Lucy

written during lamb watch this week

Quiet in the corner 
Nestled in straw and hay 
Head against the water bucket 
Tucked and shaped
A breathing loaf 
Time marked by cud 
And ripples along her flank. 

What does she think? 

Held safe in the stall 
Next to her flock 
Their sounds and their smells 
Carry on the wind or through wood walls 
That keep them apart. 
Keepers come with soft words, yellow flowers 
They are not sheep and yet 
She is not quite alone. 

Does she know what is coming? 

What wriggles within her 
And squeezes and pushes? 
What compels her to paw and dig and butt her head 
And call to someone who cannot yet respond? 
Was she born with the knowing? 
Did the other sheep tell her? 
Will she recall if it happens again? 

What does she think?

Greg’s Got Questions

Thank you to those of you who participated in the poll last week!

The winning question was:  Georgiana’s wool is less white than the lambs. Is that because of dirt or some other substance in the wool or does the wool actually become more off-white as sheep age?

This question gave me the chance to do a little research. Fun! Through it I learned that there are some breeds of sheep that change the color of their wool as they mature from lambs to adults. Some sheep can also “gray” as they age, becoming whiter as they get older.

One of our sheep breeds, the Babydolls, can have either black or white wool. Those with black wool often appear brown as the sun fades the tips of the fibers. This is true with our Mr. Bingley, but if you separate his wool and look at the color closer to his skin, you can see the black coloring.

With our Valais sheep, I’m afraid the issue is mostly dirt. The older sheep have had more time to act like massive filters, grabbing all the dirt and dust in the air that blows around in their windy home. The lambs will catch up, but for now they look whiter and brighter than their mommas and aunties.

The Merinos are especially prone to dirt collection, but in an odd reversal of the Valais dynamic, it’s our lamb that looks the filthiest. If you look at the wool near her skin, it’s a beautiful creamy white. From the outside, she looks like a strange sort of long-legged armadillo. I think she must be an especially good lanolin producer and is coated with it and the dirt it collects.

Cleaning these sheep’s wool will be a serious project!

Greg’s Questions for This Week:

Here are the questions up for the vote this week. I’ll answer the winner in the next newsletter. (As a matter of procedure, the poll function takes you to another page to submit your vote, so if that happens to you, you’re on the right track!)

Question 1: When you think of Lucy, what makes her unique compared to our other sheep, especially the baby dolls?

Question 2: What do you think has been going through Lucy’s mind as we’ve been with her in the barn stall so many days and nights recently?

Question 3: Do you think the other sheep are aware of what’s going on with Lucy? If so, how do you think they know?

Happy knitting,

Kiersten J