Animal News: The Chronicles of Newman and other Stories
Is It Love?
13 September, 2004
CAUTION: A little bit "R" rated.
Breaking News: Newman Finds True Love and Breaks Many a Heart
-- Step Aside Ladies, This Man is Taken --
Yesterday I noticed that my older ewe Jasmine was limping rather badly.
There is a distinct pecking order in flocks, and in this one Jasmine has placed herself at the bottom, which means that she eats last, runs away from the mean goats, and generally seeks solace with the other sheep. Jasmine is sweet and gentle, but extremely difficult to approach for inspection when things like lameness occur. She's on the 'wild' side, having been raised in a flock of hundreds and only come here for retirement. She has extremely beautiful eyes, but does have a rather large nose and, quite honestly, the belly of a middle aged ruminant. She has a bit of halitosis (OK, I'll be fair, all sheep do) and a hairy face. She's a very nice sheep but she's just not... well... sexy.
Anyhow, I was not much worried about her sex appeal at the time I saw that she was limping - especially when I noticed that both rear legs were giving her trouble. I determined to try to get her into the barn, examine her hooves, and give her some anti inflammatories later on. This was, however, not her plan.
Right after dinner I was leaning on the garden gate watching the flock graze, when I heard an odd noise. It was a combination between a coo and a baa and was, well, rather seductive. I know all the sounds my sheep and goats make; each one has a very distinctive voice. I'd never heard this one before. I looked closer.
What I saw was Mr. Newman Goat gently courting Jasmine. He first rubbed the side of his face against her face and down her neck, cooing and baaing.
Newman, who normally walks a little like a horned and hooved tank, was sliding lithely around dowdy Jasmine like a dancer. I'm thinking "Run away, Jasmine, run away!". She usually does - she doesn't like Newman and stays well out of his range of butting. Yet she stayed absolutely still. By golly, she was enjoying this. And before I could get over that surprise, she and Newman are..... doing the wild thing! I confess at this point I averted my eyes and went back into the house.
Well whatever he did cured her lameness because today she was running and shaking her head about like a young lamb. Rock on, Newman.
Until next time,
Farmer Anne
Star Gazing Farm
http://www.stargazingfarm.org
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May not be reproduced without permission.
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