It's strange how my diary would / could be different just by the time of day I settle down to write. If I had chosen to enter my diary at my usual time this morning, I would have been almost poetic. The sky was azure blue with little whisps of fluffy white clouds and the green pastures glowed in the bright warm sunshine. It is now 11am and as I write, heavy black clouds are swirling across the sky, the sun is still trying to shine but the dense rain clouds moving in promise rain rain and more rain...MJ Fox 13 was right again ! DOH !
Our lambs are growing more confident now, for the first few days of life they dont stray far away from their anxious moms' side...or from the ever open milky bar. Greg has kept the swelling flock within the confines of the sheep pen as he is aware that a wily cayote has taken up residence in the back pasture. We have always known that cayotes rackoons and eagles are never very far away, bear and cougar have also been spotted over the years since we made the ranch our home but up until this year they had kept a respectful distance and have not been too much of a concern. Several weeks ago, whilst Greg was spreading manure on the fields a cayote was seen to be confidently hunting out in the open field and appeared to be unconcerned by the close proximity of man and tractor. We have no intention of our lambs becoming a fast food snack for wily or his pals and the sheep have not been able to get out on to the pasture until yesterday. Greg opened the gate and the first few ewes stepped out onto the lush Spring grass..and there they stopped...all the other ewes piled up behind like a car wreck while the first ewes feasted on the fresh green banquet. Eventually heavy pressure from the anticipating and impatient ladies at the back and the boistrous exhuberance of the band of lambs who had, in seconds transformed into a mob of thugs opened up the gateway and, heads down, those pasture maggots turned into a formation eating team. The lambs skipped and jumped over each other, over their moms or just for the pure joy of jumping. They ran in circles, they ran in groups they ran across the pasture and they ran back...just because they could. Occasionally there would be panic when a youngster lost mom, frantic lambs hunted for the udder that meant security and food. Irritated ewes butted enquiring little mouths that tried to latch on to an udder to which they had no claim and when a searching lamb found his mom, the impatient bump of the swollen udder and the contented wag of a little lambs tail told that all was well with the world.
Well, the black clouds brought with it hail and rain, all the ewes and their rambunctious offspring headed back into the safety of their warm dry barn to wait for the sun to come back. Greg is on his way up for his lunch and it's time for me to find something else to occupy my mind. Have fun keep safe and take care. M
Our lambs are growing more confident now, for the first few days of life they dont stray far away from their anxious moms' side...or from the ever open milky bar. Greg has kept the swelling flock within the confines of the sheep pen as he is aware that a wily cayote has taken up residence in the back pasture. We have always known that cayotes rackoons and eagles are never very far away, bear and cougar have also been spotted over the years since we made the ranch our home but up until this year they had kept a respectful distance and have not been too much of a concern. Several weeks ago, whilst Greg was spreading manure on the fields a cayote was seen to be confidently hunting out in the open field and appeared to be unconcerned by the close proximity of man and tractor. We have no intention of our lambs becoming a fast food snack for wily or his pals and the sheep have not been able to get out on to the pasture until yesterday. Greg opened the gate and the first few ewes stepped out onto the lush Spring grass..and there they stopped...all the other ewes piled up behind like a car wreck while the first ewes feasted on the fresh green banquet. Eventually heavy pressure from the anticipating and impatient ladies at the back and the boistrous exhuberance of the band of lambs who had, in seconds transformed into a mob of thugs opened up the gateway and, heads down, those pasture maggots turned into a formation eating team. The lambs skipped and jumped over each other, over their moms or just for the pure joy of jumping. They ran in circles, they ran in groups they ran across the pasture and they ran back...just because they could. Occasionally there would be panic when a youngster lost mom, frantic lambs hunted for the udder that meant security and food. Irritated ewes butted enquiring little mouths that tried to latch on to an udder to which they had no claim and when a searching lamb found his mom, the impatient bump of the swollen udder and the contented wag of a little lambs tail told that all was well with the world.
Well, the black clouds brought with it hail and rain, all the ewes and their rambunctious offspring headed back into the safety of their warm dry barn to wait for the sun to come back. Greg is on his way up for his lunch and it's time for me to find something else to occupy my mind. Have fun keep safe and take care. M
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