GUESS WHAT????
I visited the sheep farm from whence I will buy my lambs! I can tell you now that it will be the hardest thing ever to drive away with just two!
I saw the smallest lamb I've ever seen in my life today....I could have fit him in one hand! Cuteness meter was off the scale......
The other farm I had visited was neat as a pin until you entered the buildings, where it was dark, ammoniated, wet, filthy and so loud you couldn't hear yourself think and the farm dogs kept jumping up on you and biting your legs......
This farm was just the opposite! I was greeted by the most appealing Border Collie ever, who offered a stick and kept doing that very politely throughout the visit.
The farm was a clutter of old equipment and even older barns and outbuildings....except the building where the sheep were resting. A cheerful older lady greeted me with a smile and a joyful countenance and showed me immediately to the sheep barn. I entered to the smell of hay....I kid you not, no sheep smell, no manure or urine smell....just the sweet smell of hay! And this was an unannounced visit...I just dropped by on my way through. The pens were clean and filled with thick bedding, the water was clean, the hay was fresh. It was light and well-ventilated, with wide aisles between the pens.
There was an older man with a hat with ear flaps.....I almost said, "Aaaawwwwww!", who was a little hard of hearing but smiled and gave me the tour. It was so quiet, even though the barn was full of sheep and lambs and a couple of rams. The lambs played and ate, with little tails twirling, and mamas chewed their cuds and watched us complacently.
I could tell this couple were quite proud of their sheep and the colors and docility of the flock were amazing. Some of the conformation wasn't to my liking and some of them needed some conditioning...but all looked healthy, content, clean and....well...
happy! I heard no coughs, saw no limps, no bottle jaws, or other signs of mismanagement. The ewes that needed conditioning were recently bought and hadn't been there very long.
They welcomed me back at any time, said they always had tons of people here, so stop by anyway. I could see why people came....there was an inherent joy and simplicity to these folks that I have not encountered since moving to this area. I wished I could stay and talk to these people for awhile. I threw the stick for the dog....over and over and over...I wore out before she did!
I am completely satisfied with my decision to buy from these people and I picked out one or two lambs to consider....one black one with a white sprinkle of stars on her sides and face, a brown, white and black marked one, a brown with black legs and black markings on her face, and a snow white charmer that gave me the sweet face and came up to the fence. It will be very difficult to choose two only from all the sweetness and beauty I saw today.
AND...the lady had chickens and she spoke of them with the word "LOVE"! My kind of gal!
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Same here! I know folks are thinking....do we have some kind of religious fanatic here or something? Is she going to ask me to drink some Kool-Aid now? 
