Mary's Twins On 4/6/06We have a serious predator.
Mary's twin girl (on the left) has disappeared. This was not a helpless newborn; she was over five weeks old. This makes
two lambs in two days.
I cannot fault a wild animal for going after my sheep. Given the choice of snatching a lamb from a small fenced in area or chasing down a rabbit or deer in the forest, I, too, would choose the lamb. And if there are more where the first one came from, well, you might as well help yourself to another.
This, of course, does not mean that I am not stricken with grief (and in a bit of a panic). As I said yesterday, I have never before lost a lamb to a predator on this farm (though we are surrounded by coyotes). Mary (who is
Doll Face's sister), is one of my very best sheep, and I was thrilled when she had a twin girl. Her baby was my best replacement ewe born so far this year. She held a special place in my heart, too, as I successfully performed minor surgery on her to fix an inverted eyelid.
The sheep have been penned in their 1/4-acre barnyard (connected to the barn) since
the first lamb was born two months ago. Now I will lock them in the actual barn at night. It will be difficult to do, and they will not be happy, but at least they might be safe.
Sadness and tragedy are always looming here. This is a farm. These kinds of things happen. And while I never had any intention of sharing every unpleasant detail of my life with you, I felt I should explain what is going on--the continutation
of the story, so to speak.
What I had planned to write about today was my new Chocolate Chip Almond Biscotti recipe after making one final test batch. Kitchen (and chocolate) therapy. Who knows. Maybe there is still time. I know I must do something.
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