Sheep Tracks

Highs will hit 45 by the end of the week.

I've seen snow as late as May but the trend is set.  The driveway will clear, snow will melt, and the land will begin to green.  Oh, it might still get buried for a week here or there, but spring is coming.

Hay delivery

The last few years we have fed large round bales through the winter.

They are delivered before the first snow and a neighbor moves them all up hill.  I roll them down hill as we have need.  Either my calculations were bad this last fall or the sheep have wasted more hay than normal.  Of course if anyone is to blame for not taking into account wastage, it is me.

Sheep are not interested in thrift.

There is way too much ice to have large bales of hay moved around, so it is time to resort to the time tested method of feeding small bales.  In the loft of our small barn we can fit 50-80 bales depending upon their size.  More can be fit in the storage side of the barn.

A 120 bales delivered with two of my three helpers ready to go.

Thanks to them I only had to carry 116 bales up the hill to the barn

The third helper was in the loft doing the stacking.  

It was cold enough, I don't even care that this guy could reach through to steal some nibbles.

118 bales later.

The Icelandic Sheep approve of the new hay.

When I came in this man-pup was doing push-ups.  I guess I need to find some harder jobs.

Grace Adopts a Terrier

It was my original intention to rehab Stoic and then try to find him an appropriate home, but my daughter intervened.  Her brothers have had the experience of being raised, in part, by Maybelle "the Nanny dog."

After Gracie was born, they were slow to give up "their" dog.  To this day she sleeps in their room even if she needs help jumping into the bed of whoever is sleeping in the bottom bunk.  So Gracie has lived with dogs but never really had a dog.

She chooses Stoic, and he's pretty chill with that.

Fortunate for me she will still let me take him on some therapy dog gigs when the time arrives.

Fortunate for us all, she wants to help when we go out hunting rats or other vermin.

My Sparta and the She-Child's Stoic

Bed

I woke up this morning to my house mate complaining that there was "a b*#ch" sleeping in her bed.

I corrected her, "No, there is a hot b*#ch sleeping in your bed."

A Sunday 8 miler

Efficiency is over-rated

A yarn-bomber was here

Dude, Your Rottie showed every sign of being a sweetheart and was under your control at all times.  Still, St. Paul is not asking too much of you to keep her on a leash.  Some people are afraid of dogs and it doesn't matter if their fear is rational or not, they have as much right to the public space and we do.

I've not seen this kind of trap before but I would assume it was for Emerald Ash Borer.

Looking up river from Ford Parkway

Looking up river from Marshall Ave

Driving Home

Baby It's Cold Outside

Some members of the pack have a bad case of cabin fever.  Others have learned to embrace whatever the moment brings.

Sepia Tones

When you own a black dog, sepia tones become your friend.

The Sapiens watching a movie while my first friend keeps her eyes on me.

Dude, turn up the heat

Stoic has a unique way of communicating the fact he thinks it is past time I turn up the heat.
Maybelle, always willing to help her short-coated friends.

Tangled up in Blues