The Herd

herd1.jpg
As an old farm girl I should know why some of the sheep have red tags and some don’t. I can come up with several theories, but what is yours? The story behind this photo is probably more interesting than the photo. I have been “eyeing” a field beside 101 for the last couple of weeks thinking we would have to have baby lambs soons…a sure sign that spring is on it’s way. I parked in a very dangerous spot today to get out and take pictures…turning on my emergency flashers. Once I got out and starting shooting, the big guy in the middle decided I must have brought lunch…it was a stampede to the spot right in front of me. I was afraid the babies might get trampled, so I packed up and tried to get back on the road…my son-in-law spots me and calls on my cell to see if I am having problems. A chuckle on the line when I tell him what I’m up to. It is so nice to be checked on. I love my family.

16 thoughts on “The Herd”

  1. I just got off the phone with my son and his wife. They call just to check on us and find out what’s new. Yes family is everything.
    Great shot of the curious sheep. I guess they really do follow the leader.

  2. I love sheep! So work orientated. The farm over the road has barns and can hear the new lambs each night. Will be watching to see when they emerge to the world.

  4. I don’t know what’s the meaning of the red sign… I’m a city girl ;-), even I have family that owned sheeps and I remember being little and going with my cousins there and fed them, it was really great!
    With your photo I can only hear beeee beeee beeee (that’s what sheeps do in Spain).

  5. Should we change your name from Lavender to Bo Peep? Love the photo and the story. About the red tags – I believe it identifies their origins, but I prefer to think the sheep just like red earrings 😉

  6. They all look so natural in front of the camera….nothing sheepish about them. Okay, sorry.
    Enjoyed reading about your harrowing tale! As for the red clips in the ears….are they listening to iPods?

  7. My husband wanted to grow goats (we do cheese with their milk in france)
    He is an agronomist. It did not happen. Would we be less happy ? I’m not sure We are living in Paris and life is sometimes like a jungle
    Now there is in Paris what we call “the greatest farm in France” = le salon de l’agriculture about whitch Olivier spoke today
    I fing goats more clever than sheeps
    These ones seem to have a clever look though

  8. Red tags—hmmm?! Some sort of identification (smart, huh?!). No clue. My first thought when I saw the picture, was–“my word, where is she taking this photo–lying down, counting sheep?” It looked like an unusual photographer’s stance. The photo is marvelous. Love their sweet, curious faces.

  9. c’est la journee des animaux ;o) dans deux semaines ma star sera un belier. ce troupeau de mouton, me fait penser à mon perigord natal, il y avait toujours plein de troupeaux de moutons et de chevres (Hummm le fromage de chevres)

    it is the day of the animals; O) in two weeks my star will be a ram. this herd of sheep, makes me think of my perigord native, there was always full with herds of sheep and goats (Hummm the goat’s milk cheese)

  10. Gosh, what a beautiful photo!?!?! They look so attentive!! Did you bribe them with some food??

    Why are some of their faces black while others are white? Are they of different breed or just a variation in color?

  12. When i was a little girl, my grandmother had two or three sheep and goats. Every year in vacation, i found new babies and it is a great memory. The babies goats (sorry, i don’t know their right name) were used to be real acrobats, climbing everywhere and curious of everything. The lambs were shyer (more shy?). Sometimes the mother of three could not feed all her babies, so i gave him a baby-bottle and after a few days, he was following me everywhere, even in the house if the door stayed open. But you’ve grown in a farm, did you write, so you know all about that…It was a cruel world, many of these lovely animals took place on Easter table.

  13. LL-If you send me your email (mine is on my profile), I’ll send you the artist’s response to your questions re. the quilt you admired on my blog.

  14. I’ve had sheep stampede toward me at the side of the road too! It’s kinda freaky. I don’t know about the red tags, but I’ll ask my husband. He knows everything. (I’m not being smart, I mean that literally.)

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