The Final Countdown....cue the music.

The final countdown begins with Monday, February 1st. Its time to once again separate the rams from the ewes, in an effort to get the ladies their added nutrition. Grain is gradually introduced up to a pound a day for each ewe, giving them the protein and nutrients they need to sustain growth for themselves and however many critters they have growing inside of them. They have been on a richer 2nd cutting hay for sometime now, but in this final trimester, the fetus grows 70% more than the other two tri's combined! This makes for a lot of cramped belly space, and the stomach simply cant hold the amount of calories it needs to. The rams are in a stall for the time being, to give the ladies a break from competing with stupid boys for the grain and added food. March 1st will be here before you know it, and Lisa, our veteran, will be delivery Windy Knob's first lamb! Will I name them? Of course. Every year there will be a theme, this years is fitting of course with it being "Presidents and First Ladies."

I have been making an added effort to enjoy the days, and sometimes I forget how beautiful a winter walk can be. One morning I hiked along the bay's shoreline, and was able to watch the sunrise over the ice shelves that continue gain in size with every frigid moment. It was spectacular, and an amazing display of beauty. I won't take it for granted, and I won't forget to take time for myself; to have such appreciation for nature and to take in God's beauty all around me. It's nothing short of a miracle, every sunrise... again, and again and again.

While on that hike, I was able to take a photo that has since caught me to be one of my favorite photos Ive ever taken. Not necessairly cause I think it looks cool (totally subjective) but because of the moment it captured. It was early in the morning, about 7am, and I found these prints in the fresh dusting of snow left from the night before. Now it's pretty windy along the shoreline, however even in this powdery fine snow the prints from a coyote were so perfectly imprinted, I swear if you looked closely you could see the steam from the warmness of his paw pads- the prints were that fresh! To me, its just amazing to be walking these places that you soon begin to feel are more intended for the animals then the humans that "own" it. A rocky shoreline, towering pines, a fresh snowfall, and a coyote out taking a stroll. And I was lucky enough to get a shot of it.