December 17, 2008 – I can feel my focus shifting, to the dogs, to working with them, to writing about them. A border collie is at the heart of my next book, about a farm during a blizzard. This morning, I took Rose out into the snow. One of our old rituals together is bringing the sheep down in a storm. They are nervous at first, and Rose guides them down slowly to the feeders, then loves to sit and keep watch on them while they eat. Rose is impervious to weather, just ignores it. If I left her there for an hour, she would be covered in snow when I got back.
  This magnificent worker knows the drill, and while she is collecting the sheep I am feeding the chickens and the barn cats. They are all snug, loaded up with hay and grain for the day, and we’ll see how long the storm lasts. I love working with Rosie, and will make more time for it.