Waiting

( Almost dinner time )

( Poor Buddy - it's exhausting to be in charge of all these pregnant girls )

  We are in a little lull at the farm right now.  There's not much happening but the ordinary, day-to-day barn chores;  feeding hay in the mornings,  feeding hay and grain in the evenings,  cleaning out the automatic waterers,  keeping clean bedding down for the teenagers (nearly one year old ewe lambs), feeding the dogs and cats,  feeding the chickens and collecting the few eggs they are giving us at this time of year.  Those are all mundane tasks, but they add a certain rhythm to my day.  I still have the washing, ironing, cooking and cleaning stuff to do, but the animal related chores are the framework everything else fits into.  I sometimes wonder how it would be to not have those animal chores on my schedule.  At this point in my life,  I simply can't even imagine.  I know the day is coming,  sooner rather than later,  when I won't physically be able to do the heavy work that shepherding requires.  I hope when the time does come,  I am able to focus my energies on something as personally rewarding as what I do now.

I have been thinking a lot about shearing and lambing.  Usually,  that happens earlier than it will this year.  I purposely decided to start lambing a little later,  so the weather would be warmer and the grass starting to come on.  ( Little did I know that winter wasn't going to make much of an appearance this year. )  I'm hoping that shearing day will be pleasant because I would really like to have a "Shearing Day" event here at the farm.  Something very casual.  Maybe a come-on-down if you feel like it sort of event.  Maybe even a potluck meal for anyone interested in participating.  I'll know more as we get closer to the time and will issue the invitation here,  if I manage to get my act together.

(  the ears crack me up - they're like antenna........always scanning )

In the meantime,  these pictures are what you'd see a lot of,  if you were to stop by.  Nearly all of us just lying around,  waiting for our next mealtime !!