For the few brief hours that I had the missing black lamb in my possession, my friend Nyxana and I tried to come up with a name for her. Because I follow certain naming traditions with my sheep, the name had to begin with a "T."
We thought of a lot of possibilities, but it was only during my frustrated drive home to Virginia, after the lamb escaped, that I came up with the right one: Trouble.
The irony was, of course, that at that point the name didn't matter, because I never expected to see the lamb again.
But tonight I got a call from Nyx, saying that the lamb was back in her yard, and did I have any suggestions of how to catch her. Frankly, I don't know if they'll ever be able to. But at least all hope is not yet lost.
Apparently, even if you're not looking for Trouble, sometimes Trouble will find you.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Looking for Trouble
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4 comments:
What a rollercoaster ride, Nancy!
Trouble is the perfect name for the goat that got your goat.
Glad that Leeloo's on the mend.
Here is hoping that you have less drama in the days ahead. You are due for a calm spell.
When I started this blog, I had no idea that it was going to be such a drama every day. And this is supposed to be the quiet time of year on the farm!
quiet time on the farm?? I thought that was in January---no parasites, breeding finished, no heat, no worries. Just put out hay and makes sure there is no ice in the water.
This time of year on the other hand---is always busy.
What did you tell Nyxie to do? I am trying to think what I would do. Hmmm... Of course it would be easier for them to help if they actually lived on a farm now wouldn't it.
Yes, late August through September is usually a quiet time here. Usually by now the parasites are somewhat under control, no breeding going on, no lambs or foals being born, most of the animals on pasture and not requiring a lot of attention.
In October things pick up, with the local fairs, shearing time, sending lambs to slaughter, separating the sheep into breeding groups, and all that.
I don't consider winter an easy time here, because I end up spending hours each day breaking ice in the water troughs, thawing the hundreds of feet of hose, putting blankets on and off my stallion every time the weather turns bad (he has a thin coat and shivers easily), etc.
Of course, nothing compares to April, when all the lambs and foals start being born at the same time!
As for the wayward lamb, I didn't really know what to tell Nyx. In their yard, they really don't have any place that they could corner a wild sheep, especially one that has already proven she can escape from a closed goat-panel pen!
I just told her the various things that sheep like to eat, so that if they kept putting those out, maybe the sheep would start to see their yard as "home." And I told her if they do catch her, to put a rope around her neck and lock her in the basement, because they don't have any other place tight enough to hold her!
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