That Mommy Thing

I'm homesick for my lambs and kids back on the farm.  I spent a good bit of Mother's Day in the barn with new babies, checking and rechecking them,  helping them stand up, making sure they are nursing, putting sweaters on, etc.  Flighty mom, who sailed over the fence to her jug on Saturday morning, spent the night next to her baby in the barn.  She apparently stashed him in the barn then went out to graze, and either forgot where he was or he moved.    She ran around the barn screaming, frantic over her lost baby.  I was sick about it and berating myself terribly over not doing a better job securing her and the infant in a pen.  I looked and looked in every nook and cranny I could think of.  No buck kid curled up anyway.  I got the dogs and crisscrossed the hillside, checking every ground hog hole and under every bush.  No baby.  Mom continued to run around screaming.  I was working in the barn with the twins and single kid born Sunday morning, still frustrated about the loss of a baby.  Certainly there are losses, but this one was stupid.  Suddenly I noticed no screaming and turned around to see mom and baby reunited.  Where the heck was he?  I knew that no one could do a better job of finding him than she, but she was so hysterical.  Maybe he just walked out of hiding and appeared.  All's well that ends well.  I put out cracked corn and water for her, hoping she would stay in the barn with her baby, and slipped a sweater on him.  Figured if he was going to get himself lost at least he would be warm.  I was busy making jugs for the new newborns, putting on sweaters, etc., and was annoyed with him for making us worry after he came out of hiding.  Later on when we went on the afternoon hill walk mom came running up to us screaming.  You lost him AGAIN?????  I ignored her and went about my walk.  Sure enough they came frolicking down the hillside into the barn around dusk.  I'm constantly inspired by my goat, sheep and chicken mommies.  Their mothering drive is very strong.  I often think if all human mothers were as good as my farm mommies the world would be a better place.