Sheep - & Other Thoughts

We had a nice weekend. The weather was great, we had very little on our agenda, and it was restful. We did mow the yard Saturday, the first time in a couple of weeks. But, we've had some rain since the last mowing and we've had moderate temps and sunshine. At one point while we were mowing, I wondered if we would have been better off buying some sheep!

The grass was fairly tall and it was much thicker than it has been much of the summer. Not only that, but it was wet. We waited until late morning to mow – I'm not sure it would have dried any more had we waited until the afternoon. It was just thick enough that it was holding onto the moisture.

We had to stop several times, turn off the mower, and clean the grass clippings out of the chute. I think it was my second stop when I had the thought about the sheep. Hubby and I both felt zapped when we finished mowing. I fixed us a yummy lunch, but even after eating we were pretty lethargic. He read for awhile, and I tried to take a nap. I finally realized that I was having some trouble breathing, so I closed up the house and turned on the air conditioning. Within five minutes, both of us felt better. Darned allergies!

Speaking of sheep – and there actually is a logical train of thought here! - I'm excited that we're going to the Missouri State Fair on Wednesday. One of the stops I enjoy making is the Missouri Wine Tent. They sell Missouri wines by the glass, and I can get some Butterfly Blush from Jowler Creek, one of my favorite Missouri wineries.

Jowler Creek Winery is a completely green business.....hence, the connection with the sheep. They use sheep to keep the grass down in the vineyards. They also have chickens and bats as a natural way to keep pests out of the grapes. Add in solar panels for energy, and using recycled glass in their bottles, and you have a pretty impressive, responsible business plan! They're far enough away (north of Kansas City Airport, near Platte City) that they're not a place we get to visit much, and there's no local store carrying their wine. So I enjoy that stop at the Missouri Wine Tent!

Younger daughter and her hubby have returned from their trip to Seattle. Smart girl – she took today off to help combat jet lag. She did take time to post all of her photos on Facebook today, and I'm enjoying those. Even though they were in Seattle for a convention, they wisely scheduled fun time as well. They went to Mount Rainier one day and hiked. Another day they visited Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery. Daughter took a day trip to Orcas Island and did a kayak trip – it was supposed to be to see the whales, but someone forgot to tell the whales to show up! Another trip was to Pike Place Market, to visit the original Starbucks and the fish market where they throw the fish. There was also an organized visit to Safeco Park to watch the Mariners play baseball.

The photos are great and the Seattle area is so beautiful! Makes me want to take a trip.....good to know I get to take a trip to the Fair on Wednesday!