Popcorn

Well, we made it home and jumped straight into lambing. Fortunately we made it back before things went really wild, but it's been four straight days in the barn without a break, not even time to eat. We've had shepherds from England tell us how much weight they lose during lambing, and now I get it. There are sheep in every corner of the barn, temporary claiming pens, nurseries, infirmaries...you name it.
Back in January we had someone come in to ultrasound the sheep so we would know approximately when and how many lambs each ewe would have. We were very organized and had brought in all the sheep that were supposed to lamb first. Well, apparently it's a very inexact science because the lambs arrival and count has had very little to do with what the ultrasound predicted and we have had more lambs born outside than inside!
I have two favorite times during lambing.
One is when the lambs start to bounce like pogo sticks, jumping straight up into the air off four legs with the joy of being alive and then do "puppy burns", chasing each other up and down the pens.
My other favorite moment is when there is this lull in the barn, and everyone is resting. I can hear the quiet breathing of the sheep as they chew their cuds, and the quiet nickering of the mama ewes, almost as if they are singing their babies to sleep.
To really understand herding, you must understand it is three species in harmony, not in conflict. Moments like these are reminders of that.

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The Jellico Jinx

Two years ago, enroute home from the same series of trials, we ran into a terrible blizzard. We tried to take refuge in Jellico, Tennessee, but we were warned by a local cashier to risk our lives on the road rather than stay in Jellico, as she had heard too many strange stories. There was much more to the tale than that, but suffice to say that with the Jellico Motel flashing on the hillside reminding us strongly of the Bates Motel, we headed back into the blizzard. Unfamiliar with the route, we didn't realize we were heading into a mountain range, and we were nearly killed when a car spun out in front of us as a tractor-trailer thundered beside us while we were on the mountainous descent in deep snow. We've never been so happy to see a Walmart in our lives!

Fast forward two years... as we approached Jellico yesterday, the radio waves were full of warnings for tornadoes, damaging storms, strong wind and large hail. There was a strong sense of deja vu. Watching the weather radar, a massive red swath of storms was heading toward us, but we were hesitant to stop in Jellico.



Once again, the decision was made to take our chances on the road, and attempt the 11 mile scamper over the mountains to the next exit, with our familiar Walmart refuge. Once committed, there was no turning back and no other exits to which we could abort the mission.

Naturally, as soon as there no possibility of making the Jellico exit, the rain started and the wind increased dramatically. Being as I was one of the voices wishing to press on, I tried to downplay the conditions and the strength of the wind. Given that vehicles were flailing all over the road and the rest area on the opposite side of the highway was jammed with trucks seeking shelter, I don't think I was very convincing.

We pulled safely into the Walmart just as the worst of the storm hit.


Once the storm had ended, we debated pressing on a few more hours or staying put and getting an early start. There were conflicting weather reports about the safest areas. And let's face it, it was three and a half days since we had left Florida and we hadn't even gone 800 miles! We received a sign it was safe to go...



And into the sunset we drove...



We made it to just south of Lexington, apparently missing more storms that continued to pound Jellico. The GPS says we are in striking distance of home today... If only the snow would stop at home...

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Location:Elliott Ave,Cincinnati,United States