May 21, 2021
Lambing season is always the height of chaos in our seasonal lifestyle and this year it was worse than ever as lambing overlapped with shearing and then rolled over into the start of grazing season. And in case life wasn't crazy enough, we had a house full of family and grandchildren staying with us. For certain, there is no task that isn't twice as hard with a two year old in tow, and exponentially harder still with 2 two year olds.
We actually did very well juggling everything that needed to get done with taking care of the kids. This is a feat I find remarkable since for every decade of life I've accumulated, I have apparently misplaced an equal amount of my multitasking skills. It is to the point now where the pinnacle of my ability to get more than one thing done at the same time is to fall asleep while watching a movie. Honestly though, we accomplished far more than just treading water. We not only survived, but the grandchildren thrived, our flock is finally shorn, the lambs completely weaned, and all of the sheep are now happily grazing on pasture. It has been a two week marathon and at the end of each exhausted day, we were content just to note that the lambs were indeed in the pasture and the toddlers were napping in their cribs - and not the other way around...
Life will be remarkably calmer as our house empties out this weekend, and I look forward to the infinitely slower pace. It will, however, undoubtedly feel very empty. I'll miss that precious little hand reaching up to hold mine, and the absence of the endless happy chatter. How is it possible to love someone so much and miss them so acutely when they really only have the conversational skills of a cockatiel, and weigh little more than a bag of grain?