The Great Escape

Rodney the ram and his frizzy brown curly horned cohort have been living a celibate life style out in the back pasture. As far away from physical contact with their hormonal counterparts as we can possibly keep them, the boys have passed the Summer just catching an occasional hint of Nirvana in a passing breeze. All has been calm and peaceful in the ewe’s pen, each morning the Gentle Giant Meadows Ranch formation eating team wait by the gate to start their day mowing every blade of grass, every struggling sapling and every leaf within reach, no thought of their lovelorn mates in the far off pasture. That was until yesterday ! As the farm truck entered the gate and another day at the barn began it became evident that all was not as it should be. Rodney the black and white ram and Galveston the fuzzy brown ram were no longer contentedly co existing in the back pasture but were in the ewe pen…. surveying the only barrier that separated them from the ladies and clearly working out how to eliminate that barrier. Sadly for them (fortunately for us ) we arrived at the barn just in time to prevent rape pillage and plunder down on the ranch. The no blame policy was rolled out again and dusted off….It seems that one of the blonde female team ( we are ALL blond), the one with long hair ( we all have long hair !) didn’t close the gate after feeding the boys who apparently waited for the great escape under cover of darkness. Recovery of the reluctant rams and return to their pasture was only made more challenging by Bran the Border Collie who can somehow consistently complicate even the most simple exercise. With both rams heading in the right direction at full gallop, suddenly Bran the dog appeared, both rams stopped to glare at the dog, the dog sat to glare at the rams and no one was going anywhere. I guess the ram stare got a little intimidating for Bran who isn’t the most courageous dog in the world and with his tail between his legs he slinked away from the incensed rams…”after you boys, sorry to have got in your way”. The rams were securely locked up last night and the “great escape” will just be a “nearly moment” until October when they will be reintroduced to the waiting ewes and they will once again earn their rations.

Carly and Greg have been busily tandem mowing the pastures over the past days in record setting temperatures. Our young WWOOFER has become a real farm girl and has experienced the best and worst of farm life without losing her signatory smile through the dust dirt pooop and sweat, we are going to miss her when she leaves this week.

My friend Lynne from England is also having fun on the ranch and making the most of the peace and tranquillity that is Gentle Giant Meadows Ranch……except when the rams escape !! Loving having you here Lynne.

Take care, keep safe, M