Back in the day, in the land now known as Israel, the first crop of barley was harvested about now. No one was allowed to use their barley until they brought an omer of that grain to the Temple. Of course the modern significance of counting the omer has more to do with counting toward our receiving the Torah. The days of counting bridge the gap between Passover, our festival of physical freedom, and Shavuot, our spiritual liberation.

We liberated Eula from her brain cancer just before Passover and our Pascal lambs began to arrive just two days later – four days ahead of our earliest predictions. The fox noticed immediately. Thus, the day after shiva ended for Eula, on the third day of Pesach, we started a new count. Today is the first day that Odin has been with us….

When Eula came in the house last summer, then had a series of cluster seizures, we knew in our heads it was time to find another livestock guardian, but the heart has a funny way of coloring reality. Eula was still alive, so technically we still HAD a guardian – despite losing several birds and staying up nights to scare the fox away. As lambing approached, I reached out to a reputable rescue. I truly believe you get the dog you need, not the dog you dream up (although when you’re really lucky, they can become one and the same). Odin is not what we imagined. He’s a year and a half, not two years, but he is neutered and a male. He’s already well over 120lbs and will probably mature around 200, making him about 2.5x larger than Eula was. Of course it would take that much dog to fill her paws. It’s unknown if he was ever with sheep, but he hasn’t been through lambing; he’s been in a buck pen with other dogs for the past six months. Odin doesn’t know how big he is, so no one here wants to play with him. He’s unsure about being the only working dog.

“We’ll take care of him, and he’ll take care of us,” I told the woman. This is a lifelong partnership, not a plug and play tool. He needs boundaries and discipline as much as love and reassurance. He’s a good dog. He will be a great asset. Every day my mind compares onboarding Odin to training a fluffy puppy a decade ago; it’s both poignant and comforting. Last night Odin alarm barked for the first time. We all have to adjust to this new voice, neighbors included. After 9 months of near silence, I hope they understand.

I’m writing this on the fifth day of the Counting of the Odin. May he liberate us from worry, speedily and soon.