I love watching the puppies grow into mature guardians. They are not yet 4 months old and they are so well behaved with their sheep. They patiently watch as their sheep exit the night pen and head out to graze. Morning chores happen about 5 am here, it’s dark and quiet and really very peaceful. I love starting my day with beautiful stars and calm animals.

I love that at just 3.5 months old these Maremma puppies sleep in a cluster outside the sheep gate (Note the dry spot in the snowy ground). Nothing is going to sneak up on my sheepies. Dad is patrolling the perimeter and doing other guardian things. If the pups needed help they would have it but they are doing their part to watch their sheep.

I love hard work in the fresh air. Today we took down a temporary fence, put together a new pen for the young ewes, worked on the addition to the existing sheep pen for the breeding aged ewes and their ram-to-be who comes to Tower Ranch tomorrow, and we laid fresh straw in all the bedding places of both pens and the puppy area. All of this in bright sunshine, no breeze, 32*, while the puppies played and sheepies “supervised” us.

I love getting to have time with each of the men in my life. Tom and I had a nice morning running errands and making plans for our day. Then this evening I got to take my son into town and spend some time, just the two of us. He is growing into a pretty awesome (and very entertaining) young man.

I love going out after dark to do the night chores and finding that the sheep have put themselves to bed and all 4 puppies are nestled among them. When we entered the perimeter gate the puppies carefully exited the sheep pen to come see us, and none of the sheep even bothered to get up. They are completely comfortable with their big white dogs. And these young white dogs are already showing the maturity it takes to calmly rise and walk about, waiting to run and jump until they were safely away from the sheep pen.

I love coming inside to eat a wonderfully tasty dinner from a grass fed animal that was raised with love and care. The taste and the texture are so much better than feed lot meat.

I’m so fortunate to live the way I do, in this beautiful part of Alaska, with creatures and critters and some really amazing people.