Farm Friends Friday - Feeding Frenzy

I decided my plan would be to feature a special farm friend each week for Farm Friends Friday. Sometimes a sheep, sometimes a dog, maybe a horse, a hard working cat (on a week I need to skip ;-)...

Today was supposed to be Ewen McTeagle's day. I'd picked him not because he's so cute or because he's so big and easy to hug or because he's the one sheep that probably loves me more than any other sheep out there or because I love him as much or more than any other sheep out there, but because he's the most helpful sheep we have. The best laid plans.

There's really no way to take pictures of just one sheep. Ewen's not big on having his picture taken in the first place. Keebler gets his feelings hurt if he's not the star of the universe. Petunia and Joshua just assume they are going to be in every picture. Renny is in every pictures because there's just no stopping her...

This week's Farm Friends Friday will feature the (every day) feeding frenzy.



The calm before the storm. Every morning I find Hank waiting patiently and the young sheep cleaning up scraps from the night before.



I use either a sled or this handy garden cart to carry the hay. When it's super cold and I don't want to have to take my gloves off to open my pocket knife, I stick a big kitchen knife in the bale.



And then I get mugged.



But just before, I grab the knife, because if there's one thing Graham Lamb does. not. need. it's a weapon. Of any sort. He will bypass food for tools. Any sheep who will bypass food for anything, especially a knife, power drill or ladder, is a sheep to fear.



So here's where Ewen comes in. You can put just about anything on his big, velcro-y back and "it'll ride". Safely out of harm's (and Graham's) way.

Do you see tiny Renny in there? I guess she has such a large personality that I never think of her as small until I see her in with the rest of the sheep. Unstoppable.



When I get done setting out separate piles of hay for everyone, I go find big Ewen, gather up my knife and hay strings, tell him thank you and give him a big hug. And he acts like he hates it and that I'm embarrassing him in front of all his friends ;-).



Keebs. The obligatory picture. He is pretty cute.



Hank knows enough to stay out of the way while this is all going on and uses feeding time to make his big lap around the yard. When everything settles down, he comes back to the gate, I let him back in, grab my coffee cup, take a deep breath and stand there for awhile and watch everyone eat.

For more farm friends...