As
I was preparing a stall for the night, I heard the unmistakable
sounds of a ewe in labor pushing out her lamb. I looked over the
partition into the next stall. There was Sky standing with her rear
end toward me, presenting a little nose and toes. A
few more pushes and the little guy (later
named Aeneas) plopped
down onto the bed of hay right in front of me.
He
had barely landed, when Marigold and Violet (four day old twins) came
rushing up to inspect the new arrival. They had been the first born,
and so far, the only lambs on the farm. They were delighted to
welcome a new playmate. In fact they could barely contain their
excitement. They took turns skipping forward and touching noses with
him, then
dancing back a few steps to take another look.
 |
| Marigold & Violet 5 days |
On
his part, the little guy, barely minutes old, was totally captivated
by the two ewe lambs. He was still only halfway out of his amniotic
sac as he started to crawl toward them with a look of rapt attention
on his face, dragging
the remnants of the sac behind him.
 |
| Marigold 2 days |
By
now, the two little girls were totally carried away with excitement.
They started showing off! After stepping forward and touching noses,
they would prance back a few feet and start doing tricks! They were
doing spronging jumps and twirling jumps with twists and curtsies.
Then
back to touch noses, then back to the acrobatics. It was almost as
if they were inviting him: “Look what we can do. Can you do this
Can you do that Come play with us, and we will show you how.”
By
this time, his mother, who had been momentarily preoccupied with the
birth of his twin sister Persephone,
turned her attention back to him. She shooed the girls away and
proceeded with the serious business of licking Aeneas
dry and getting him on his feet and nursing.
 |
| Aeneas - 2 days |
I
was left pondering on the wonderment of what it must be like, merely
moments after leaving the limbo of one’s
mother’s watery womb to find one’s self in a strange new world,
fully conscious and eager for social engagement!
 |
| Aeneas 6 weeks |
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