It has been musical chairs, having to have the heated water tank the central hub this winter.

The back corral has the bad Jersey bull, who has to be separated from everyone, and his bossy roommate, the bad horse who likes to kick calves in the teeth and run over sheep. They have to be brought up to the water tank twice a day, with everyone else fenced out. Becca, with her pointy horns, has not lost weight even in her last trimester, and with still having two calves on her. One of her bull calves, which she adopted when Annabelle died, has to room with the horrible bull and horse in the back, and he jumps up the bank when he can to get back to his mama. The heifer calf Eleanore, does not have a place yet, as she can’t be with the bull.

Becca has gored two sheep so far with her horns, and now we have a maternity ward on one side of the barn, with the fat soon- to-pop moms, and those who have little ones at their side.

We now have 30 lambs on the ground, with more to come, and with only one possible bottle lamb. I am working with his mom, tying her up and letting him nurse, so he can get the hang of sneaking milk when she is not paying attention. Louisa loves her other baby, but is confused about him, but he is her lamb as well, as she and Skunky had twins at the same time in a too crowded barn, and so the lamb did not smell like her own.

The sheep are so very fat and spoiled, and the instant you give them a new fork full of hay, they all act as if they are starving.

The genetics of these new dorpers from Utah is pretty amazing.

Last week someone hit a big deer on our road and in the morning it was laying in our corral next to the water tank. His shoulder was destroyed and Andy mercifully put him down.