All Quiet on the Western Front

So far so good.  This morning over coffee we put Mira Lu, our super alert new llama, in with some of the sheep for the second time.  The first time did not work so well.  That was Thursday.  A crazy day that traumatized us all a bit.  No real bad things happened, just some busted fences and bent wire hog panels.  For what ever reason Mira Lu got a bit frantic, charged through a few fences and chased her new sheep "friends" around the paddock.  The sheep were not happy.  When we later in the day deliberately put them together, I made a respite spot for the sheep in the barn, a wood bar about 3 ft up that I thought would keep the llama out, the sheep able to go in underneath.   At one point,  I was in with the sheep in the barn, squatted down comforting and reassuring them that this was a safe spot, that Mira could not get in despite her terrifyingly poking her head in the door, safely above the restraining bar.   So I thought, but  like the scene in "The Shining" when Jack Nicholson was tearing at the door then bursts in with "here's Johnny", Mira ducks her body under the board and quickly pops into the barn and startles all of us.  The sheep bolt and Mira continued to plow through another hog panel fence further in the barn.  Amazing what a 350 pound animal can do in an out of control moment.  Simply stated, it was  fiasco.   We then separated the llama from the sheep and decided to regroup with a new plan.  Apparently things were moving a bit too fast for poor Mira.   So today, a few days later, she seems a bit calmer and although they have not yet touched noses, I am happy to see there is peace in the barnyard.  One small step at a time!

Happiness is a fresh supply of milk!  Not for me, but for all those hungry lambs.