Keeping Warm

sheep, no coats

It's been so cold the past few days that I swear the sheep's fleeces have gotten a couple of inches thicker overnight. They've puffed right up. This is good, because when it drops down to zero and below at night they need all the insulation they can get in their little barn.

I refuse to coat them, though. More aware of the veggie matter in their wool than in past winters, I try to rub and brush off what I can from day to day - but, with the old Swedish Deep Bedding Method in these frigid winter months, there is a lot of stray hay in the barn and as a result, on their wooly bodies. Putting coats on them would do little to keep them warm but would definitely keep their fleeces cleaner. I refuse because I love the colors and the pure aesthetic beauty of them - hues of browns, oatmeal and creams...thick, wooly colors that move together.