A Daisy For A Darling

Or a clover for a crazy sheep :-D.

Maisie showed up the other evening with a clover stuck to her back.  It was still there when Biscuit and I were back up at the barn later that night trying to walk off yet another tummy ache.  Biscuit's tummy, but at this point I'm so stressed out I'll probably be next.

I remember Maisie having so many problems (and not just tummy issues :-o) when she was a lamb. Biscuit was fine until I guess he got stressed during the fiber festival and then the selenium issue struck and now I'm finding myself saying "[He] just can't seem to put two good days in a row together" yet again.

I can only assume someone was grazing next to Maisie, picked up the clover, turned their head over her back and accidentally dropped it.  Maybe it wasn't an accident and she has a boyfriend or a secret admirer.  Or maybe a fairy put it there.  Regardless, a little welcomed flower magic.

One thing to note is Maisie is facing away from me in these pictures.  Well, in one she's not, but in that one she's looking up at me, not at my kneecaps getting ready to strike.  I have to own up to completely losing my cool with her a few weeks ago.

She was once again following me around the barn lot like an angry shark as I tried to talk to other sheep besides her.  I tried to diffuse the situation by ignoring her bad behavior, putting bigger sheep between us as a buffer and finally setting myself up for a quick exit before I got hurt.  

Wait a minute.  I work hard taking care of my family.  If I want to take a few minutes at the end of the day to visit with everyone, Maisie, that's my reward.  Being held hostage by a two foot tall terrorist (who working hard to take care of didn't even begin to cover it (if you don't know the Maisie story, it's worth reading back)) is...ridiculous.

I lost it.  

My first instinct was to fight fire with fire.  Do not get in a butting contest with a sheep, especially Maisie.  You will not win.  I quickly figured that one out ;-).  I changed my strategy to scaring the heck out of her and chasing her into the barn, away from me.

Stomping my feet and clapping my hands, I shouted "I have had it with you, Maisie!  You get your [butt] in that barn and stay there!  You get away from me!"  And she beat it into the barn, turned around, and if a sheep could drop their jaw, she'd have done it.  For once in her life, she was speechless.

I knew that mostly I'd just made myself feel better.  Maisie having a conscience and learning anything was not really how things worked in the real world.  I was wrong.  The next morning she was waiting for me at the back gate, which is normal, but with a completely different look on her face.

"Hi momma :-).  Are you still mad at me?  I'm going to try really hard to be a good girl from now on.  See how good I am?" 

And she has!  She calmly walks up to me in the evenings, stands next to me waiting patiently for her tummy rub (I think she still has some tummy issues), lets me leave her to go talk to other sheep, no head shaking, foot stomping, teeth chomping...  

While we are not ready to eliminate "Stay away from the sheep with a tail" from our farm safety warning or sign Maisie up for the Hug a Sheep pen, I can happily say if there was a sheep out there who has earned her own flower, it's "the little darling" :-).

"I have a flower!"

"Quit taking pictures and rub my tummy!"