Cathie’s home is a cozy stone cottage warmed by a wood stove. I knew Cathie had been a farmer before becoming an art teacher and that she and her Bear raised sheep. I had asked to see the sheep and so that became part of our visit.
My camera battery quit so Mimi took pictures on her iPad which doesn’t zoom them for a blog…. We drove up another hill to a winter pasture. Bear unhooked the top wire so we could step safely into the field. Mimi didn’t realize it was an electric fence and stepped over where it wasn’t lowered! Her long legs managed to miss the wires anyway, thank goodness.
I was surprised to see small lambs. They arrive in the spring according to Mother Nature, but sheep farmers prefer to have them arrive in the fall. That way the sheep are eating well in summer pasture while they are pregnant. Some sheep hadn’t yet given birth.
I asked Cathie what they did with all the wool they shear. Usually they just throw it away, but this year a fellow who was building his house took it to use as insulation. That’s like having a house wrapped in a wool blanket!
We stepped back over the electric fence and suddenly I found myself sitting in Bear’s truck with a border collie at my feet. Bear doesn’t speak English. He does have a twinkle in his eye and an easy grin. He climbed into the driver’s seat and we were off. I had no idea where I was going as I waved goodbye to everyone else who were standing around, watching us disappear into the dusk.
We bounced up a narrow road that no one would ever drive over in a car. The road made impossible turns through a cluster of houses and kept on climbing. Bear was grinning. I was hanging on!
We reached a long shed-like building with a grassy hill beyond. Bear maneuvered the truck between two small trees and drove higher into the meadow. Then he turned the truck around and stopped. There was just enough light in the sky to see the outline of the mountains, but dark enough so that village lights twinkled in the night. It was awesome.
Even now, that panorama is in my head and brings tears of awe to my eyes. It was powerful beyond words. Thank you, Bear.
Bear then drove down to the shed-like building, indicated that I should get out and should walk past all the bales of hay further into the barn. He turned on a noisy generator and I could see light in the direction I was headed. I reached a gate, and there were more sheep!
The sheep were curious, but not enough so to come close. Then the cat slipped under the gate and the sheep came within a few feet of me to greet the cat!
I decided to walk back to the truck to see what was going on, but Bear and the truck were gone. It was dark outside. I figured someone would eventually come for me, and then the truck appeared again. Bear was bringing the others a few at a time.
We wondered if he was always able to drive up that crazy road in the winter and learned that there were days he walked it through the snow or over ice for both morning and evening. Impressive.
Again Mimi took the pictures. Most of these sheep had been the Spring lambs. There was also a pen for mothers with twins. Cathie caught one of the lambs…not an easy task, even in a pen. They really aren’t as soft as they look, but they win on cuteness.
Then it was time to return to Cathie and Bear’s home for dinner. The entree of course was lamb.
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