Many people ask me how Rose is doing without sheep. She is doing well. (We are going to be working with sheep in a few weeks – more about that later).

She watches the road carefully, looks out over the valley, plays with Lenore, sits by my side as I write, goes for walks in the woods, chases the frisbee. I do miss our adventures together, although I am writing about them quite a bit. She is healthy, and seems content to me. Vigilant as always, and having three other dogs to keep an eye on keeps her busy. She is a wonderful creature, and I always smile when I look out and see her watching me, as if to remind me of our nights out in storms, chasing off coyotes, birthing lambs, catching geese, fending off rabid feral cats and raccoons and wild pigs, getting me up when I fall, plowing through blizzards to get the sheep down to the feedes, fending off the donkeys and the cows, who did not always like her.

For some years, Rose and I were alone in the storm that life can be, and it will always be one of the most powerful experiences of my life. It is reflected in her eyes, and the way she looks at me. Well, well, she seems to be saying. Remember what we did? I do.

As always she fits into my life and helps me live. She inspires books and novels. She loves Maria. She watches over me, as always.