Keeping Watch by Kathryn A. Sletto

Author:Kathryn A. Sletto
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-87351-792-8
Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Press
Published: 2010-11-24T16:00:00+00:00

Despite having to bear the burden of his disorderly charges, Chris was happy to be out of school. He spent most of his time outside, and his constant companions—in addition to the dogs—were Lamb Chop and Rambling Rose.

Chris took over the bottle-feeding of Lamb Chop and Whiplash in early June. The two lambs were already nibbling grass for much of their diet, but they still loved their feedings. Their twice-a-day bottles were more of a treat than a necessity for the lambs by this time.

Whiplash downed her milk quickly and was ready to return to the pasture and Tony. But Lamb Chop stubbornly refused to go back into the shed or pasture after finishing her bottle, and Chris rarely forced her. She spent most summer days tagging along with Chris and his friends, tailed by the dogs.

When Chris returned Whiplash to the pasture each morning, he usually brought Rambling Rose out with him—rather than leaving her circling aimlessly while her inattentive mother napped or grazed nearby. Chris carried Rose along to wherever his activities would take him that day. Rambling Rose endured rides on Chris’s bike and skateboard without complaint, but she didn’t enjoy extreme sports participation nearly as much as did Lamb Chop and the dogs. Mostly she loved to cuddle. She could find the perfect crevice under Chris’s chin to insert and nuzzle her little face. Rose was completely content when she was held closely in one’s arms. She sighed with pleasure and satisfaction at those times, and before long her bronze eyelashes fluttered and closed, and she was asleep.

In the first weeks of Rambling Rose’s life, Terry, Chris, and I spent hours tracking down the wandering lamb and returning her to her mother and the lambing pen in the shed. But after all the sheep were turned loose in the pasture, Rose’s wanderlust evaporated. She learned quickly that in order to survive, she would need to devote most of her time and attention to keeping up with her mother and remaining within the protective cover of the flock.

Like Chris, I spent as much time as possible outside in June. The spring weather was fantastic, and the animals provided endless entertainment. Tony and Camilla the llama were in high spirits, and they chased the barn cats around the pasture. The young lambs formed a rowdy gang when they were released in the morning. The lamb gang played a wild game of follow-the-leader, running round and round the pasture before jumping off a small dirt cliff, one by one.

Lamb Chop, though, was not happy with her barnyard surroundings. She had no intention of hanging out with a bunch of sheep. She believed she was human. Or if not exactly human, her status was at least equal to that of the dogs.

Lamb Chop became a skilled escape artist and seldom remained long in the pasture or sheep shed. When Chris’s friends visited, Lamb Chop felt she should be included in whatever activities were on the agenda. One day the boys took time out from their mega-ramp building project to play a game of baseball.

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