Ovine Paradise

We finally got the sheep pasture fenced, and the whole flock is out happily grazing. It's a very large area (5-6 acres or so), and includes tons of tall grass, weeds, brambles, and woods. Our flock will never be able to graze this whole thing down; they have plenty to choose from, and have wasted no time going at it.

We still lock them in the barn each night, but turn them loose each morning. You have no idea how happy I am that they're no longer consuming our hay, and that they can get as much as they want to eat now.

All the credit for getting the pasture done belongs to Mrs. Yeoman Farmer and her father. He is a school teacher, and spent a good chunk of his summer break over here, taking the initiative in getting the job done. MYF made countless trips to the farm supply store, spending a small fortune on fencing materials and gates; my role was to remain chained to my desk, earning enough money to pay for those trips. (As long-time readers recall, the purchaser of our house in Illinois stabbed us in the back and sold our old fencing materials before I could return with an empty truck to retrieve them. We seriously considered pursuing legal action, but the process would have been too time consuming. Given my workload, it made more sense to stay at my desk and earn the money.)

Anyhow, MYF and her father spent a great many hours toiling in the hot sun. But it's finished! And I must say, there is nothing quite like sitting on the porch and watching the sheep graze.

This gives some sense of the expansiveness of the pasture:



A close-up of a few grazing sheep:



While I was out there with the camera, I couldn't resist snapping a photo of our flock sire. Is he a magnificent animal or what?