I heard a sheep baaing sometime after lunch, but didn’t think it unusual. It was only when I went to feed the animals at three o’clock and saw that Griselle wasn’t with the rest of the sheep that I wished I had paid more attention to it.
Knowing that the sheep’s call came from the back pasture earlier, I headed out calling Griselle’s name. And she answered me. I followed her call and heard that some of the sheep answering her as they followed me.
Griselle was as far back in the pasture as possible. She was between some tall bushes and the fence and although she wasn’t stuck, she wasn’t able to get out from behind the bushes.
When she saw me she panicked and tried to run into the fence. I wished I had a lead with me to put around her neck and guide her out, but didn’t think to take anything with me when I realized she was missing.
So I took off the cowl I was wearing, that someone had made for me years ago from my sheep Tess’ wool. I crawled through the bushes and quietly cooing Griselle’s name, looped the cowl over her head. With a little tug and a hand behind her butt, I was able to guide Griselle out of the bushes.
I got behind her to move her forwards but she still seemed confused and kept running back towards the bushes. That’s when Socks and the twins, Asher and Issachar, showed up.
The rest of the sheep and donkeys were hanging back grazing but Socks, leading the twins, was calling to Griselle. She seemed to be looking for her.
Once Griselle saw Socks she ran to her and followed her back to the other sheep and then to the barnyard.
Griselle is my oldest sheep since Zelda died. She was one of the four Romneys that we got from Donna who rescued them from a farmer who couldn’t care for them anymore.
I’ve been feeding her grain since last year because she has a hard time keeping weight on. I’m not sure if she was recovering from what happened today or if her eyesight is fading but she seemed confused when I fed her grain after we got back to the barnyard.
I closed the gate to the back pasture and am thinking about blocking off the area where Griselle got stuck. It’s not a place the animals usually go, there’s not much for them to eat back there.
I’ll also keep an eye on Griselle to see if I notice any more changes in her behavior.
Maria, I do hope you one day will do a children’s book on you and the Farm and your observations and feelings and also the small stories of the animals like this one. They are short but with meaning and it would enrich children’s lives. You would add depth to their thinking. Such good pictures and good writing. Thank you. Veronica
Thank you Veroncia. I actually can’t imagine writing a book, but I do like the idea of small stories.