Sheep camp, week 1

The photo above is the view out my sheep camp door. I’m home for a few hours to take care of some paperwork and grab a shower, then back to sheep lambing camp in the Big Sandy country of western Wyoming. This is the first year I’ve gone to such a remote location for lambing. I sold most of my sheep to my friend Pete, and agreed to lamb them out amid the sagebrush steppe. I’ll end up with a small herd going into the winter, after we return from our hoped-for international trip this fall.

It’s been a great first week in camp, getting lots of writing and reading time in since the sheep haven’t started lambing yet. My three livestock protection dogs have been busy displacing the local coyote population, and arrive back in camp in the mornings battle-weary from the antics of the night. We’ve had wind storms, and a blizzard, but overall, it’s a beautiful spring. Husband Jim is beginning to worry less about me being out alone, and the isolation has been refreshing. For this first week, lambing camp was better than a writer’s retreat – I pounded out 9,000 words. I’ll check back in, in another week or so. Best to all.

How certain things are accomplished at sheep camp (a custom-made portable toilet):

Beautiful country, thriving domestic sheep:

The morning after a severe winter storm – the sun shines and all is well: