Tushie Thursday!

Cute lambie tushies that is! :0)

Well phooey! Moon Pie, Sheldon and Puzzle are growing up. It is indeed a proud moment to catch them lounging and roaming with our little group of special needs sheep. Except if you are 'mom' (me) and missing their once clingy selves! Sigh. 

The lambs spent their first few weeks in their back porch apartment, then when the weather warmed up they moved across the driveway to their lamb condo. They came over to graze, drink their bottles and be by me in the back yard every day. Then back to the condo to sleep. We took many walks to get used to the bigger pasture- their next step away from me. Sniffle. 

The lambs have gotten big, bored - and naughty! Puzzle has a heart problem that we now know is a extremely bad heart murmur. He's been a quiet lamb but as he's grown his heart has repaired itself a little, but  it will only improve to a certain extent. Thus the quiet nature of that sweet boy. We named him Puzzle because we had to figure out the 'puzzle' of Puzzle's health when he arrived. He apparently wants to live UP to his name and figure out puzzles on his own? He is a master of opening gates, finding holes in fences and ditching Moon Pie and Sheldon when he does. They run around calling and calling trying to find Puzzle- and he does not pay attention. Just grazes in the front lawn like it is exactly where he should be. Ha! 

The sneaky gate behavior started after I had to put my foot down on the time they spent loose outside the back yard gate. After they were about 3 weeks old, they figured out they could outrun me too (which really doesn't take a lot). They love a good game of tag- and sheep never outgrow that happy glee of being on the loose hopping and jumping where they KNOW they are not supposed to be. So cute!

A few days ago I got to see the three lambs work together to get through the gate out of our back yard? They lined up, backed up, heads down and charged the gate- knocked it right over! Wow! Had to get a better closure on that one pronto. Stinkers! 

Last night the lambs spent their first night with the little group of sheep. They are living with the special needs group so there are not as many sheep (20) and so Puzzle doesn't get chased around or head butted. I could not face putting them over for the night. Jim is tougher than I am so he was in charge of taking them over, locking the gate behind them and coming inside. In the past our bottle lambs have been so upset that first night away from me they would fling themselves against the fences trying to get back 'home'. 

Well, the lambs did not utter one peep. All night or even this morning. Walked over to the fence and there they were, sleeping happily with a few of the other sheep under their favorite Maple tree. They didn't even get up to greet me??? Ouch! Got started with my morning chores and then Puzzle was up at a gate waiting for me. He let me hug him and scratch him for a little while, then trundled off with out a backwards glance. The twins were still sleeping at that point. Really lambies??? 

In the end they caved and came into the back yard to appease me. Well, they wanted their corn for breakfast and that is where the breakfast tray was. Their favorite place all along has been a little bit of cement pad located under the back porch stairs. It is nice and shady, cool and they think secret. Today two of the three barely fit under there. The third lamb has to sleep under the trees and watch for a chance to dash in and steal someone else's place if they move. Kind of a sheep version of duck duck goose?? 

I am very happy the lambs are adjusting so well. I however am not adjusting well. They'll go through a few weeks of keep away with me just to insert their new found independence. Then things will level out and they will love being with me again. I am very predictable about this part of raising a sheep. Part of why we do not breed our sheep. I could never ever sell, eat, trade or sell one. Ever! 

So every time it is time for me to let the lambs be 'big', my friends tell me happy 'big' lambs are the name of this game. 

Now that I am the clingy one and Moon Pie, Sheldon and Puzzle are big sheep in spite of me, I say to them:

"Job well done my babies. Job well done."

www.homesteadwoolandgiftfarm.com

Be sure to sign up for the sheep's new monthly newsletter. It is more of my rambling about the sheep's antics around the farm. We'll still be posting here, and you can also visit the website and sign up for our email list. We send the emails out to let you know when new items have been added to the website. Usually once every 2 weeks. 

Happy summer everyone! 

From the Ryans and all the happy sheep