January Nights

Wow, we're well on our way to MARCH! (I meant to post this long before now)

January '11 was some of the coldest weather in recent memory. We missed out on the snow this year and just got the brutal cold. This coincided with our attempt at earlier lambing dates. Murphy's law got us once again. The cold, coupled with the number of "first-time mamas" in the sheep shed meant I did a LOT of checking on the sheep.

Winter nights here are absolutely amazing. The sky is so full of bright, beautiful stars. The moon can light up the landscape so that a flashlight is almost unneccessary. I try to remember to take the time to reflect and appreciate the beauty and wonder, although the cold can make for a real quick reflective time. Despite a lifelong fear of the dark, sometimes I rather enjoy my midnight forays to the barn.

As delivery times got closer, I found myself trekking to the barn more and more often. Every two hours allows for very little sleep, and it was a great relief when that last ewe "popped" her babies.

But, before that happened, I realized that I felt very much like "Fred the Baker" from the early '80's. Remember Fred the Baker? Here he is, for your enjoyment. If you want to know what I get like during lambing season....just picture me (instead of Fred) and have me say "I checked the sheep"!

On a positive note, all that checking paid off. The lambs are looking GREAT!