Six Months

Hard to believe... the boys are six-months-old!  They are doing great and are right now on their own with the bred ewes.  They do still have their... ummmm... teachable moments but all in all they have wonderful natural abilities and are just amazing.

Asher - ready to take off down the hill

Birka - guarding Hera

Red - watching the chickens

Farewell to February

February said farewell in a lovely way... cold temperatures but lots of sunshine.  It seemed as if suddenly the birds truly believed that spring would soon arrive and began their songs in earnest.  March 1st definitely roared in like a lion, but oh, on that last day of February, we all enjoyed the sunshine and had a renewed sense of hope.

Happy New Year!

"And now let us welcome the new year, full of things that have never been." ~ Rainer Maria Rilke 

What better way to start the new year, than with a peek in at what the pups have been up to?  The boys have been making forays into the pasture sometime in the company of the shepherdess/s but most of the time they have been helping their mama out.  Bella is a tough instructor and keeps them pretty much in line. She is still quite affectionate, but doesn't take any nonsense.  Right now the pups are spending part of the day in the pasture and part of it in the barn next to a group of ram lambs. Although they are very busy learning their craft, Bella still finds time to work a little play in to the day.  She is doing such a great job being a mama.

Pink and Asher's Excellent Adventure

Pink and Asher are two very curious pups.  Under the corral gate and off to explore they go.  Just a few yards into the pasture and they can watch the big girls in Liam's paddock.  They really love to watch them and are on their best behavior... no barking, just a lot of 'guarding'.  Then when we call "Come, puppies, come", they squeeze back under the corral gate and come running. It is so wonderful to observe their natural inclinations to be good livestock guardian dogs.

{this moment}

A Friday ritual.
A single photo - no words - capturing a single moment from the week.
A simple, special,  extraordinary moment.
A moment to pause,  savor and remember.
Participating with the SouleMama blog

Puppy Update

The puppies were four weeks old yesterday. They have begun to eat a little solid food and are becoming very active.They all display good livestock guardian instincts, such as barking when someone comes in the barn door.
Both parents are working livestock guardians and provide protection to our flock.
Belladonna is a registered Pastore Maremmano Abruzzese 
Samson is a purebred Komondor 
The puppies were wormed at three weeks. We do not have an available date yet as we are taking things slowly, watching closely to provide for the family's growing needs.
There are two females and four males. Some of the puppies will be available to farm approved homes at $350

Puppy Pillows

The puppies are getting fat and sassy... slowly beginning to try to walk.  They look like tiny little tanks, trying to lift their bellies off the ground far enough to get around.  They are beginning to yip and yap a little also.  Still, their favorite activity is sleeping... snuggling, cuddling, using each other as little puppy pillows... all in their sweet little puppy piles.
Honestly, we could spend the entire day just watching them.

{this moment}

A Friday ritual.
A single photo - no words - capturing a single moment from the week
A simple, special extraordinary moment.
A moment to pause, savor and remember.
Participating with the SouleMama blog.

{this moment}

A Friday ritual.

A single photo - no words - capturing a single moment from the week

A simple, special extraordinary moment.

A moment to pause, savor and remember.

Participating with the SouleMama blog.

Weekly Top Shot

While Raven is technically not a working dog, if you told her any different she would be very insulted.  She makes the rounds of chores, and fiercely guards the farm and family.  As she is getting older and is having some arthritis problems, she does more waiting... as in 'I know you're coming back this way when you finish putting up that fence... I'll wait right here in the shade."

Joining Madge at The view from right here for Weekly Top Shot 

The Weekend

After Friday's bitter winter storm, Saturday was very much like living inside of a snowglobe.  The high winds had ceased and the snow continued, falling gently... leaving everything looking like the winter wonderland it should be in January.

Although bitterly cold on Sunday, everyone seemed to be enjoying the winter weather.  The deer came up out of the hollow and were grazing on the knoll most of the afternoon.  And Bella despite having two shelters and a dog house at her disposal, chose to sleep out on the side of the hill under the goat tree.