WOW!! We had rain all night. I think we got to the midway point around 8 pm but I didn’t check. I did a count and decided to graze the herd here for a few days to help thin out some of the more problematic looking sage brush. It was a perfect excuse to set up my yurt, even though I hate doing that in the dark. Marci is still telling me that worse weather is coming, so for today and tonight, we’ll stay at this higher elevation. She has been sneezing A LOT, and pressing her head against me every chance she gets, I’m expecting lightning and some real rain. I left Armin at home this week and brought Ivar. He is better in storms because he stays close, but I did see a coyote about 90-100 yards out yesterday, so I wish I had him now.
I brought the duck jerky I made and it reminded me that sometimes we just have to do hard things. I’m feeling a lot of complex emotions about my responsibiliti
My coffee is ready and the sun is almost up. I can hear Vincent, my drama queen already trying to wake up his ladies. I’ll post this when I get to the summit, maybe tomorrow night? Today and tonight, I’m feeling invigorated and ready to face this mountain.
It’s starting to cool off at night. Last night, I moved the smaller girls to the lower part of the valley, and left the boys and big gals up under the tree line. I’m going back up for them this evening. Armin works best in the sunset and they spook less in the lower light. It’s almost time to move to the southern hilltop. I cannot wait. I know the sunflowers overtook the hill a few months ago, and the rain has filled in the lower foothills with grasses higher than my bellybutton. Watching the herd slowly eat their way down the browning hillside is my favorite part of the year. It means the snow is coming; it means frigid nights in the hot tent and in the barn. Cooking on a fire. Clear, icy skies that meet the mountain tops somewhere beyond my line of sight. Two months of rabbit and duck jerky. Coming home for the Yuletide to warm coffee and ciders and the new year. I cannot wait