Sheep in the summer time are easy, so when I went down to just check to see that they had clean water I was not ready for what I saw. In fact, it took me several minutes to accept what was in front of me. One of the New Nine was most definitely pregnant. But how? How on earth could we have a pregnant sheep in the middle of June? It took a night sleep for the truth to surface.
“Peg,” said Todd, “do you remember when you were out of town and I told you Calvin got in with the ewes?” I had no recall of this, but a quick check of gmail not only proved him correct, it pinpointed the exact date. Here’s the email exchange from the morning of January 27:
Todd:
got up to the barnyard around 7 this morning, walked into the barn to find the small door open, yep everyone in with the girls
thinking “no way I’m making staff meeting @ 8:15” down to get some grain
I got Calvin and Nash closed in the barn with a bunch of others and ushered them out the small door. Next came Schuyler with a group. Ah, but shy Levi? I was able to interest him enough to get close to the large door, dropped the grain bucket for the girls, latched on to him and ushered him into the barn all alone, slid the door shut, opened the small door, and done
At work by 8:05 –
I will put a hook on the inside of the door later today. also getting mineral mix @ White’s
Peggy:
Wow. And do we think Calvin had his way with any of the New (7) Nine?? All good here. But the hotel suite we’re working out of is a meat locker it is so cold. P
Todd:
call maintenance – I can’t see how Calvin could do any damage in one night…there is now a hook on the door and they all have fresh mineral mix. I put a bunch of mix in the fourth painter’s bucket on the ledge by the garage door.
Much damage? No, but some! If you google the gestation period of sheep, depending on the site you visit, the guess is between 145 and 152 days. It was day 144 when we brought Rita along with her sister, and what we think might be her mother up to the barn yard to wait. Eleanor, always afraid she might miss a free meal ticket tagged along in the procession. The four of them hung around the barnyard while we waited. A beautiful white ewe was born this past Tuesday, day 149. Her first time mom handled the birth all by herself. In keeping with the Star Trek naming convention this year, we have named her Amanda, Spock’s mother. We call her Mandy for short and of course she’ll never come when we call, and that’s okay!
