Unfortunately, no pictures for this one – sorry! Things were too chaotic in the heat of the moment.
Needless to say, today was a bit more exciting than I wanted. The morning started with the contractor laying out our new shop. The backhoe operator was moving rock piles and getting ready to level the pad. We’d just given hay to all the sheep. We knew the gate was latched, but just before we started lunch, my husband looked up to see flashes of black racing to the front yard.
“They’re out!”
We raced for boots, hats, and gloves.
Black Welsh sheep do not flock like other breeds, and they don’t herd well. I ran to get in front of them to try and dissuade them from heading down the driveway. Ken tried to get in front a side group and put some fences up to keep them in. As soon as I could, I grabbed my cell phone and called in the cavalry. In this case, our neighbors answered the call, rolling in on four-wheelers just in time.
It took a while – I’m not sure exactly how long – but we managed to get them all back inside the orchard eventually. The neighbors left, and we headed inside for lunch.
We spent the afternoon cleaning out chicken condos for the layers and catching the spare range sheep. Thankfully, she was not outside when ours escaped, or it would have really been a trick to separate her from the rest.
Dinner and a glass of wine were heartily appreciated this evening!