Girl vs. Sheep

You know those bad dreams where you feel like you're trying to run towards something, but you're stuck in mud? And no matter how hard you try, you just can't seem to get anywhere? Well, if you've ever wanted to experience that feeling in real life, then I would recommend running after 13 escaped sheep through vetch/cleaver infested fields. It's uncannily like those bad dreams...

Yes, you guessed it. That's how my morning went. This was supposed to be easy. The sheep knew the routine in moving to a new paddock, but #70 has been a twerp lately and little rebel that she is, she bolted past me and all the others followed! Sigh... Where's my trained sheepdog when I need him? Oh right, he's still a puppy who would probably only chase them into the deep forest right about now. Seems I'm on my own. So up the hill I went running! I got half of them down and in the paddock, then ran back up the hill for the other half. Right before I got the second half in the paddock, the first half bolted through my small opening, and guess where they went. Back up the hill. -_- 

The second half joined them, and I was now back at the bottom of the hill, watching thirteen sheep bottoms getting farther and farther from me.

I sprinted after them, praying out loud and asking God to pleeeeeeze don't let them go into the forest! 

I was rather outnumbered right then and there, and those sheep had four wheel drive on 'em, which really left me at a disadvantage. The only thing I had going for me was that I knew a few deer trails at the top of the hill which allowed me to keep an even pace with the sheep on our way down.

If I hadn't been so paranoid about getting the sheep back in their paddock, I think I would have enjoyed myself with all that running. Gyp and I took last week off of running and I've missed it. Granted, running through the vetch and cleaver plants was a bear of a problem, and I accidentally crashed right through a blackberry plant that was hiding amidst the tall grasses, which has left me some pretty scratches up and down my arms. Honorable war wounds, those are.

I finally managed to get half of them in the paddock by distracting them with grain, but then the second group took a new tack and headed East, towards the creek. I sighed in frustration, and then grinned at the challenge; they were in familiar territory now where I knew all the deer trails. For the first time, I was the faster opponent. It didn't take long enough before I had them up against a fence line and was able to funnel them ALL into the paddock. I closed the fence line up with the speed and ferocity usually only seen from competitors in sheep dog trials. It had taken me an hour and a half of running up and down to get those sheep where they belonged!! 

When I finished with the sheep at last, I took a moment to pull out all the bramble thorns that were still embedded in my arms. I hadn't even noticed the pain while I was running, but I was sure feeling it now. Darn that blackberry plant... Did it really have to be RIGHT there??? Oh well. More than anything, I wanted to crash on the couch inside with a book and not think for awhile, but instead I had to package up some microgreens that I had harvested earlier. While weighing out sugar pea shoots and putting them in plastic clamshells, I flicked some music on and was generous with the volume. My favorite artist, Jai McDowall, just released one of his newest songs and I've been pleased to find that it's every bit as good as his others he's done. :) The catchy tune to Got To Let Go made the time fly with the packaging, and I finished shortly.  

Now that I seem to have done everything that needs to be done right now, I think I'm going to go crash on that couch like I wanted... Just twenty minutes with the book, and then I'll get back to work.

 Cross my heart. ;)