing smiles even though you can’t see it. Spring is here and I know they are ecstatic :). The rude rooster just cracked me up though 🙂
You know kay he did manage to shove his fat self through that tiny hole in the door, lazy bird! c