It’s so frosty this morning, it looks like it snowed. The eastern sun is slanting through the grass, and everything is very sparkly and crystalline. The cookstove feels especially delicious on a morning like this. DH just dragged the girls out of bed (they’d prefer to sleep until noon) with promises of hot chocolate, and now they’re huddled around the stove with sleepy eyes, clutching their mugs.

I spent yesterday rearranging furniture, which I do a whole lot of these days. The newly removed wall has created all sorts of logistical difficulties, such as where do you put the furniture? It really feels so much more bright and open in here, but DH is going to have to put in some shelves and cabinets of some kind, or we are going to be living out of cardboard boxes forever. Especially when the wall between the dining room and the living room comes out.

The sheep seem very content. We can let them out of the barn, and they go graze for a while and then put themselves back in the barn (remember, we have no fences!). I don’t think the goats have been content yet—contentment doesn’t seem to be in their range of emotions. It’s very nice to bring home a laid back animal!

The girls made some colorful felt beads and have been felting them into the ewes’ long forelock dreds. Hippy sheep, they call them, and they mean it as a compliment.

We are planning a fence-raising the second weekend of November, which will be the 13th—-a Sunday. We’re going to fence the pasture, and then eat, drink, and be merry. I think my dad may be manning the grill, and I’m hoping to get some of the local musicians to bring instruments. We’ll be gearing up in the morning—8:00? 9:00?—and going as late as anybody can stand it. If you’re not into the fencing aspect of things, but would like to come, you can be on the food committee! So y’all come, and remember to bring your PHD’s!