Luke's Socks

Annie knits the most beautiful little socks for Luke. I can hardly stand to see him running around barefoot in them on the floor, but they are so well constructed out of good wool they wear very well. I hate to wash them as I don't want them to get lost or fade, so I pick the hay and dirt out. They never smell as wool absorbs odors so well. Luke loves his socks and appreciates his mommy's work with love in every stitch. Hot and humid here today with grey skies. I fear the dog days of August are upon us. The hillside is grazed down except for a few sections of lush greenery and the top piece. August is when the hurricanes start coming up the coast bringing rain and weather that is not good for hay making. The rams have to come out now or I will surely have lambs this winter and I want to take a year off. Last winter with the weather and birthing/handling issues put a sour taste in my mouth for lambing. I have some old moms I'm attached to and they shouldn't be bred. I want to keep Zack, my new purebred Border Leicester ram as he is more like a dog than a ram and has a lovely, thick curly fleece - just in case. I have another gorgeous 2 year old black BFL/Merino ram with a big, bulky build and thick fleece I am going to offer to Shepherd Mary. She still has my purebred Bluefaced Leicester, Wooster, who is bred out by now. I'll be getting ready to fly out to Las Vegas early in the AM. AJ, or I should say Father Aaron, is being ordained again at his church in Las Vegas. Army people from his National Guard outfit will be there as AJ is a full time chaplain for the state of Nevada. He sent me a ticket and I want to be supportive. Mia, Eric and Annie will be there too. I'll be able to see AJ's brand new vestments, his nice apartment, and meet people from the Orthodox Church where he is an assistant pastor. I have to connect through Newark on the way there, and connect through Cleveland on the way back. Matt is taking care of Hannah and Luke here on the farm. They have a big job to do, taking care of all these critters. I have the larder stocked with Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes, Coca-Cola and Sprite. Wish I could take them with me but I don't think they would like spending two days on planes with one day in church in-between. Mia and I will room together which will be a real treat as we catch up on girlfriend news, hospital stories, etc.