As the diddie Over the River and Through the woods to Grandma’s house we go plays over and over again in my mind I can’t help but think back to a year ago. It was the evening before the Oregon Purebred Sheep Breeders Association meeting in Salem and the weather outside was frightful with only a small window of clear weather in the near future. So it was with that knowledge I impatiently checked and rechecked the weather reports until surely the mouse on my computer was about ready to give out.
As I arose early Saturday morning to a mild skiff of snow in Central Oregon I quickly leaped to the computer to get a glimpse at tripcheck. As I brought up camera after camera across all of the passes my heart sank. Chains were required on all of the mountain passes. Next to my ace in the hole…the gorge. Was it passable? Well according to tripcheck and many of my former students in Hood River, only with a rowboat.
So as the day wore on, my frustration level rose. Not only were my girls having a melt down as we might miss out on one of the most important social events of the season, but my older parents who live nearby were deeply concerned about our safety if we were to try to cross the pass.
The silver lining in the cloud so to speak is that an unusual warm front carrying higher than normal temperatures and a lot of rain was set to hit the Willamette Valley and the Cascades at any moment and when it did it would be like the parting of the seas. So it was with great awe I watched as the snow quickly melted away through the day to the point it was safe to travel the passes for a meeting and what would turn out to be a great sleepover and playdate with sheep peeps.
Luckily for us we have built up quite the map of local Willamette Valley sheep hostels that will take in a wayward shepherd and her flock on a moments notice. But possibly more importantly I look back on the eve of this year’s purebred meeting to ponder why the trek over the river and through the woods was so important and quite frankly the answer is to see my extended sheep family. They are the people I have come to celebrate some of my most important accomplishments as well as some of my greatest defeats. They are the individuals that are there to support each other and champion our mutual causes. They are the ones that are there for advice and often times just a shoulder to cry on, but the point is they are there for the important moments.
Today we are very blessed to have quite possibly the strongest emerging sheep industry I have seen in Oregon since the 1980’s and we are on the verge of doing amazing things. As I wake tomorrow to look at the mountain tripcheck cams it will be with great anticipation that I look forward to seeing black pavement and my some of my favorite sheep peeps! Sweet dreams of over the river and through the woods….
Oregon Sheep Connection 