Sheep Chronicles
From a distance sheep appear fluffy & lovely, but up close they aren’t quite as pristine. I guess a lot of things in life are like that.
When I was a teenager my parents rented a house in Lyman, Maine, where the landlady, Hazel, and her husband, Harry, raised prize sheep. Her apple orchard of about twenty trees in our front yard bore the best Cortlands. The drops that were too far gone we would feed to the delighted sheep. They got used to our delectable handouts and six of them would rush to the fence whenever we appeared. Hazel named and recognized each of those ewes just like she did people.
Looking back, it seemed like a picture perfect existence – sheep, apple trees, green fields, and a lake with dock, a canoe, and a path through the sheep field. But of course it wasn’t. The summer was lonely after moving to Maine from a town just a few miles from the George Washington Bridge – on the Jersey side. It was July, and before school started in September I met one girl with whom I had little in common and who lived four miles away. The sheep weren’t very good company even if they came when I called.
The following winter, Hazel invited me up to the barn to watch the birth of a lamb. The barn was cold but she had heating lamps placed around the birthing coral. The mother ewe looked stressed as any female would be moments before giving birth. She practiced licking for when her lamb would be born and she would have to clean it. Suddenly on the hay was a bluish sack of unrecognizable mucus. Hazel jumped to action with towels to clean and free the new born lamb and make sure it was breathing. The new mother ewe took a few licks and happily accepted Hazel’s help. Within minutes the lamb was trying to stand. She was white, pink, and pristine – such beauty from what looked like a glob of mucus on the ground. I guess life is like that too. Sometimes good things come out of ugly situations -- like moving to Maine and finding friends after a lonely summer.
Maine Warmers'
Cozy Sheep provides comforting companionship and never needs to be fed -- just
Comforting Creatures like Polar Bears, Dachshunds, and more are available at
Maine Warmers and at stores throughout the US. All of their products may be frozen for gentle cold therapy.
microwave for soothing heat to relieve the pain of sore backs and stiff necks. This cuddly ewe makes a lovely get well gift for people recovering from surgery or dealing with an illness that leaves them feeling cold. Other Maine Warmers' fun
