Why Have a Dog And Bark Yourself?

George the big (very big) Oxford ram and his resident and hopefully (very) pregnant harem were happily hiding out in the warm dry barn when Bran the Border Collie and I arrived to evict them this morning. The rain was falling, the storm clouds were heavy, the muddy puddles were spreading and clearly our not too hardy little flock were not enamored at the prospect of yet another wet day in a soggy pasture. Bran typically intent on the dispatching George and his ladies expeditiously the 10 yards from the sheep barn to the pasture gate yipped yapped and swirled in circles. The heavily pregnant and not (we hope) just overweight ewes co operated with the over enthusiastic Bran but George wasn't about to co operate. George put the brakes on half way across the yard. "Bran..get him in" resulted in Bran with a mouth full of soggy wool but no movement from the unyielding ruminant....."Bran...GET HIM IN " and a less than enthusiastic Bran disappeared under Georges substantial "bits" with his tail between his legs and there was stalemate. As the curious ewes watched the proceedings from inside the pasture gate, Bran watched the proceedings from under George's ample scrotum and it became clear that there was stalemate. Evidently some human intervention was required and with a little (lot) of manual persuasion (and my knees up his woolly butt) George the ram found himself firmly behind a locked pasture gate, a very subdued Border collie retreated to fight another day and I had very mucky jeans !
Today is Erin's birthday and her special day was celebrated in the barn kitchen with chocolate birthday cake, magic candles and a powder blue hoodie with a very Erin appropriate logo. 
On the evening before the election, I want to close the diary with a prayer for peace and reconciliation in our deeply divided country. Whatever the result, family is family, friends are friends and America is America. God bless, keep safe and take care from the ranch. M xx