So much change

Becca here ! We finally found Old Benny's laptop...he had stashed it under a private bale of alfalfa. He was an amazing friend,  but left us 2 years ago for greener pastures on the other side.

The flock is getting smaller...Buddy and I are 14 this winter, soon to be 15. Buddy's fleece is a little light, but mine still grows and is bought by the same talented lady every year. I still am the head of the flock, although bossy Fiona pushes me to retire. No way.

The world's most splendid lamb still looks like a bear in full fleece and his wool sells every year. I heard the Crone say that everyone's fleece except old Buddy's sold last year. They DO buy good food.

We miss the lambs, but no one here is volunteering for motherhood. Well, the boys aren't interested, and the girls that haven't lambed have heard us talk about it and decided they would rather eat.

Did I mention the good food ?? And, the Shepherd comes out every night and scratches ears, cleans the hay off my face, gives medicine to the lame and sore old sheep. Life is good.

The Deed is Done

Yup...Benny the Naked Sheep here. My most wondrous CVM fleece is lying on the ground and I am FREEZING.

Benny...your MWF has been carefully cleaned up and put into marked plastic bags. And the shearer said something nice about it, and nothing about your size.

Becca, some of the brat pack are bigger than me now !! Whats happening ??

They are younger than we are, Big Boy...and seem to shoulder their way into the feeders pretty well.

Becca .....am I losing weight and going to turn into Amy ???

You worry about the most interesting things, Chunko. We are 10; Amy is 16. You are a wether, I have had one perfect lamb, and poor Amy had lambs every year until she came here. She is worn out.

Not to be awful, Becca, but Amy looks really skinny and bony ...

The shepherds know that, Silly....and they watch her very closely. But she likes lying in the warm sun and she still eats her share. Did you hear the Crone say my fleece is sold already ???

Big deal. My fleece is the truly unique one around here....and what does hers sell for, I ask you ?? Mulch ?

I heard that Benny....mine sells to a very pricey specialty rug company. So there...AND, the fleece of the world's most perfect lamb sells every year, too.

Becca, the "world's most perfect lamb" weighs 250 lb and in full fleece looks like a bear. He could cause my heart to stop someday if I saw him in the dark. And, he stands on my foot at the feeders.

and at that, Becca stomped her front foot and left. Delicate little lamb indeed...Fergus could be a sofa.

Benny here, naked, stripped of dignity, mocked, under fed....but they still call my name and rub my ears. There is hope.

Is winter over ?

Benny here...and its cold. Although Becca says it hasn't been as cold as usual. Pollyanna Becca.

Benny...you can barely feel the cold..I have never seen you so...hmmm ...robust.

Well, there does seem to have been enough food this year, and I suppose that Sophie leaving meant more food.

Benny...that is not exactly a memorial to Sophie...

Becca, she died in a perfect way for a sheep, didn't she ?? Head in a feeder and just dropped. That is the way I would want to go.

I have to admit that would be ideal for most sheep..and she was very old..15 at least.

We aren't really old, are we ??

We aren't lambs, Benny....we are 10 this year I think.

Is that close to 15 ??

Not too close Old Boy...aren't you hungry ?

I think Becca is trying to change the subject..I do notice a little twinge in my shoulder when I get up, but not nearly like old Amy. If Sophie was 15, Amy must be too. But she gets a little grain every night with little white crumbs in it. Maybe I'll get grain every night when I get 15..I wonder how much 15 is ?

All this thinking makes me hungry and makes my head ache. I think there is hay left from dinner. That will help ! And I smelled that funny smell that means grass will grow around the fence posts soon...its a good day to be a really special sheep...

This is summer ????

Ok Becca...the shepherds say it is summer...why am I freezing at night ?? Was I stripped of my marvelous fleece too early AGAIN ??

Benjo, you still roll when you walk. Insulation isn't your problem...but it has been cold and wet and windy for what seems like years...maybe we are in Scotland.

The sun felt so good on my back 2 days ago...and I think the grass grows faster..the shepherds have the watery things on poles out in our space..doesn't that mean its through raining ?

We can hope so - Sophie and Amy limp when it is cold and wet..Amy slept in the sun for hours this week..it feels really good for old sheep.

Are we old yet, Becca ?

Well, we aren't lambs anymore, Old Friend.....we are 8 this year and that isn't a young sheep.

Becca, I like being here....even if the food is marginal and the dogs bark and the hay gets stale.....will they send us away ?

Benny, have you ever seen a sheep leave here alive ?

Hmmmmm...what happened to that young ram of Sophie's ?

The one that bred all the ewes when he was 5 months old ?? Ewan ? He was sent to a farm that needed his talents, such as they were..although he did leave me with the smartest and handsomest son ever lambed.

And that is the end of that conversation as Becca has gone to stare admiringly at Fergus....I think I need a snack.

Benny here...good second cutting hay to you.

Can you believe it ?

Two years...they got the barn finished and getting the wifi set up took two years. My laptop is totally outdated and covered in a foot of sheep barn dust....

The Crone is abed with some veterinary surgery thing, and she gets a new netbook just for being in bed and really old..so for some reason that means I get WiFi .... maybe I'll get her old netbook.

Bozo..you don't want her old netbook...you move faster than her old netbook...and that's you leaving the feeders...

Becca is even bossier since she took over the herd...why Becca ? When did THAT happen ...ah..its been a long time since twinkle hooves had WiFi...

Last autumn, Herd Boss Bob suddenly couldn't walk...the shepherds tried everything they could, but eventually the Guy Who Fixes Sheep came out to the pasture and gave a Bob a shot and he became a cloud sheep and the shepherds cried. Then the next week, another Guy Who Fixes Dogs came out and gave the old girl dog a shot and everyone cried. She loved us, but she couldn't walk either. It was a really hard month for sheep and shepherds.

So who slides into head sheep slot ? Yup..you got it...Becca. She did it whilst I was eating and Buddy was trying to knock something over. I'll admit she made it so smooth that it is hard to tell a difference. And she is pretty smart...

It has been a really cold, icy, wet winter and we all have monster coats on.... but looking at the Crone limp around, shearing won't happen for a while. This year is the Fiber Rodeo or something and stuff. Thye'll probably forget to feed the sheep at that point, but there should be grass....

Roller Boy, its the Big Sky Fiber Arts Festival and a really big deal for the shepherds...people come hundreds of miles to admire your Very Special Fleece, remember ??

Oh, yeah...now I remember...my memory was better when they were feeding more pellets..wonder if they have considered adding fish oil to my diet....

Benny here, thinking I need a new laptop...

The Indignity

Well, as Becca said, it happened...flattened, attempted poisoning, cut to the quick and insulted. All because I have a very special fleece. And it took then two tries !!!

Benjo, they did all the vet stuff first so it wouldn't take all day...and several sheep really did need special care...you know how Corrie limps...

I thought she was faking until they brought Dr. John out...the shepherds are so cheap they wouldn't bring him out if it wasn't a real problem..

Dummy..the shepherds are NOT cheap...most shepherds don't bother to call the vet when they have a lame sheep....

They did spend a lot of time taking care of her and she is walking much better now....they had a blue boot on her for a while...we all stood around and looked at it...

Speaking of hooves, the Crone has a big blue boot on her hoof too..one of the back ones...what happened, Becca ?

She broke a leg, Benny..that's why she hasn't been out here....same thing as Fern when she couldn't walk..the bring her food and water and move her when they need too...

ummmm..Becca ? I like the Crone...are they gonna put her down ??? I'd be sad...

Naw, Benny - they keep shepherds until they collapse....her leg will heal and she'll be back in the new barn singing to us...

Speaking of which, the new barn is very cool...NOT that they have allowed us into it...we are out here baking in the sun and the new barn which has lots of room, is closed off....they keep saying it needs lights and water...WHAT ???...they can't add lights and water and still give us shade ??? We have water and we sleep at night.....why does a sheep need lights ...I post my wisdom in the daylight...

Benny here...never quite sure what they are thinking, or IF they are thinking...

I'm SO confused

Becca says that you can't be a sheep-with-spectacular-fleece and a genius all at once. But is has been a hard spring for my little head. First it was the backhoe. My heart almost stopped !! I said to Becca, " a sheep is going to die !"

Benny, what ever makes you think that ?

The big machine ! Lat time it was here, Fern died ....I know I'm going to die...oh, Becca, I'm not ready to die...all the green grass yet to eat...

Benny ! Get a grip.....Fern was very old and couldn't walk. Everybody here lives until they can't possible squeeze out one more spring...besides, what is the backhoe doing, Panic Guy ?

Oh....that's a funny place for a sheep grave...and its all around a big square...and it isn't deep enough for a truly solid sheep.....and...Becca ! Are they starting the barn ??? The one they promised 10 years ago ???

Chunko, you are only 7 this year....they promised the barn last year after they got the wool studio done.

And she was right...I hate it when she is right...but a barn like building is taking shape in the front pasture. And its big enough for all of us. And I'll bet it will have endless food troughs, and flowing water and places for sheep to nap out of the sun.... Then it was the shepherds disappearing again for EVER and then coming back a little darker and chuckling about vacationing with cats. Everytime they leave the WiFi in the old RV shed/barn goes down. And why would you take a vacation with cats ??? Of all things, cats ??

Woolbrain, they went to some place quiet where they could play in the ocean and its was a place of many cats. They met Sunny, Bo, Lenny, and Ashley.....you know how the Crone adopts things with four feet ? This was a safe place for cats...

Becca ! What if they start adopting cats ? We barely have enough food now and who knows what cats eat ???

Think, Roller Boy....do we have a cat ? What does she eat ?

Oh...Socks...yeah...she doesn't eat sheep food, does she ?

No, Big Guy...she is supposed to eat mice which do eat some sheep food, but I think she just chases mice and then goes inside to eat. If she is eating mice, she has plenty of food around....

I hate talking to Becca...she is such a smart ass sheep, but I always feel better after I ask her what is going on. This has been such a confusing spring...cold, wet, windy, back hoes, shepherds gone ...I think I will need to go browse and think it all over. It is hard work growing the most special fleece on the farm...maybe a nap first.