Spring Lambs

Are you familiar with the verb, “gambol”? It has nothing to do with Vegas and everything to do with sunshine and friskiness. There are currently nine lambs enjoying life on the farm, often gamboling and kicking up their heels. Another three didn’t make it, which is part of the heartbreak that is part and parcel of life on the farm (or anywhere, for that matter). Steve attempted to save one weakling by trying his best to keep it warm and feed it milk replacer. (It’s amazing to me how many products can be purchased at a country grain store!) At one point the wee lamb was nestled in Diane’s cozy wood cookstove box, much like James Herriott’s Moses the Kitten. All of the newborn lambs are outfitted with cute little fleece coats, and happily, most of them thrive.

The ewes are both Romney and Horned Dorset varieties (thus the ewe with horns in the photo), and the ram, Russell, is very good at his job. (I hope that means that he’s popular with the ladies.) The lambs are all given names, primarily chosen by four-year-old Elsa (who, let’s make it clear, was born long before Disney co-opted the name). As you might expect, the lambs’ names change from time-to-time. (All of the chickens on the farm are currently named Carol!) Today, there are Jack, Sam, Snow, Freeze, and Ice Castle, among others. (That last name makes me suspicious that Disney’s Frozen has something to do with it, though there is no lamb named Olaf… at least not today!)

I often see the sheep from my mother’s house at tea time (4 o’clock, or thereabouts). From the couch that I occupy I can see out a window and across the lane to the barn and paddock. The sheep mill about when they sense that it’s feeding time then all face looking down the lane so they can see Steve when he’s on the way to do his evening chores. There’s some excited (or hysterical) baa-ing when he’s spotted, then they charge into the barn to greet him and charge back out to the paddock where they’re given their grain. Once they’ve had their fill, they meander back into the barn to munch on hay. At this point chickens do some cleaning up of grain left on the ground, and the lambs hop about, frolicking and dashing here and there — gamboling — as they enjoy having the paddock to themselves with no adult supervision. Such entertainment! I know that there are channels dedicated to kittens, maybe puppies, but why not lambs? Who could resist a face like that?!