As some of you know, our little Hila had a health scare last week. She suddenly came down with what is called polio (it’s not really polio), and it is caused by a combination of not having yet developed enough of a particular bacteria in her stomach, and a lack of thiamine. Thankfully, we caught it early, and the vet thinks she will make a full recovery — but as of right now, she still is partially blind, and very subdued.

Today, we decided that her sight had improved enough that we were ready to send Lana and Hila out into the pasture to graze freely for the first time. Opening the gate, Ellsy raced out and rolled in the burdocks and evergreen needles, and now he looks like a giant pincushion, sigh. Lana came tearing into the pasture, and just ran and ran and ran. Hila finally ventured out, clearly nervous with her limited sight. Here is Lana, just admiring her new playground.

A half-hour later, I went out to check on them, and bring the lambs back into their normal pen, so that they wouldn’t get stomach aches from eating too much new stuff. I couldn’t find them! Not in their barn. Not behind the aviary. Not anywhere that I could see them. Then I heard a “baaaaaa” and turned to find the two lambs in the chicken coop. Clearly, they had decided it was a cool little lamb playhouse! Later, Paul would tell me that Lana had actually climbed up into the coop itself, and was standing in the chicken door looking out proudly while he mowed the lawn.

So the girls were in the fenced part of the coop, so I shook the grain bucket at them, thinking they would come running. Nope. So I climbed into the coop. Yes, it was a sight to behold. They ran out. I followed them out, and they ran back in, and we did this over and over. Finally, I cornered Hila, and picked her up to carry her back to the pen.

There I am, hot, tired, carrying a really mad, squirming, heavy lamb down the hill, and suddenly, Lana decides that we all are playing, and she starts taking running starts and jumping on my back. Yes, in the end, I had muddy hoof prints all down my back.

We made it back to the pen, and I let a very thankful Hila down, and they scampered off to find water and grain, and I went to find a cold drink and a hot shower.