Yip, yip….yowwww! Woooo…bark, bark…yip,
yip…..yowwwwwowooooowwwww!
All the little hairs on the back of my neck were suddenly
standing at attention. The calls were so close I could sense the fur and spit
flying as a skirmish broke out amongst the band. Making it all the more eerie, Gus
was sitting stock still and silent, his nose quivering slightly as he peered intently
into the darkness. With the next coyote call, the old pregnant ewes hoisted
themselves up from their sleeping spots and headed for the barn. That made me
more than a little nervous.
I realize there are those who feel that the nocturnal cries
of the coyotes are some type of amazing natural music. That explains why they
are called “the song dog”. And, I guess it’s cool that they have different
calls to communicate.
But, personally, the very thought of coyotes freaks me out. Thinking
that they’re out there…somewhere…is one thing. Being absolutely certain is
another. This time they sounded closer than ever before. And, then there is knowing
there is nothing I can do…
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| nice lambs |
This is the most intense part of the shepherding year. Day-time,
night-time…it seems I’m always headed toward the barn. And, there is a definite
downside to spending a lot of time in the barn. Not only do all my trips center
around the barn, the welfare of the sheep and the potential sales hold my every
thought captive. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I trudge out to make
sure everyone is all right. Coyote cries just magnify my concerns. There are
countless things that could put the entire operation in jeopardy.
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| checking lambs at night I LOVE my headlamp! |
So, maybe it was starting the day before sun-up with the
haunting sounds of the “song-dog” wailing and yipping in the neighbor’s field…maybe
it was just a side-effect of the bronchitis meds, or a serious lack of sleep.
Maybe it was a combination. But, when I found what appeared to be yet another single, tiny lamb, I kinda lost
it. (okay, truthfully, I REALLY lost it) All the worries and uncertainties came
crashing down…the sheep, the Market, our income stream (or lack thereof), the
Boss’ health, the weather, garden plans, healthcare, insurance, the mess in
government, future goals, past hurts and missed opportunities. How could any of
this work? Did I even want to try? Some days this life that others think is
such a dream is just so uncertain and seems incredibly hard.
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| more nice lambs |
Just like the coyotes, the worries are always there. It’s just occasionally they seem to howl away,
overwhelming and distressing. Since they certainly aren’t going away, we must learn
to deal with them.
The Boss’ advice is always…ask yourself what can you do about it? Find
one thing and do it…and then, do the next thing…and just keep going.
Therein
lies the rub. It’s the times when I can’t think of a plan that I get so out of
sorts. All those things over which I have no control send me into a tailspin.
But.
In this particular case, I could at least take care of the
lamb. Then I could run some necessary errands and “do the next thing”.
When I returned to the barn, the tiny, single lamb had been
joined by two little sisters. TRIPLETS! That explained the size. (and got our
lamb count back on track to some degree) Later in the day, more babies arrived.
My ovine obstetric skills have yet to be needed this season. Hurray!
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| these big rams lambs are my "birthday twins" |
With a plan in place to protect the sheep from the coyotes,
it was time to head out for the Farmers’ Market annual meeting. This is when
those who are interested in being Market vendors get together, go over the
rules, reserve their places and pay their fees. Since the Boss is Market
Manager, he heads up the meeting. I generally get pressed into service, although it must be pointed out that I have absolutely nothing to do with the running of the Market. We had a full house this year, even though a
number of folks were absent. There were 15 new vendor applications!
This will be the Market’s 25th anniversary. I wonder if those folks who founded
the Staunton Farmers' Market ever thought that would be possible…? Things have certainly changed
since the early days.
And, more changes are scheduled. The City of Staunton is
re-furbishing the parking garage across the street from the parking lot where
the Market is held, so it will be closed for 6 months. That means that all the
police vehicles will need to be parked elsewhere… (probably in the Market space)
And, the job must be done during warm weather, so it will happen during the
height of Market season. All of this will seriously impact the Market, in
addition to the loss of customer parking. It remains to be seen how the customers will
react to the disruption. I guess we will just have to wait and see how it all
plays out.
And, then there is the issue of the trees…
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| trees at the Market |
Those trees that make the Market so scenic, the ones that
add to the ambience and grant much-needed shade on summer days, are slowly
dying. Such sadness! There is no way to save them, as the variety is just not
suited to the particular application. The Boss attended a meeting where the
City Arborist presented several plans to correct the issue. They might simply
replace the trees as they die. Or they might re-vamp the area, using something
called the Silva Cell, which is really pretty. Or they might do something entirely different…changing
the area dramatically. Since the decision is up to the City, and whatever they
decide will require funding (which has yet to be allocated) so nothing has been
decided. Whatever happens (or doesn’t happen) will greatly affect the Market.
It feels like we’re just waiting for the other shoe to drop…
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| I would really miss the trees especially in the fall |
Uncertainty seems
to be the watchword this year.
That’s not to say there is nothing positive happening on the
hill. Not at all.
Broiler chicks have been ordered, lamb processing dates
confirmed, and the Ag Census completed.
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| while I worked on paperwork Remy sat IN the trashcan and shredded everything (I suppose that was helpful) |
We even had a 4H group come by for a farm visit the other evening!
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| when this little girl's dad asked if she was going to stay the night she looked up at me and said "Okay, can I?" |
Lambs arrived all week with little or no fanfare.
And, we spent Saturday evening with all the kids, celebrating my birthday. Thanks y'all...it was great!
Nothing like snuggles with all the grandsons.
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| maybe I shouldn't tell my girls... but, these are the best presents ever! |
When we got back, I headed to the barn to check on everyone.
That’s when I heard an ewe screaming in pain. She was outside. It was beginning
to rain. It was next to impossible to get her into the barn. And, all the other
sheep were not being cooperative. However, she soon delivered without
assistance and there are now 21 healthy lambs cavorting around the barn.
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| afternoon at the "lamb beach" all the babies take a place in the sun |
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| the four stages of sleep dozing, napping, dreaming and flat-out exhausted |
 |
| Ah, the sun feels SO good! |
I wish there were more, but…it is what it is. There are two ewes that didn’t breed at the
same time as the rest of the flock, so it is possible that there will be a few
more next month. Although, even if that happens, we just won’t have the numbers
we have in the past. We’re still feeling the effects of last year’s
“challenges” to some degree. That’s frustrating in a number of ways. But, again…it
is what it is.
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| mama-sheep sleeping with lambs |
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| this little lamb has the most comfortable bed! |
Demand for lambchops (and all other cuts) has increased
dramatically and it is tempting to consider expanding the operation. However,
that’s much easier said than done. Housing, grazing and feeding throughout the
winter would require some major adjustments as well as considerable financial
investment.
On the positive side, the lambs are all big and healthy.
And, while I am supplementing a set of twins, (mama-sheep didn’t have enough
milk) at least I don’t have SEVEN bottle babies like I did one year. Did you
read this? or this?
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| bottle babies chew on EVERYTHING |
I guess that brings us to the end of the “news” from the hill. The upcoming week will find us watching the weather closely (we need precipitation!) and figuring out a time to haul a load of hay.
Although, first...here's a little something to be THANKFUL for
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| the stocktank heater shorted out and burned up the plug but it did NOT cause a fire! ...and... |
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| we had a spare! |
Thanks for stopping by.
Hope you have a Happy
Sunday!
Come back and “visit” again soon.
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| moon during a middle of the night barn check Jan. 31 will be a big lunar event full moon, blue moon, lunar eclipse first time in 150 years |
Here’s a postscript for those of you who might be wondering…
I haven’t heard the coyotes again.
…and…it’s
RAINING!
(how’s that for good news?)
