There was some trouble in the neighborhood a couple of weeks ago so I am now back locking the sheep up at the barn at night. This is our normal fall and winter routine, but in the summer, when it's so blasted hot, I take a chance and leave the gate open so the sheep can head out in the wee hours of the morning and be back in the shade before the sun gets hot.
Murphy is still the flock leader, but he doesn't get up and moving as quickly as Krista used to like, and now her granddaughter Krista, renamed Lily, has taken over as the "Maybe I'll just head on out without the lazy sod" sheep.
I visited with her for a bit and watched her looking all over the back acreage and tried to see if I could see anything suspicious with her. She looked left and right and then back left...
...and then Murphy came busting through, not looking either direction, and everyone headed out.
Sometimes he stops and looks and listens, but mostly he just charges on out and those are the days I think maybe the rest of the sheep just let him be the leader so if the lions, tigers and bears are out there...they'll still have a good chance to head back to the barn. ;-)
