“Come on, Lilly, let’s go see Rita,” I said, mostly to break the silence. With Anne back driving the school bus, it’s just me, the dogs, and the sheep starting the day. I stepped out on the porch, took in the crisp air, and just stood there for a moment. You know those perfect mornings where everything feels calm and slow? Yeah, it was one of those.
Instead of hopping in the truck, I decided to walk to the barn—something I like to do when the weather’s this nice. It’s only a five-minute walk, but there’s something about being out there with the farm waking up around you that really sets the tone for the day. The sun was just coming up, the air was fresh, and for a little while, all was peaceful.
Once I finished up in the barn, I headed out to check on the ewes and rams in their separate paddocks. I was fluffing some hay in the ewes’ feeder when something caught my eye—a sheep’s head, sticking up higher than the others, and it was staring right at me. Weird, right? Usually, the ewes don’t care much about me during feeding.
That’s when I realized—that wasn’t one of the ewes. Nope, one of the rams had somehow managed to break free and was now hanging out with the ladies. Well, that’s not part of the plan!
Remind me around February 9th that there might be a few surprise lambs, OK? Because I’m definitely going to forget, but they sure won’t!
But before I started worrying about that, I had to get him back where he belonged. After a little five-minute rodeo with Lilly’s help (and a lot of zigzagging), I finally managed to get him back with his woolly buddies.
I checked all the fences and gates, and everything seemed locked down tight. My best guess? That ram thought he was some kind of farmyard Superman and jumped the fence. I wasn’t exactly in the mood to rebuild the fences that day, so I left it as one of those farm-life mysteries.
The next morning? Well, farm life wasn’t done with me yet.
After finishing the barn chores, I went over to give the rams their hay and did a quick headcount. “One, two, three, four, five… six?” Wait—six?
Turns out, there was a rogue ewe in the ram pen. Not where she’s supposed to be, obviously. So, round two of “Catch the Sheep” kicked off. But this one was easy—she darted straight for an old gate and, before I knew it, slipped through a rusty section of the fence and was gone. Mystery solved. Time to grab some wire and actually mend that fence.
By day three, I’m happy to report that everything was back to normal—rams with rams, ewes with ewes, and fences in one piece. Finally, a little peace and quiet.
So yeah, that’s been my week—lots of chasing sheep, fixing fences, and just a reminder that the farm likes to keep me on my toes. On the upside, I’ve got a pretty good newsletter story ready for February… and maybe a few unexpected lambs.
You know, people always talk about “mending fences” when it comes to fixing relationships, but out here, we’re literally doing it. Funny thing is, whether it’s fences or friendships, you’ve gotta keep things where they belong and put in a little work now and then. I guess in life, everything needs mending once in a while!
—Farmer Rod
The Adventures of Super Ram and Sneaky Ewe: Chaos in the Paddock!
