Nova Scotia Island Journal: early morning sheep, ruminating

In May 2011, after four years of life on McNutt's Island, we moved to Montreal. This blog remains, though, as a (sort of) daily record of our time on the island, and a winding path for anyone who would like to meander about among its magical places. For additional perspectives and insights I recommend Greg's book, Island Year: Finding Nova Scotia (2010), and my Bowl of Light (2012). I'll continue to post once in a while. If you do want to read this blog, one option would be to begin at the beginning of it (which is, as we all know, in blog-world, at the end), and read forward, concluding with the most recent entry. It's a journal, really, so it does makes more sense if you read it that way. But, you know, read it any way you like.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

early morning sheep, ruminating

As the sun warmed the grass this morning, several ewes settled down in the side yard. They are ruminating -- chewing over their previous meal.

It's a kind of processing most of us can identify with. Rumination may not be very useful for people, but it seems restful for sheep.

They are more or less waiting now. They'll begin to give birth sometime next week. Maybe while they quietly chew their cud, they are savouring these last peaceful days.