Pat & Sharon O'Toole

The internet is an amazing thing. Many of the farthest reaches of the world are "wired", making us truly a part of the world wide web.

Our sheepherders, like most in the United States, are from Peru. They enter the country on H2A sheepherder visas which enable them to remain in the United States for up to three years. Sheep require year-round care so the government allows them work for extended periods of time. For us, this means that we have steady, reliable employees who know our operation and our landscape. For our employees, this means that they are away from their families for a long time. Many of them are married, with family members awaiting crucial remittances.

Their work in the high deserts and the rugged forests of the American West means an enormous economic difference at home. It can be the difference between abject poverty and educated children, health care for elderly parents, and a nest egg to buy land. Our employees tend to come from relatively remote rural areas where livestock tending is a way of life. Even in the Altiplano, many small towns and communities have internet cafes. Our employees tell us that their families sometimes check this blog, looking for photos of their loved ones.

Pepe Cruz has worked for us for several contracts. He was the hero of the Hinman Fire in the Routt National Forest in 2002, when he brought a band of sheep, two horses, three Border collies, three guard dogs and a sackful of puppies out of the fire unscathed. He had to drive the sheep down a drainage throughout a long night as the fire blew up around him. This year he has an orphan lamb, Dunkin, who follows him everywhere. Pepe asked me to post some recent pictures of him so that his family may see what he is up to. Here they are:

Pepe changing a sheepcamp tire
Dunkin, Siobhan and George watching
Loco
photo by Sharon O'Toole

Seamus and Pepe
docking at Loco
photo by Sharon O'Toole

Pepe & Daniel trailing up the road
near Three Forks Ranch on 129
photo by Sharon O'Toole

Pepe with his best guard dog, Moneco
Beeler Draw, Routt Forest
photo by Sharon O'Toole

Pepe, Dunkin, Marie (Pat's Mom) and George
Dudley Creek, Routt Forest
photo by Sharon O'Toole

Posted by Sharon O'Toole at 4:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Moving sheep camp with Grandma
Somewhere in the Routt National Forest
photo by Siobhan Lally

Posted by Sharon O'Toole at 4:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Tennessee Creek Hill
Routt National Forest
photo by Sharon O'Toole

Posted by Sharon O'Toole at 4:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sheep trail
photo by Sharon O'Toole

She was a fine ewe
With a crackerjack lamb.
Wintered on the Red Desert
Found a buck
Followed the truck for corn
Gave up her fleece
Made the long trail
Down the Atlantic Rim
Gave birth in Loco
Kept her lamb right with her
Dodged coyotes, eagles, crows.

When the bunch trailed out
For summer country
I found her
Against the cattle guard
Lamb right there.
She looked with wise eyes
Udder ruptured
Flies at her
Laying eggs.
Plenty there for
Maggot babies.

I snagged her lamb
Hog-tied him on the flatbed
Called the neighbor
“Would you please come?
I have no pistol.
Can’t leave her
Eaten alive. Like this.”

My knot worked loose.
That lamb rode unfettered
All the way home.

Posted by Sharon O'Toole at 11:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When you mostly see photos on this blog, it means that we are really really busy--which is pretty much a description of May and June on our outfit. Our schedule is pretty intense from mid-April, when the sheep leave their winter pastures on the Red Desert to head south, until early July, when the sheep and cattle are settled on the Medicine Bow and Routt National Forest grazing permits.

This year is particularly intense, as we gladly took time off to see our son Eamon wed to Megan Stocklin in Ten Sleep, Wyoming on Mid-summer's Eve. Pat called it a peaceful takeover of Ten Sleep. A good time was had by all, and photos will follow.

Before the wedding, we spent long days getting all our lambs docked (we already had almost all of the calves branded). We knew it would be time to leave on the trail immediately after the wedding, and we got a late start due to wet weather. Luckily, the days were mostly cool and we were able to proceed in good order.

"Docking" means cutting off the tails of the lambs, castrating the males, earmarking, vaccinating and paint branding. It usually involves the employment of our young neighbors, whose help we find invaluable.

Here are some photos from our 2008 dockings. We had about a dozen dockings, so these are taken in several locations on the lambing grounds. We dock the "tail-enders" as they are counted onto the Forest through the Government corrals on the Savery Stock Driveway.

Meghan and Sharon
bringing in the lambs
Cottonwood pasture
photo by Pat O'Toole

Lamb on the road
Cottonwood pasture
photo by Pat O'Toole

Bringing up the ewes and lambs
photo by Pat O'Toole

To see more photos, go to "Continue Reading".

Getting ready to brand
photo by Sharon O'Toole

Sorting the lambs off
Cottonwood
photo by Sharon O'Toole

Antonio and Riley with the Dinkum Docker
Loco
photo by Sharon O'Toole

Sharon vaccinating
Loco
photo by Meghan Lally

Oscar cutting tails with the hot knife
Didi putting pine tar on the wounds
Loco
photo by Sharon O'Toole

Emily branding
Government corrals
photo by Sharon O'Toole

Jose and Didi counting the tails
Cottonwood
photo by Sharon O'Toole

Guard dogs ACTUALLY biting the testicles
Loco
photo by Sharon O'Toole

Bahnay holding up the sheep on Dutch
Government corrals
photo by Sharon O'Toole

Posted by Sharon O'Toole at 2:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)