...for sentimental reasons...
Remember that Nat King Cole song? It fits my view of these two lambs.
Darla Gay and Qdy are both Unicorn offspring, out of a mother/daughter pair of ewes; Dolce and Delyth. Dolce and Delyth live with Karen Byron now. With these two keeper lambs, I was finally reconciled to letting go of the parents.
But in a way, Darla and Qdy don't have a long-term future here in my flock. I doubt theyhave polled potential. I should have offered them for sale. But my son was only willing to give up his Delyth if he could keep her white Qdy. So Qdy stayed. And try as I might, I couldn't let go of Darla. I named her after my alter ego. And she truly LOVES me. So how could I let her go?
The best I can hope for is that these girls will give me keeper half-polled ewe lambs someday, and then I can move them on. But that just sounds too hard to contemplate right now. Too hard. My hard-hearted, bottom-line, sensible shepherd instinct knows this isn't the way to run an efficient farming operation. The mushy cuddle-bug little girl in me doesn't care. These two girls are precious. I'm holding on to them for sentimental reasons. At least for now.
Remember that Nat King Cole song? It fits my view of these two lambs.
Darla Gay and Qdy are both Unicorn offspring, out of a mother/daughter pair of ewes; Dolce and Delyth. Dolce and Delyth live with Karen Byron now. With these two keeper lambs, I was finally reconciled to letting go of the parents.
But in a way, Darla and Qdy don't have a long-term future here in my flock. I doubt theyhave polled potential. I should have offered them for sale. But my son was only willing to give up his Delyth if he could keep her white Qdy. So Qdy stayed. And try as I might, I couldn't let go of Darla. I named her after my alter ego. And she truly LOVES me. So how could I let her go?
The best I can hope for is that these girls will give me keeper half-polled ewe lambs someday, and then I can move them on. But that just sounds too hard to contemplate right now. Too hard. My hard-hearted, bottom-line, sensible shepherd instinct knows this isn't the way to run an efficient farming operation. The mushy cuddle-bug little girl in me doesn't care. These two girls are precious. I'm holding on to them for sentimental reasons. At least for now.
5 comments:
I don't see any problem with that! :) I actually make MOST my flock decisions for sentimental reasons...it is hard not too with these special little sheep.
sounds perfectly reasonable to me!
;-)
You know, we lovvvee some of our sheep, here, too, and have actually found it possible to send on some of those sheep after a year or two. Others we love come along; the first loved sheep sometimes fall out of love with us; it helps if the new home loves their sheep and we know they'll be appreciated there.
You are so right, Gail. And that is what I am hoping for...that when the time comes, I know they will be just as happy, and treasured, somewhere else. I'm so grateful to Karen B. for being that person for Dolce and Delyth.
Sabrina I know how you feel, I've turned my whole flock over several times. I even cried letting a few girls go, but I knew I had to do this if I wanted to eventually breed the horn gene completely out of my flock.
I had set a goal for myself, knowing that I would have to train myself to have a certain detachment to reach that goal.
I've sold sheep that I swore I'd never sell, but once they were gone, I didn't miss them and I don't now. I have too many others that require my care, in some cases, I have granddaughters and great granddaughters to remember them by.
Gail is right, in letting one go, there will always be another to take her place.
I do have one ewe who is a sentimental favorite, even though she is only a half poll. Netty is my one allowance to being sentimental. Everyone else will eventually be sold, or culled.
Just letting you know that I have been there. :)
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