Always Something New

One of my favorite things about Ag is that it is utterly unpredictable and I often find myself in situations that would have been nearly impossible to predict.  The other morning I was completely shocked at the state of my desert home.

That morning started out like any other morning. I woke up, got ready for school and headed out to take care of the animals. But when I opened the door I was confronted with a couple of inches of fluffy powder on the ground, with new snowflakes drifting lazily down from the sky, only to collide with the previously accumulated snow with a soft shushing noise.

Needless to say I was speechless. Although it is January, this has been a very warm, dry year and I certainly was not expecting snow. So I headed up to see how the sheep were coping with this impromptu wether. Begonia was fine, although a bit indignant to find snow contaminating her favorite alfalfa breakfast.

The lambs were curious, and when I opened the door to the hallway, they ran out of their pen. No sooner than they had left the pen when they realized how cold the snow was. Bambi then rocketed back into the pen and hid behind his momma. Flower curiously sniffed the stuff, then followed her sister.

The Llamas had their own strategy for dealing with the snow. They were laying down very still and stoically allowing the snow to collect on their backs while conserving body heat. This very simple, very Llama like coping method worked great! Until I fed them their breakfast and they were forced to get up to eat their hay. I suppose these are the challenges that Llamas face in life.

After everyone was fed, I scooted inside to warm up my hands and realized that I have a lot in common with my favorite ruminents. I don't mind snow, as long as it doesn't interupt my breakfast. I love to play in the snow, but when I get cold I know I can always run inside to warm up, and I know that it is good fun to catch a few snowflakes in my hair.

Well the snow is long melted now, but it's lessons are lingering. No matter how you deal with snow, make sure to surround yourself with people you love!