Lost Lamb, Found Lamb

There is something about sheep...  I've always wanted a lamb.  There's something just so beautiful and special about them, and I've been trying to convince my husband that we should have one since the day we bought our farm.  I have only ever asked for one thing for my birthday... a lamb. And on Christmas, Sasha asked Santa to bring Mommy a lamb in her letter to him.  But until today, all I ever got was stuffed animal lambs (and I have quite the collection).

Today, I am so happy to say I finally have a lamb... well actually, a pregnant lamb.  And the story is quite an incredible one.

I don't usually take Sophie and Oliver to school (I take Sasha to her school), but today Michael and I switched so I could join a few of my new mom friends at Monday morning prayer/devotions.  On my way into the school, I overheard a couple new friends talking.  Cathy was asking Kyle if he'd found a home for the pregnant sheep he'd found, and he proceeded to say no and went to show her some photos on his phone.  I asked to see them and immediately blurted out that I had a farm and had always wanted sheep.

Kyle after walking a mile with the lost lamb

Kyle then told me the story of how he found her...   (He was on his way to church Sunday morning, when his son told him he saw a sheep on the side of the road.  They were on a busy road and in a town where there really isn't much livestock, so Kyle was surprised to see that there really was a sheep on the busy road.  Kyle's family went into church, but Kyle set out to see if he could help this sheep.  After chasing her quite a way down the road and cornering her (and getting kicked in the face), he was finally able to catch her.  He threw her over his shoulder and walked a long way back to his truck where he secured her, and then he went into the church to try to figure out what to do with her.  There he met a guy named Mark, a visitor from out of town, who said he lived next door to a large sheep farm where he was sure the sheep could live.  So Mark took the sheep with him all the way to the sheep farm, but the sheep farmer rejected her because she was of a different flock... oh and then he told Mark that the sheep was pregnant.  Not knowing what to do with a pregnant sheep, Mark put her in his garage with some water and some borrowed hay.   He then proceeded to try to find her a new home or to find her original owner... but to no avail.  So this lost, pregnant sheep spent the night in Mark's garage.)

Lost sheep in back of Kye's truck.  Makes me sad to see something tied to her neck like that...

Mark set up a temporary pen with borrowed grass and a bucket of water while he looked for a home.

After talking with me, Kyle called Mark with the good news... but there was one problem... my husband.  How, after promising him I would quit with the Lucy antics and crazy animal rescues, would I ever convince him to let me have a pregnant sheep?  So I asked my friend Beth to join me for coffee so we could hatch a plot.  Plotting and scheming is a specialty of mine, and oh so much fun...  So we grabbed our coffee and sat outside to talk. Here are just a couple of our ideas:

1.  "Hi honey... good news and bad news.  Bad news is that we're rescuing a sheep!! Good news is that she's PREGNANT!!"    (lol)
2.  "Oh my, look what just showed up at our farm!! Lucky day!"
3.  "I really want to have another baby, but if you let me get this pregnant sheep I think the lamb will suffice!"

Or, I could wait until Michael left to go out of town the next day and just sneak the lamb in and ask for forgiveness later (I've done that before).  OR I could just carry the lamb over my shoulder to the barn and hope that he'd see me out the window and laugh and lovingly say, "Oh Lucy...."  (haha that was more like a dream than a plot).  :)

Finally, we decided that I should just take my chances and be honest.  So I called him from the coffee house.  He sounded really busy, and I chickened out.  Beth said, "You should have just sneaked it in really fast right before you hung up... like "ohbythewayhoneyIgotapregnantsheep...bye!"  Haha, I just love Beth- she's definitely my new Ethel. ♥

William the Farrier/Sheep Farmer

Beth and I were laughing so hard, when up rides this crazy looking character... an older guy with bandanas, jewelry, tattoos, red cowboy boots, and a super confident swagger. Something told me that I needed to talk to this guy, so without even thinking as he walked by, I said, "You look ready!"  "I was born ready", he said back with a smile, and then he went inside to get his coffee.  Beth and I then googled "How to care for a pregnant sheep" and joked about how I would need a Great Pyrenees dog to protect the sheep from predators and how the heck would I explain that to Michael. I also called a livestock vet who said she didn't have an available appointment until Friday.  Then our new friend came outside with his coffee... he walked by our table and came to talk to us.  He said his name was William, but I told him I would call him Billy.  I asked him if he rode anything besides his Harley... he said yes- that he was a horse farrier and that he rode horses. He had a strong accent, and when we asked where he was from, he said the Pyrenees Mountains where he grew up on a SHEEP FARM!  Beth and I just couldn't believe it...  what are the chances?  So I accepted one of his business cards and decided to drive home to try to convince Michael that this sheep was meant to be ours... with the way it all went down, how could we possibly not take this sheep?

Our sweet new lamb on her way to our farm.

Mark Sutton of the band Brother Trouble with ourlamb

Well, she must have really been meant to be mine, because Michael
was surprisingly easy to convince... and an hour later, Mark drove up to my house with the sheep and a bale of hay.  Kyle, being the sweetheart he is, met us here.  After realizing that the sheep would easily escape the barn at our house, we decided to take her to our farm (just 5 minutes away).  They helped me get her all settled in with water and hay.  We talked for quite a while, and I could tell that they were both so happy with this lamb's new home.  But I could tell that the lamb wasn't in good shape.  She could barely walk, and her feet looked horribly long to me. And when she did walk, she walked on her elbows half the time.  She had a rope and a dirty torn sheet tied tightly around her neck and dragging on the ground.  The first thing we did was cut that off... we tried to pet her, but she was so scared and just ran from us (she's fast!).  She was dirty and in pain... and pregnant.

And the vet couldn't come until Friday.

I could tell I also needed a farrier, so I called mine who wasn't available till the end of the week either.  I knew this sweet lamb couldn't wait that long...   Her feet needed tending to, and she needed a vet- or at least someone who knew about sheep.  After all, I didn't even know what to feed her, if she was for sure pregnant, if she was healthy or how old she was!  And that's when it hit me...  William!!  I'll call William... he's a farrier and also used to be a sheep farmer!  He was happy to hear from me and said he'd be at my farm tomorrow at noon.  Wow, there are no accidents... this was meant to be.  Truly divine.  I thought of Willow...

Later that day, we brought the kids to see the new addition to our farm.  I had been calling her Lulubelle, since that's what I'd always imagined I'd name my lamb.  Somehow though, it just didn't suit her... I'd need a new name.  We decided not to go into her stall and freak her out, so we watched over the dutch barn door...  and one by one, the horses came to greet our new sheep.  Dreamer (one of our latest rescues I haven't even written about yet) seemed to really be interested in saying hello.  I can't believe what I just witnessed... it was one of the most beautiful moments I've ever seen.  I can't wait to process these photos. ♥  Let's just say, God is everywhere... and I not only felt, but I saw the Holy Spirit in our barn today.  I feel so blessed...