SAD NEWS~

Hey y'all,

My sheep ewe Sarah died Monday afternoon, May 4th, of pneumonia. :( She'd been sick for a few days, and we had been giving her medicine, but I don't know, I guess it just wasn't enough or something. After bawling until sleep finally came to me on Monday, I slept not so well. But I had Chinese with a good friend yesterday, so that cheered me up. 

I'm feeling pretty down, but I am struggling to keep my trust in God. I guess maybe I didn't have enough faith in Him to make Sarah all better. I hope to the high heavens of the earth that I will not ever regret that. I was a struggling Christian, and still am. I am struggling of putting full faith in Him, so I hope He reaches out to me soon, so that I will be able to, and maybe everything can be able to piece back together again. 

Sarah Winnifred died May 4, 2009 after a short battle with pneumonia. She was born February 10, 2005, at the barn. She was a faithful owner to JMG, and she will be deeply missed. She loved to hang out with her sheep ewe friends, and be a pig at eating anything. When JMG was gone from college, she sometimes avoided her and it took a day or two to win her back. She loved eating out in the pasture, and loved the sunshine. Her best buds were fellow sheep ewes Medora and Yo-Yo. In her entire four years of living, she had four children, twins in the year 2008, and twins again in the year 2009. When they were weaned, she was always sorry to see them go their own ways. She loved to have her cheeks scratched and rubbed, and to just be petted. She loved corn and mineral block, her favorite foods, and JMG often fed her a little extra. She always looked for JMG when she was gone to college, and she was patient until her return. 

She grew up with twin brother Nick, from mother Winnie. She was born late at night, and was all black right away. She and Nick were weaned early, however, when Winnie would not stop jumping fences. She became quickly accustomed to ranch life, and never got sick. She was always happy, healthy and loud. Her bellow often could be heard from the granary, and it was usually when her and her ewes sensed suppertime upon them. She was quite and nurturing, and loved to be hugged. Her face was soft and furry, and she was strong. She was a wonderful mother to her children, and a wonderful ewe to JMG. She will be sorely missed, but remembered very fondly for being a wonderful pet. 

Sarah is preceded in death by her mother, Winnie; her brother Nick; and her sons, Joey and Johnny. 

Sarah is survived by her twin daughters, Jada and Serenity "Nettie"; her owner JMG; and numerous sheep ewe friends. 

Rest in peace, sweet baby girl. I love you so much, and God forgive me for not being able to help you when you needed it most. I will never forget you, and I promise that I'll do anything in my power to keep Jada and Nettie just as safe. ~

Ta. 

JMG~

LAMBS!!! :)

Hello, everybody! Guess what? My sheep ewe, Sarah, had twin girls yesterday around four o'clock in the afternoon! God willing, I will go home today to see them. I am so excited! Their names are Jada and Nettie. Nettie is short for Serenity. Pretty names, huh? Well, I told Sarah before I left that I was proud of her and would be praying for her. I think there were extra prayers, too, because since Jan. 18th we have had wonderful and healthy lambs. One ewe, July, had twin boys, and another ewe, Velvet, had a girl two days ago. 

I am always astonished year by year of how each mother ewe cares for her lamb or lambs. They are either angrily or scared-for-their-baby protective, or they might not care if someone holds one of her lambs. In a couple cases, we could hardly be in the pen for very long. And we have had all sorts of lamb experiences. We had an adorable blind lamb, we had the tiniest twin boys you have ever seen, we've had huge lambs, we've had one huge lamb and a tiny lamb as its brother. We have to pull at least one every once in a while, and it seems like there's one every year. There hasn't been so far, and God willing, there won't be any more. 

As the lambs grow, they get wilder so you have to tame them down and spend time with them as much as possible. When I mean wild, I mean they like to run around a lot and drive Mama crazy by wondering where they are. We've had a lamb with a very fast heartbeat, and bottle lambs galore. One year we had a ewe who had a lamb but didn't want it. We have ewes who don't have milk right away even after they've cleaned themselves. We've had ewes who have almost gotten into fights with other ewes, dogs or kitties because they're protective of their babies. Last year, one ewe had a huge baby, and she would freak out if he disappeared behind her! She had to know where he was every instant. Which is endearing, really. We often need to help the mama dry them off right after they are born, and then they're cold, so after letting them nurse a while we slip them inside your coat. This isn't the easier thing to do in the world, because their legs are so long and slip down. Once they are warm, they will find more strength to reach the utter. 

Ewes that haven't had babies yet love to stick their noses in the fence from the other side and watch the lambs. When we had our first lambs this year, the ewes were so excited. You wouldn't believe how excited dogs and even kittens get, too, at seeing the lambs. 

Lambing season is always fun. Well, we have five more ewes who are expecting soon. In a few days we will move the other ewes and their lambs, if need be for some of them, and start the process over again. Keep praying for them! And thanks so much for all your prayers! :) 

Ta! God bless! 

JMG~~