October ...

I love October.  The leaves are really starting to get very colorful now, and I will be keeping my camera battery on full charge. 

 
Went up to a branding last weekend.  I'd never been to one before.  It was very interesting watching the ranchers rope the calves in such a nice, quiet, calm manner, the various loops they use, the different methods, and each with their own style.  I loved how the stock -- both the horses and the calves -- were handled.  Quite different than the rodeo.  And there were no fancy rhinestones on saddles, shirts, hats, asses or anywhere else.  And no one was wearing bright turquoise anything, and no one had any fancy tassels hanging off of anything.  Just real cows and real cowboys.   

Here is the owner of the ranch demonstrating for me various really cool loops.  These loops ... float ... slowly through the air -- almost like suspended animation -- and land very quietly on the calves.  

Once the calves are headed and heeled, they are branded, vaccinated and ear-tagged ... all very quickly, quietly and efficiently.  It was very cool to see.

Back at home, the weather is really really nice right now.  The skies are amazing, the air is getting a bit crisp, the mornings and evenings are chilly, but the days are perfect. 

I took the Sexy Echo for a walk.  Yes, she's now showing off her "girly curlies" -- that is, her girly figure and her lovely locks.

We passed by the sheep on the way.  I know I've been sort of explaining that my neighbor and I built some fencing across the canal to enclose the sheep in so they can chew down the weeds over there, but I don't think I've posted photos.  Here's a visual of where my sheep are now.  (Yes, I only have three left, but my ewe is looking prego...)

We walked down the canal a bit and took a few more photos.  This tree will be a gorgeous bright yellow very soon.  (There are sun spots in many of my photos.  I was shooting directly into the sun on auto and didn't feel like messing with it.)

My neighbor's bridge (and the diva on the end)...

Hey Diana ... what are these?  They look like giant blueberries.  Are they some sort of plum?

We decided to walk over and check on the sheep.  I love this field.  The neighbors rent it out to a farmer who grows mint every year, and it smells great!  It's too bad I can't train the dogs on it.  It would be the perfect place.

The sheep ... were absolutely distraught.

They started jumping up and down, they were so mad!  Then suddenly, they jumped right over the fence and landed ... yup, whodaguessedit ... right in the field!  Echo was annoyed that she had to go all ... the ... way ... out ... there ... and ... get .... them....

(These photos are taken from quite a distance and cropped way back, and shot right into the sun, so the quality is hurtin'.  There's my bazillion excuses.)  The sheep weren't cooperating, so she had to drive them.

And flank all over the place.

And crossdrive.

... a long way ...

... to be able to fetch them back to me ....

... in a gorgeous straight line (across the corrugates instead of with them) ...

... so we could put those incorrigible sheep back where they belong!  Whew!  It was a good thing we were there!  And I just happened to have my whistle AND my camera with me.  Luck-y!

Here's my place on the way home.  There's not much water left in the canal.

I actually cleaned my kitchen this week, floor and all.  Nope.  Not lyin'.  I did it.  Really.  And I went to go clean the floor in the entry way when I noticed what a mess the dog boxes were.  They were full of dirt, and I was annoyed at myself for never finishing off what the contractor started.  So I went to work on it ... grabbed the shop-vac and sucked all the dirt up ... grabbed the sander and sanded down the wood on the bottoms of the boxes so that they were all nice and smooth and clean ... and then put two coats of primer/sealer on them.

That hole right there ... that's a Reese hole.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet.  I'm not certified in drywall-patching, and my contractor is nowhere to be found.  But ... I'm going to paint trim tomorrow and hopefully get this room done once and for all.  I have a bunch of cute stuff I want to hang on the walls and would love to get the various cans of paint and crap out of this room and really start using it for what I initially intended using it for.

See?  I told you!

But it won't stay like that for long.  Why not?  Um.  Here's why.

These two make their presence known wherever they go.  They're like Frick and Frack.

J