Bah-Ram-Ewe!

I came in from chores, flipped off the New Age music I play for the sheep, and me, and BABE was on the movie channel! Oh, how perfect. What a delightful movie, one of my favorites of all time. Every time Babe wins the sheep trial for Farmer Hoggett and the crowd goes wild, the tears just start flowing. The only disturbing thing about the movie lately is just how closely I resemble Mrs. Hoggett! The weather is so very pleasant this morning and the week is supposed to get nicer with every passing day. The grass is creeping up through last year's thatch cover. I'm told I can't let the sheep out until there is 6 inches of grass, or they will "scalp" it and tear up the roots. It's torture for them, and me. The flock is lined up against the barnyard fence, baahhing and looking longingly at the fields. There are "poop wagons" (the farmers use a different word) out everywhere, tractors emptying all that black gold on the fields, Mother Nature's reward for shovelling all that costly grain and hay into the cows' mouths all winter. It comes out the back end a valuable fertilizer for growing more food for the bovines. It costs money to run those tractors. The farmer I am buying hay from now says diesel is going up so high he will be charging $4 a bale for second cut next year. I thought he had enough for me to last until I have grass, but Morrisville College just came through with a big cash order for their equine program. Lucky horses. The farmer with the round bales has enough for me, but the second cut bales are better for the lambs. Challenges, challenges.