She is my favorite, don’t tell

The lamb has dropped down getting ready to be born and Wu is isolating herself from the rest of the flock.  I have been sneaking her a bit of extra feed when the rest of the flock isn’t looking.  She is hanging around the barn while the flock is down at the bottom of the pasture.  It is hard to sneak food out to Wu without Cory knowing it.  Cory has grain radar.  Then she bleats and tells everybody else that I have a favorite.

The truth is that any ewe about to lamb is my favorite.  New lambs are my favorites as well. I tell each one that they are my favorite and that I love them the most, but don’t tell, the others will get jealous.  Each one thinks that they are my favorite.  One day they will compare notes and see that each of them have been loved as special.

Wu has become much friendlier over the last few weeks.  The other day she got a little stone in her hoof and was limping a bit.   I called her over and she came and allowed me to pick up the sore foot and clean out the mud and stone.  Very unusual for a sheep.  Most of the time, a sheep will avoid being touched it if is hurt and will go in the opposite direction then the shepherd who needs to tend to it.  Sheep don’t like having their feet touched, ever.  So for Wu to allow it is telling of her trust. It has taken a while to gain.  She must know she is my favorite now. She was so wild when I first brought her to Vermont.

This week is vacation week for the girls and they are coming home for a quick visit on Wednesday.  It has been difficult to fit in visits between the work and ski schedules.  Now with the warmer weather, Elizabeth is running track and Emilie is planning out Senior Prom.  A blue Cinderella style dress with cowboy boots.   Elizabeth told me today that she is changing her style, so I can’t wait to see the “new look” .  She is no longer flattening her hair she said.  ( I thought it was pretty straight to begin with, but what do I know, I am just the mom.)

In any case, it will be great to have the lamb born when the girls are here.  It will be great just to have the girls here.  I miss them so. They claim that the sheep have replaced them, and they are close to the truth.   The sheep could never take the complete place of my children, but they do fill the void a bit.  They are my favorites.  But don’t tell the sheep, they will get jealous.