It's becoming winter here in Virginia. Lately if it's not cold it's rain and if it's not raining it's cold, and yesterday it was both. They fore casted snow for areas just slightly north-west of us. We are really, really saturated right now so I hope the rain will slow down a little. I'm glad they got the soybeans across the driveway ("my" 30 acre training field each winter- and twice that if I walk far enough out to utilize both fields that are separated by a dirt road) up a week ago, because now the ground is so wet it will be quite awhile before they can take their equipment back to the fields I'm sure. The cotton on the other side of our property is not fully up. That field is huge, probably pushing 75 or more acres. That's the field I wish I could use, not so much because it's longer, but because it's more square in shape. In the field across the driveway my better outrunning dogs have learned to follow either the woods line, or the ditch line (which makes me ill, so I rarely send so that happens) for those 300+ yard outruns. (they don't have to go that wide to keep the sheep quiet- but I have a couple that do) I can set the sheep so the dogs run across the field so they can go as wide as forever, but then the distance is restricted to about 200-225 yards out. If I go further down the field, it does get almost twice as wide, so my trained dogs and I will be making that 500 yard trek from the house quite often this winter. There is a "tractor road" right where the field widens out (they usually plant something different in the next field) and in the past I have loaded the dogs into their crates in the bed of the truck and parked along that service road. That way I only have to make that long trek twice. (I don't trust the sheep to stay in the field so close to home, and it only takes once... Last year I tried and sure enough they bolted back across the road with my dog (who ignored my stop whistle)covering them right in the middle of the road. So now I do a big long assisted drive to the service road. No matter, that's always good work for someone. Or it's a nice long fetch for a baby dog.) Where the two fields meet is actually a good training spot. I like to set the distance so the dog either has twice the room towards the top of the outrun to cover the sheep, or flip it around and watch how he handles having less room (yet plenty enough to be right). The nice thing about the size and shape of the 2 fields I can use during the winter is that you can set the sheep in so many different places and never have the send be the same at all. Some fields are quite limited in variation due to draws, fences, barns, etc... This year I am going to talk to David about renting something from him. Be it the one field across the driveway (I'd actually rather rent the one on the other side of the service road. It's maybe a bit smaller in acreage, but like the huge field on the other side of us, it is more square in shape) or some other field I maybe don't even know exists. David owns hundreds of acres around here and rents all the crop land to the same farmer. And who knows, if he doesn't have something for me, he may someone that does.
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So in a little bit I'm going to step into my insulated bibs, pull down a hat, and work outside while I enjoy the crisp air, sunshine and the company of my family and animals!! (does it get better?)I've already fed the animals and pulled the hose into the sun so it thaws out. I left the goose gate untied (apparently) and they got into the sheep tank, so it needs clean water. I think Ben is finally going to help me make the goose "house", or at least get the frame made. I was going to get 2 pieces of tin roof yesterday at Lowe's on my home, but it was 40 and raining, (and dark) so I passed...
Babies and mama are doing great. I can already see they are filling out in size. They are the most content group. The only time they fuss is when she comes back in from a pee break and they have to work out who gets what nipple. Since she's been away for all of 10 minutes they are of course famished!! I have to start thinking about names, which is always fun. I'd like to make a list then wait until some personalities come out, then "assign" their name.
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