Dear Nanoo Nanoo,

I really wish I knew how to contact you, I have so many questions that I am sure that you could answer for me. As it is, I never got to know you; everyone speaks so wonderfully about you, your talents and your knowledge about things outside the world of sheep. To be honest, I am really struggling with this task of being the flock’s correspondent. Often times I do not know what I should write about, and then when I get an idea I really struggle with putting it all to words.

I am still a bit too shy to socialize with most of the human visitors that we get. When I do decide to visit I have even been accused of butting some of the people. They just don’t understand that I am trying to get their attention so that they don’t accidentally trip over me. Some of this year’s lambs are already so much better at this business of socializing with humans, Cinnabun and Collette come to mind especially. Mind you, I am not jealous, but I think they are just being a couple of “suck-ups”. For example, here is one of those lambs just pushing her way into the middle of a bunch of humans. The Nice Lady is trying to show off Queso’s beautiful fleece and here is a lamb sticking her nose into it!

There are also so many things I don’t know about the farm. For example, we have now been grazing for a few days in the big field where the old shepherd usually cuts and bales our winter hay. A year ago, when I first started writing for the blog, this was one of the places we visited. I am sure that you remember the place. Everyone calls it the End of the Earth. It is really a long ways from the barn. Usually, when we leave the barn in the morning to go out onto pasture, those of us who are either young or spry run almost all the way to the new grazing. (You’d probably enjoy learning that Queenie and Woolamena are always the leaders on the morning trip out. It is nice to have someone helping who knows what they are doing and where they are going!) But now that we know we are nearly going to the End of the Earth everyday, we take our time on the first couple of legs of the journey. It is only when we get to the top of the last hill that most of us start running. There are a couple members of the flock, Rice Krispy and Cynthie, who take their time all the way out. They always seem to manage to get there just before the old shepherd guy, and I am sure you remember how slow he is! Some of the younger sheep say it’s just because they are old, but I think they are onto something.

Here we are a few days ago, still in Number 3 Pasture. It is almost as close to the edge as the big hay field. What is beyond all those trees I just don’t have a clue.

Tomorrow I think we will be at the extreme end of the field. I know we won’t be grazing any farther because I heard the old shepherd mumbling about not being able to get water for us any farther from home. Now this is what I am confused about and it would be so nice if you were here to help me figure this out. I am not sure about the concept of “The End of the Earth”. Some of us think that if we got to that point and then went a little farther, we’d just fall off. I am of the opinion that when you got there we’ll just find this huge body of water, which just goes on and on. You remember Pussa, the cat who sometimes lives with us but mostly stays up at the big house. She claims she comes from a place called Denmark which I guess is way far away across a big lake. Now how she got here I am not sure, because we all know that cats can’t fly and I don’t think they can swim that far either. Regardless of how she got here it still sounds like she came from a place that is almost at the end of the earth, but not quite. Now do you see why I am confused?

In any case we will be grazing at the extreme edge of the big field very soon. It is good pasture, lush and green. With the rain we have been getting it gets deeper everyday. But then I am sure you remember what it is like. I do hope that wherever you have moved to that you can read what I am trying to write in the blog on behalf of the flock. I wish you could answer back, because I sure could uses some help and guidance. I also understand that you may not be able to respond. I can safely say that just about everyone here misses you. Respectfully submitted by your faithful understudy,

Brie