New Zealand Life

Yin & Yang

Day One
I was grading my math in the living room; Mom was working in her “temporary office”. The roar of an engine sounded on our driveway and Jess and Jaynee began barking everyone’s brains out. Excitement pulsed through me and I got up to look outside and see if Ian was here. Yes, he was here. He’d driven up in a red quad bike. I held my breath as I looked, hoping to see a little black head and body somewhere on the quad bike. I didn’t see one. All my excitement began to deflate into disappointment. Then Ian began to open his jacket and I saw her. Ebony! Her little black head popped out from inside his coat and he pulled her out into his arms.

“We got a lamb! We got a lamb!” I cried and rushed out to the garage to open the automatic door. It slowly rolled up. Ian came over and I got to hold her. Her forehead had a little fan of white hair and the rest of her small body was black.

We put her in a wood-and-wire pen Dad had made and tried to feed her some milk. We laid paper down for her to wet on, and put in a piece of wood to section of a bed-area, in which we put cardboard and a blanket for her to lay on. I sat with Ebby for at least three hours that day. I sat on one half of the bed and read, and Ebony eventually lied down next to me and went to sleep. I read and sang to her (though she didn’t seem to really notice). When ever she was left alone, she would start crying out her plaintive ‘baaaaa’ so loud, that it hurt my eardrums.

Day Two
By the second day, Ebony was starting to drink milk from the bottle and by the end of the day she got the hang of it and was sucking as fast as she could. She probably needed all the energy she could get after the day’s events! We put her in a silver-striped, red, dog halter and then taught her how to walk on the leash. She didn’t take to long to get the hang of it, but didn’t really enjoy being unable to go were she pleased. During this training, she met Jaynee. Jaynee was very excited to meet Ebony and they became friends quickly. After her leash-training, I took Ebony out while I weeded the lawn. I clipped the halter and leash on her and we went off weeding. Ebony, thinking I was eating the grass, began to pretend to eat as well. She nibble at the grass, and then it would drop out of her mouth. Then, she decided that what I was putting in my bucket must be pretty good, so she stuck her head into the weeds and began to take them out, pretend to eat them, and let them drop on the grass!

The final adventure of the day was the shower. Mom wanted to give Ebony a bath and make her smell nice and clean, so I carried her into my bathroom, and put her in the shower. Mom and I rinsed, shampooed, and conditioned Ebony’s whole body. By the time she was done (and sun-dried), she smelled like strawberries.

Days Four-Six
Ebony was off the leash. She’s gotten shocked by the electrical wire twice (in two different spots), and realized where her boundaries were. We made her grazing area bigger so she could munch at the grass on in front of the patio, but she doesn’t really care for it. All she wanted was milk, was all but breaking down the door for it. She’s come into the house once, in search for her meal, and we had to get her out before she went charging into the rest of the house!

Ebony is a very feisty little thing and loves to tease Jaynee, who’s terrified of going onto the grass. She’ll go on the edge of the concrete patio and run a little, to get Jaynee’s attention, and then she’ll go kicking up her feet as she runs back onto the grass. She also loves to run with me when I give Jaynee exercise. Jaynee and I go running back in forth from one side of the patio to the other until I feel like I’ll collapse, and Ebbie will realize that it’s play time! She jumps straight up into the air, and then comes running behind us, kicking her back legs out each step of the way!

Week 1
We got a second baby lamb! Ian just suddenly showed up with a little white, week-old lamb for us! Her Mom was too old to support her, so Ian has to put her down. We named the new little lamb Ivory. She was a little weak and sick thing. And after a few days, she became lame in her back right leg. She didn’t drink barely any milk, but did eat some grass and drink water. We were lucky to get her to drink about a 100 milliliters of milk each meal time. Towards the end of the week, she drank about 200mls—a big achievement when she should have been drinking 250 – 300ml!

Week 2
Ivory was very shy. She was not used to humans, so we tried to get her accustom to us. We put a collar and leash on her and tied her to a post stuck in the ground so we could catch her. She started to drink a little more, but her leg wasn’t getting much better and she was still very boney.

Week 3
Ebony was getting bolder for her milk. She had jumped in the house three times to demand her milk! Requiring someone to restrain her while Ivory gets fed. Ivy was slowly beginning to drink a little more. She began to put a little weight on her hoof and was gaining weight.

Week 4 (Now)
Ebony is nearly knocking the door down now! She butts the door with her head, jumps at it and knocks at it with a hoof. She just recently got shocked from the electrical wire, too. She was grazing and put her bottom against the electrical wire. She pressed harder and Mom and I thought that maybe she couldn’t get shocked with all the wool on her tail. But, when Ebbie pushed hard, the electrical wire gave a sharp ‘zap!’ and Ebony when racing off (with Ivy at her heels) with a started ‘baaa!’. Mom and I laughed pretty hard over it.

Ivory has just recently been let off the leash. She’s only shocked her self two or three times, and knows about the electrical boundaries now. She is putting weight on her sore leg, and is friendly when she is going to be fed. She is as big a drinker (though not as fast) as Ebony, and sometimes she drink over 400mls! She is a sweet little lamb and is sometimes playful and kicks her legs in the air! She is getting a little fatter and healthier now, and together, Ivy and Ebbie are shortening the front lawn some what. We have now placed in an order for a blacked-faced, orphan lamb, who (if we get her) we will name her Harmony.

*Ebony and Ivory were born on July 3, you can see videos of both lambs on the video link page!*


~ Julia ~