So my plans to work Quinn this week are so far not panning out.  The weather has not been cooperative.  I did take him to bring in the lambs yesterday.  Kept him on lead and made him lie down several times as we approached their flight zone.  He was showing me he would have liked to have given chase and that’s not something I allow with lambs.  Bad enough when he acts like that with adults.

Anyhow, in lieu of anything else I thought I’d share this picture of a bird nest I found on our new walking trail.  I’m not sure what birds gathered up the hair off my sheep and made themselves this lovely masterpiece of an abode but it’s nice to know it’s put to good use.

Regardless of what Puxatawny Phil says, and the fact we received more snow yesterday, springtime in Wisconsin is not all that far off.  I know this because the sheep and ducks have told me.

First there’s Reegan.  For a normally mild mannered ram he can do some amazing airs above the ground.  Yesterday and today he’s been just full of piss and vinegar.  I think he’s got his son a little worried as to dear ol’ dad’s sanity.  Reegan has been launching himself skyward, springing straight up and kicking out his hind legs like a Lipizzaner.  He’ll land with a twist and a buck, romping across the ram pen as though possessed.  Which is usually Harry Flash’s cue to hightail it into the shed.

The pair of wethers and one or two of the unbred ewes are showing similar enthusiastic behavior.  Bucking and romping like spring lambs.

The ducks have taken over an area of swamp grass and hillocks outside the fence (why they haven’t been eaten by something is still a mystery to me) eggs are being laid wherever they fall as seems to be their habit and ducky relations are taking place all over.  I’m not a huge fan of ducks but they are interesting to watch this time of year.

All the creatures here seem to think spring is in the air.  My money’s on them but maybe that’s wishful thinking.  Only time will tell.

It’s been a few days since I last posted so I thought I’d do a quick catch up.  I’m sitting on the fence in regards to apologizing to Punxsutawney Phil.  Just because we got blasted with another round of snow still doesn’t mean the little rodent was right.  Guess we’ll know in another five weeks or so.

Other than the snow (we got only 9-12 inches, unlike some parts of the country that got slammed with more than 30!) not much exciting has been happening.  Which sometimes is perfectly fine.  After all, lambing is due to start in another couple of weeks and that can bring its own excitement.  I’m guessing Mother (a.k.a. Harry Flash’s Mom) is going to lamb first again this year.  She’s bagging up and started to get that look about her.  Last year she lambed on a bitterly cold day fraught with freezing rain.  I got home from work and found Harry lying in a puddle, but as soon as I dried him off and put him down he went back out to lay in the same place.  It obviously didn’t affect him as he’s a thriving young ram today.  Anyhow, I asked Mother to hold off until the beginning of March.  Ashley & Troy are getting married the last weekend of February and I’d rather not have lambs when we’re gone, though I’m sure Dawn can handle it.

I’ve been diligently sticking to my routine of taking a different dog in for chores each day.  I unfortunately haven’t been doing much training outside of that this week, though.  Quinn does get to go to agility with me as I’ve picked up training a few classes at Dawgs in Motion.  Quinn gets to be the demo dog as well as practice a bit.  Does him a world of good and is getting him to focus on me a bit more.  He is definitely a dog that needs the one-on-one.

Lace is still doing well.  Still joining Shaine and I on our daily walks.  Still wandering off on her own adventures.

Other than that, at the moment, life goes on.  Which is a good thing.

Marie sent me this in an e-mail today.  If you don’t laugh, there’s something wrong with you.

C’mon…you know it’s funny.

Honesty.

If a dog has a problem with you, you pretty much know it.  He doesn’t run around behind your back telling the rest of the pack what an Alpha Bitch you are.  Like they all don’t know it already.

If a dog is angry with you, again, it’s pretty darn obvious.  He tells you to your face that you ticked him off and then, in short order, bygones are bygones.  He doesn’t stew over it.

If a dog likes you, you guessed it, he lets you know.  Sometimes it’s just that, he  likes you.  Sometimes it’s downright adoration.  In either case, he’s as open and honest about that emotion as he is every other emotion.

Can you tell it was a bad Monday?  Okay, not exactly “bad” as Monday’s go.  Just annoying.  Putting up with the games humans play for whatever reason we do so.

And I’m probably just as guilty of it at times as the next guy or gal.  Makes me wish, not for the first time, that I could be more like my dogs. It’s a lofty aspiration.  Dogs are incurably happy in the moment.  Thrilled by the little things in life.  Full of exuberance and not afraid to show it.  They don’t need a reason.  Life is their reason.  There are trees to sniff, cats to chase, each other to roll across the now-frozen snow.  They ask for a hug or a quick pat and when they get one it’s the next best thing to finding that old rawhide someone left under the tree last summer.  They are, in all respects, remarkable beings.

They are, in all respects, remarkably honest.