Bringing them In

Matt goes to bed early then gets up early to get the sheep in. This is not always successful. The sheep and goats stay close, meaning they stay on my farm, at night so I let them eat all night. Days are spent lounging in the barn, and I know where they are. Bottle flies don't come in the barn and in the hottest weather it is cooler in the darkness. I stay up late sewing, doing wool and playing with critters...so I try to sleep until 6 or 7. Matt woke me up to tell me he was leaving and some sheep and goats were still out. Oh, Joy, I thought. I better get dressed before the Baptist preacher pulls in my driveway to tell me my sheep are out. I took my Royal Bath and got dressed, fed the kitties, and set out to find the strays. It's so lovely on the hill in the early morning. My land is hilly and rugged - not good pasture for mowing hay, but so very artistically beautiful, with dips and groves and wildflowers. Not owning a tractor to mow all the wildflowers down has it's advantages (many more disadvantages) and I am trying to focus on the pretty flowers. I got high enough on the hill to drive the little groups of sheep in through the thistle forest. All these blooms will turn into thousands of seeds and blow down on to Jan and Dave's perfect pasture and ruin their hayfields. It's funny how the sheep look at me as I hike up over a rise in the land, like, Oh, No! she found us! They know they are supposed to be in the barn and usually go down the hill without too much encouragement.