Saying Good-bye to the Boys

The last group of market lambs went to the butcher on Saturday.

While chore time is easier, I miss the boys.

Lambs go to the butcher in late fall and mid-winter. Because the weather is usually good through late fall, the first group spends most of its time on pasture.

The second group, though, alternated its time between the barn and pastures. When downpours, high winds or snowstorms were predicted, the Border collie and I brought them in from pasture and put them in a stall.

By January, they were so accustomed to the routine that I didn't need a dog for help. I didn't tell the Border collie that.

But on those walks to and from the pasture, I watched the boys be boys -- head butting, running, twisting, circling, and, generally, being goofy. The ewe lambs that are in the ewe flock don't act like that.

So now our flock consists of one don-turn-your-back-on-him ram, many pregnant ewes as well as a few older ewes and ewe lambs.

But when I look at the calendar and at the ewes -- especially the ewes -- I am reminded that lambing season is only six weeks away, and the goofy, playful lamb act begins again.