Gelion, Gia, Gonzo, and Glory all enjoy the new grass!

The sheep and I seem to be engaged in the same activity lately……watching and waiting for the grass to grow.  I love this time of year. After six months of seeing nothing but gray, brown, and white; the color green almost hurts your eyes as it creeps in from all directions. Every day I head out into the field across the road hoping the grass will cover my boots so I can turn the sheep out. If I turn the sheep out too soon, they stunt the growth of the tender grass as they nibble it down quicker than it can grow back. This weekend we began setting up our semi-permanent fencing across the road so that we would be ready. I figured that within about 5 days, the pasture would be ready. Ina, seeing our fencing activities, decided she was tired of the waiting game.  She found a weak spot in our gate and barreled right through to the lush green grass growing on the other side. Next, a string of lambs went through the opening, followed by all the other ewes.  With yesterday’s outbreak, there was no more holding back.

We regrouped everyone and then lead them all across the road to pasture for the first time this spring, leaving behind their winter quarters. The lambs kicked up their heels, racing around the open field. Tere expressed a bit of spring fever himself. He enjoyed pronging along the entire fence line! Soon all the lambs settled down into nibbling the fresh grass and all that could be heard was the occasional lamb calling for its mom and the ewe responding in a mumbled baa as her mouth was stuffed with grass.

Clover grazes alongside her two ewe lambs, Gretel and Grace.