Shh. The lamb and the dog are sleeping. Together. Again.
Last night a very strange thing happened, well it happened the night before but I was more bemused than alarmed the night before. Last night just got weird. Usually I feed the lamb at 10pm and 2am. Every four hours. Well the night before last just before I got up at 10ish I heard Boo howl. AAAOOOOO! Like a wolf at a full moon. Just once then silence. Stop that noise immediately, I said to him, as I shuffled past, he was still laid in his bed next to the fire, about four steps away from his lamb. He raised his head, huffed and then came along for feeding time. Then at the two o’clock feeding time I was a little late, and I was woken again by Boo howling from his bed again, AAAOOOOO!, waking me up. Just the one howl. But a big wild dog howling sound. A siren.
I put the timing down to a strange coincidence. Until he did it again last night. Marcel is big now and drinking more than his quota a day so I decided to feed him at 10pm and then again when I woke early in the morning. Maybe 5ish I thought. And I was still up at 10 so I fed Marcel and put him to bed, settled all the animals and put myself to bed, laying my head down with that deep long last breath of the day in anticipation of a good nights sleep. I am like Peter our Ontario Baker who tends his oven fires through the night, (he makes sourdough croissants among other things, oh, how Sheila and I wish we lived close by), I can get up, do what I need to do, then lay down and straight back to sleep no problem. And the thought of sleeping all night was sublime. But once again, just after 2am. The howl. Waking me up. Coincidence? He has never howled inside in the night before, ever.
Now, what am I supposed to think about that? And how to explain to the DOG that the LAMB does not need to be fed every four hours anymore. And maybe could I sleep though the night please.
Daisy did not want to be brushed yesterday. She just rolled her head around looking for a head scratch. Every day that it is warm enough for me to get out there, I brush her and Queenie. Mainly so that they get used to me having my hands on them. I am not entirely sure who I am milking full time yet. But Daisy just wanted more food and a head scratch not necessarily in that order.
Below is why we seldom get a shot of Ton, he is either lying in the straw with Sheila, or standing under Daisy. We are going to have to re-establish the milking parlour rules come milking time.
And for those of you dairy women and men who are craning your necks to see if Daisy is ‘filling up’. Here are two other shots of Daisy’s udder. Two weeks to go. 
What is most evident is how filthy she is getting with no rain and so much indoor living. But we will have her all cleaned up by the time she is ready to milk. Not the udder though I will not touch the udder until her first milking. Then she will be thoroughly cleaned.
Sheila working on her bed. You can see that she has rubbed her wound open again. But it is just superficial now, the deep injury is healed. Thank goodness it is not fly season. 
I have begun to make a warm nest for the calf – it looks like it will still be very cold. I will make a small room out of bales of straw, and top it with a sheet of particle board, with a small opening for the warmth from the heat lamp if he needs it, to keep him cosy. Plus of course he has his new coat. He will come out for feeds, (we will attempt to share-milk he and I) but he needs to be out of any drafts and cold at sleep times. 
Here is a nice happy shot of what is to come. The delightful jumble of the verandah harvest table. And green.. do you see that green?
I hope you all have a lovely day.
Your friend on the farmy
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
57 responses to “Hush …”
Speaking of Sheila, you must have caught her just about to push with her nose as you took the picture; otherwise she looks like she’s humped up in heat.
I wish!!.. c
Nanny knows best! Maybe Marcel still needs those feeds.
Reblogged this on Free from Tech Life.
Wanted to hop over here and share a quick story.
My 6-yr-old has been taking horseback riding lessons for almost a year now. Today, my 4 1/2 yr-old and I joined her and took our first lesson. While we were riding, I heard talk of lambs and found out that one of their ewes had given birth about an hour earlier. After our lesson, they invited us out to see the mamma and her lambs.
The girls (and I) absolutely loved watching the lambs and mamma. It also created some questions from the girls – “Why do they have blood on them?” “What is that long red stuff hanging on the mamma?” On the way home we had the opportunity to talk about how babies live inside mammas and what happens during and after they are born.
Neither of them were bothered by anything they heard or saw. It was genuine curiosity and I think they will make awesome farm girls one day. Something I know you will appreciate.
Most excellent, such good and simple lessons.. your girls are great! I think they must have a great Mama. c
beautiful post! I love how the drill is sitting on the patio table in the last shot….charming, real. You are such a breath of fresh air!
The green is pleasing to the eye. I’m looking forward to that again. The sheep look cozy in their wool coats. Is there a snooze button on the alarm dog? 😉
Perhaps you could rig up something like this for future little lambies! My daughter-in-law (who is now reading your blog too) sent it to me. Sorry – couldn’t figure out how to make the link go directly to the picture. Although – you might have to add a donkey or two to your menagerie! http://25.media.tumblr.com/85e24a8e11e45c8b1a81503d1cd0418a/tumblr_n1lzhqEbCA1r7yxrco1_1280.jpg
What a great and unique photo!!!
Wise minds and thinking alike.. another of the fellowship sent that to me the other day on FB.. you guys are great!!
Oh – looks like the link WILL work!
it works well, thank you and your daughter in law.. c
Oh I saw this and was going to send it too….just couldn’t figure out how 🙂
This is unreal: how on earth does Boo know when it is 2 am? I mean he himself is meant to be asleep!! But a dog howling: to me that is the creepiest sound in the world – as a bub I was so oft under bombing attacks and all the city dogs would howl way ahead of the sirens!! Still get the shivers when I hear such!! Love the verandah photo also ~ for the first time I can see a certain tree which kind’of interests me straight on and not thru’ other foliage 🙂 !!
That certain tree is surrounded in anti rabbit wire and still looking ok, though with these low low temps for so long i am expecting some gaps.. c
Thanks for the update . . . hope spring will make it burst forth!! And drat the wabbits!!!!!!!! Don’t you dare try!
Boo is a special gift, not just to you and the babies and the farmy, but to us – his wider world… who love him XXXX
Oh our Boo is such a clever nanny boy.
Have a super day C, and I do love your last sunny picture.
🙂 Mandy xo
That doesn’t surprise me at all about Boo howling. What instincts that dog has!
Rudy, who will be 16 on Tuesday, comes to get me every day at 5am, 2pm and 4pm for breakfast, carrot-snack time, and dinner. Dogs can tell time. I swear they can.
Sure you have an easy life, Celi! 😉 Ton & Boo do all the watching and minding for you. I love the green, I was so fed up looking out at dull grey-green that I found a bright vista from the past to put on my desktop!
I just love reading about life on your farm. It’s so back to nature, comforting and wonderful. I can’t wait for the green to take over the scenery here. Another month maybe 🙂
Clever pup! And wow, love the new look!