One of the most expressive sighs comes from one of my Kelpies. A long and strong whistling exhalation through his nose every time he settles in to a favourite place. A sigh of deep expression, it is this sigh that most aptly suits the mood here of late.
Have you ever noticed that once a decision is made you get on with doing and carrying it through, but making the decision in the first place is the greater stress. Another group of ewes left last week, bound for their new farm in southern Saskatchewan. Between last Fall season and this one a good number of ewes have been sold and the flock sits at one third of its usual volume. The decision to sell ewes was spurred on by serious dry conditions and lack of winter feed. With steep feed prices purchasing feed was an unaffordable option unless we wish to take on debt again, which we don’t. We’ve been doing this debt free for too long to want to go back into it. Once the decision was reached it was carried through by a realization that drought is a good time to shift to a core nucleus of a flock again. And that it’s okay to let the prairie, and myself, take a breather, even if we don’t know what is coming next. And there is the sigh of deep expression.
The flock feels so very small and so very easy now. I am currently moving the flock home every night so that the ewes get water from the winter water bowls. Natural surface water is nonexistent in the majority of the pastures and smaller hoses and floats that are needed when hauling water freeze up overnight. Typically we’d have snow to rely on by now, but there is none. Moving the flock has never felt easier though, although I still expect to see more sheep and the Kelpies keep looking for more work.
A side affect of downsizing the flock is that my deeper appreciation for sheep has returned anew. I was worried my love for sheep was worn too thin but I love this tidy flock. I like that shearing day next April will be simplified. I appreciate that only five guardian dogs are needed rather then eight/nine, so there is less panic to replace the three dogs we lost this year. And I am grateful that with less mouths to feed the prairie will be able to take a breather and to emit its own deep sigh of expression.