The grass is greener....

So, apparently our sheep are dissatisfied with their pasture. Before Steve went to work, he chased a ewe and one of her lambs back inside the fence. This morning, I looked out the kitchen window and noticed two of the adult sheep laying out on the hillside next to the fence. It was already pretty warm, and the rest of the sheep were huddled against the woodshed or under the bridge. It was kind of odd to see these two out in the sun. Then it dawned on me that I hadn't heard the coffee girls in a while. They are quite vocal usually. So, I went out and checked, and sure enough, Long Tail and coffee girls were outside the fence. Speckle-butt was still inside the fence, but was apparently keeping Long Tail company while they all cooked their brains. I opened the gate and walked the wayward children back in. They rushed right over to the shade of the tree by the chicken coop and rested for a while. They appear to have recovered quite well, and the coffee girls are once again talking.

A little before 7:00, I was on my way down to Mom's for some conversation and coffee, and I noticed that Short Tail was acting quite agitated, and her boys were not near her as they usually are. Then I noticed some unusual movement in the tall grass near the cars - definitely outside the fence. Of course it was Lucky and Darky, Short Tail's boys. There was not a convenient gate this time, so I just urged them back towards the fence, and they wiggled under in what was most likely the same place the came through the first time. Now, the feed is a little dry, no doubt, but it's no drier than anywhere else. Still, we'll start a sprinkler next week.

On the barn front, our laborer returned today and made more great progress. He cleared another 12 feet or so today. I am absolutely thrilled with how much he's getting done. And he's gladly coming back tomorrow too. Conversation is a bit of a challenge, and even something as simple as "have a good evening" does not apparently translate well. Now, I have a tiny tiny bit of Spanish, but I don't ever recall the phrase I need until after I'm back in the house and we've stumbled through with what little English he has. We manage, but it's not easy. Still, we get the important points through. And, he's an incredibly hard worker and seems truely happy for the job, so everyone wins.