Modern Day Shepherds

Today's shepherds are featured in this USA Today story.

LINK

Besides the article, there is an interesting video including interviews with the shepherds and one of their employers.

Waiting Expectantly

Silly Phone Photo

This is a silly phone photo (not the best) but so rarely do I have all three dogs chained to the fence at the pasture I just had to grab it.  The dogs are tied up so that I could move my truck safely after unloading hay.  Chiefie looks a bit disgusted because he never gets chained up. I'm sure he would rather be out sniffing, rolling in and especially eating, sheep goodies on his free time!

Rime looks like he is thinking, "Oh boy we're chained up! We're gonna work sheep! Oh boy!"

Coal seems to be asking, "You stuck me next to him?"

A Post About 2010

Some of my dearly beloved fellow bloggers are looking forward philosophically to 2011 already. They already have their 2010 "house cleaned" and their bags packed for the new year. Oy. In my true procrastinator's fashion, I am still deeply and hopelessly entrenched in 2010. Today's post concerns a topic that is only vaguely related to the dogs and sheep (but still related -- you'll see!!), however, still important.  When I moved to California in 1996, I kept hearing, "it's all about the food". I didn't get it. I came from Illinois, the midwest, the breadbasket, the food machine of the nation, if not the world. We grew corn and soy, and raised hogs and cows. We went to the Hoopeston Sweet Corn Festival as kids and got free steaming hot ears of sweet corn that were cooked in a railroad steam engine boiler. I worked at one of the Land Grant Universities for years, where there were corn plants in a test plot visible out my window and a livestock pavilion next door to the office. The vet school was down the street and I made friends with the university shepherd. My friends worked at the university dairy barn. What else could people be talking about? Little did I know that California had a whole 'nother story to tell.

In 2010 I did something I had been wanting to do for years, and that was to start participating in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program for a weekly box of veggies and fruits. I signed up in June for a weekly box from Valley End Farm. Every Tuesday I go and pick up my box. Clint eagerly shows me what's inside the box for this week and often makes suggestions on how things can be cooked. They also offer free-range eggs. For a while this summer, we were treated to weekly locally-raised and grass-fed meat offerings (lamb, beef, pork and chicken) from the Victorian Farmstead (Sebastopol) as well.

So this year I have not only enjoyed eating locally grown veggies and fruits that are sold by a farm only a couple of miles from my house, but I have learned to cook and eat the following veggies, some of which I had never touched before!

Arugula, chard (both yellow and red), kale, turnips, beets, mustard greens, butternut squash and eggplant! (to name a few)...

On a regular basis we also get locally grown and mostly organic potatoes, several types of radishes, sweet potatoes, celery, lovely carrots with the tops on, gourmet mushrooms, oranges, avocadoes, tangerines, tomatoes, plums, pears, apples, butter lettuce, leaf lettuce. Herbs are a bonus at times, such as rosemary, spearmint, and all kinds of basil.

And yes, we did get sweet corn. That is the only California product that disappoints me to this day. It's just not the same as Hoopeston. Oh well, you can't win 'em all.

Whatever I don't get eaten in a week, can become part of the dogs' food. They love it! We are all eating better and I feel great helping to support local ag.  So whatever else happened in 2010, I feel good about this one thing.

An Early Christmas Present

Last summer, Coal had some physical issues that I did not share with many folks. My vet and I were really worried about him. He presented with reverse sneezing and just not feeling good, nor working very well, but not really sick. After blood work and a thorough exam, we could find nothing wrong, except that my vet could hear a split heart sound. This is a very serious finding. He went on some antibiotics and other meds, and I only worked him lightly so that he was not over-taxed. We went back several times to the vet's office so that she could listen to Coal's heart. We thought he might need further workup for a potential cardiac condition which could prevent him from working (or worse). But, at our last visit in July his heart sounded okay. We all breathed a huge sigh of relief. Since then he has worked, played, and felt well. He never went off feed or had a temperature.  Still a nagging bit of worry remained for me. Yesterday he went back to the vet for a routine exam, and she concluded that his heart sounds just fine! This was an early Christmas present for me. I am very, very thankful.

Road to the 2010 National Finals

There is a wonderful, interesting article about Patrick Shannahan and Riggs' "road to the 2010 national finals" on his website. Enjoy!

LINK

Tribute

Click on the link below for a beautiful painting of Pam Cornell with her dogs, and a tribute to her memory.

LINK