January 22, 2014 There are days..........

Horse Drawn Mower Waiting for Spring

There are days in the life of a shepherd that are beyond glorious, when all is well with the world and you know that God is in control.

Then there are the other days.

Don't get me wrong, nothing catastrophic has happened, no lost livestock or any unexpected problems to deal with. The flock is well even though the temp this morning was -13, and we are well.

It is just that in the middle of these long, dark, cold, overcast weeks of winter, I find myself slowly feeling discouraged.

I like winter as a rule, as long as I know the critters are handling it well, I don't mind the twice a day feeding/ checking up on animals and chores, and surprisingly I've come to realize that without those forced outings in all weather, I'd have missed some pretty amazing sights, sounds and moments that you cannot recapture.

Often, looking outside from the warmth of the cottage, its easy to dread stepping out, but most of the time I find once I am outside that it really is quite nice and end up staying outside doing more than I had originally intended because of it.

What I've observed personally is that the doldrums of winter are relieved not by warmer temps or less snow, but simply by sunshine. My spirits are enlivened again and my energy renewed by sunshine.

I don't miss the heat of summer, in fact I dread that more than the cold because it is impossible to escape it and the bulk of the work has to be done at this time. But the sunshine is always a welcome sight coming over the treetops lighting up the day.

The good news is, January will be behind us in 9 days. February in 28 after that. Then comes March and no matter what wacky weather it holds, I know we're on the upswing and the days will get longer, the sun will shine more, and eventually the greenery will return along with bouncing lambs, freshly shorn fleeces and all the warmth I can stand!

So for now, I occupy myself with spinning, weaving, making herbal salves and creams, shoveling and staying warm along with the usual routine chores.

And daydreaming - 83 more days until lambs!

Regards,
Kathryn

 

January 17, 2014

Coyote, Deer, Turkey Habitat
 

Among the worries that plague me as a shepherd, is the concern for predators.


We live in an amazingly rural area, surrounded by thousands of acres of forest. The thrill of this is to witness forms of wildlife the mainstream will never see.

The flip side is that every body has to eat, and the wildlife is no exception.

We have coyotes here, the wolves being removed by DEC decades ago.

Our coyotes however are a hybrid of coyote and wolf cross so they are larger than your average coyote. This isn't just my opinion but scientific fact. Wildlife biologists have actually examined the DNA and determined that at some point the coyotes and wolves intermingled leaving a unique animal as their legacy.

We know there are coyotes, as we have seen them, and certainly have heard them though not lately with the windows closed.

In the seven years we have had sheep, the coyotes have never threatened them so far as I can determine, though they are always nearby.

Other farmers in the area have complained of coyote attacks on their livestock but here we are blessed with coyotes who find their sustenance among the small creatures that abound, and not with our lambs. This allows us to live peaceably enough and truth of the matter is that I personally find the coyotes to be awe inspiring wild things who are mysterious, a bit dangerous and altogether wonderful. I would hate very much to have to resort to hunting them and I am pleased to have lived this long in their presence without complaint.

We have evidence of them being very close to the house and have been awoken in the pre-dawn hours by howling that I would have sworn was just under the bedroom window.

Having discussed their presence and habits with wildlife biologists the advice we received was thus:
If they aren't bothering the livestock then leave them alone. Shooting them opens the way for coyotes from other packs, possibly with experience in killing livestock, to fill the empty place left by having shot a coyote who wasn't a problem.  Rather than allowing that to take place, we have opted to live with the "devil we know" until such time as may be necessary to take action against a coyote or several with a taste for lamb, if ever.

In the scheme of things, I'm more worried about my fellow man being a problem than I am the coyotes.

Regards,
Kathryn