On warmer days Oakley finds a place on higher ground; the flock is just over our shoulder feeding on hay.
On warmer days I sit and watch him watch, being there but not with him. A small moment of life well enjoyed by both of us I think. I love watching the dogs in this way of not being together all the time. Such moments are everything and more to me because of the intangible gift they give and I always breath a little lighter afterward.
Winter season in saskatchewan gets a pretty bad rap because it is so brutally cold but it is also brutally beautiful.
I catch myself stewing about the sheep and dogs, wondering if they are bedded well enough and did they stay out the wind or did they move. Has the wind changed direction again. Allen repeatedly assures me they are fine. How quickly I forget how often all the critters have handled each season for what it is.
Recently the yearlings have really taken to playing, especially on the warmer days, and thus give me a regular reminder.
Last evening I watched them race up and down a hill, bucking and kicking just like young lambs do during lambing time. To see them acting so freely tells me Allen is right, they are doing just fine and taking the cold as it comes because that is what they know to do. Witnessing them adjust so readily makes me thankful to be raising sheep.
Nice!