Stop and Smell the Roses

On the weekends, walking the dogs is high on our activity list. And I swear Helen, the brownish dog in this top photo, knows when it's Sunday. That's her lets-go-for-a-walk day. Even at 15 years old, she still insists on at least a half mile jog up the hill before willingly turning back for home. Normally we'd have our white husky along but since the lamb wanted to join the walk this day, it was best to leave the predator dog behind. No sense risking an attack on the lamb should it decide to start boinging and running about. Lamb? Did I say lamb?? Yup, you heard right. Little Billy has taken to joining us on the weekend walks.  

Left to right: Helen, me, Billy, Crusty

If you noticed in the photos, I live along a one lane paved road. When we bought the place, the road was cinders. The farm up the road wanted to get permits for a commercial farm and thus had to pave the road. The county didn't say that he had to pave two lanes, so as you can see, the road is one lane. Fine with us. Just means that one vehicle has to pull over to pass. We seldom have a car on the road, so it's not much of an issue. Besides, it's a nice road for walking the dogs. 

It's impossible for a Border Collie to stop herding! 

Dog walking is a pleasant past time. After a week of steady work, it's not something I do for the exercise. I find it's nice to bond with my dogs and have time with hubby. 

Homesteading shouldn't be all work. All-work results in stress in my life. It always did in the past, so I actively try to avoid that now. Weekend dog (and lamb) walks help de-stress. We talk to the dogs, look and listen for birds, note any new flowers, sniff for the macnut flowers and ginger, and keep an eye out for fireweed, which we pull out.

Weekends are my time away from work, from the homestead routine. Surely I care for the livestock on Saturday and Sunday, but weekends are not work days. I've seen plenty of small farmers work all weekend long. I've seen their farms take them down, just as a wolf takes down a struggling calf. When I was active in the farm bureau back in NJ I listened to many a farmer who was so submerged by their farm struggles that they couldn't enjoy life, couldn't stop struggling. I'm trying to avoid the traps. So yes, I stop to smell the roses (or ginger).....and walk the dogs!