Treasures found....and random happenings.

This last weekend, in our area of the Northwest, it was very hot and windy. In years past, when these two conditions have existed, bird nests have fallen from the trees. We found this tiny nest under a fir tree on Sunday. It is a hummingbird nest, made of hair from our Angora and Cashmere goats. The nest couldn't be softer or more comfortable for a baby bird! The hummingbird family was done with their nest so we don't worry about them not having a home.
Another gift from the woods this week are Smoke Pipes or Monotropa uniflora. They grow up out of the earth like ghosts and look like smoke pipes. They are not common but we usually find a few growing in our woods. They grow in dark shady areas, and we have found them at the woods' edge under Douglas Fir trees. If we touch them the heads fall off, indicating their delicate nature.
This is an example of what the heat did to lazy Bart and Simon. They seemed to be unable to move even after several photos were taken during this quiet time, and they could have come in the house where it was cool at any time. We call them "flat cats."
Last night we drove up the Columbia Gorge to have dinner at Skamania Lodge. We took highway 14 out of Camas, Washington. The Lodge sits above the Columbia River and our table looked out over the striking landscape, one we never get tired of seeing.When we returned home we found some very, very guilty looking goats standing outside the fence. After a quick inspection we knew just how much damage they had done!! The good news is that they devoured only the vegetation near the barn and chicken coop. We did find hoof prints at each flower site near the wedding area, but they didn't eat them! Well, one of them bit off a zinnia head but spit it out. Goats are not good pets for people who can't laugh at this kind of behavior!! Stripped roses bushes.....We don't blame them because we left a chain unlatched on the gate after painting the fence, and though we care about our flowers...we love the animals more!! :)) How could anyone be mad at those faces!! That's life on the farm!