A Ewe with Lambs and a Heron beside a Loch by Richard Ansdell
2015, the Year of the Sheep.
I was born in the Year of the Sheep; it’s my year. So I suppose I should be able to write with a modicum of authority about sheep and our year.
First off: Sheep are not dangerous like tigers. And they’re not fast like horses. (What did you think of 2014, the Year of the Horse? Did things move too fast for you? Did your horse grab the reins and gallop in the wrong direction?)
Don’t worry; we sheep are renowned for our calm, gentle ways. We’re mild-mannered and serene. So, does that mean 2015 is going to be a peaceful year? I’ll get back to you on that in a moment. First I want to tell you about my own experience with real live sheep.
Real sheep need real shepherds.
This incident happened when I was living west of Port Angeles, WA, at the corner of Eagle Ridge Road and Eden Valley Road. Behind my house was a forest. In front, along Eden Valley Road, stood a pasture used by the previous owner of the house to raise a few head of cattle.
On the day when my “sheep story” began, I was outside planting a new rhododendron. The hole was ready, but as I reached for the rhododendron, a rickety pickup turned into my driveway. It stopped in front of me, and an unkempt man with a wiry gray beard stepped out onto the gravel. “Hi,” he said, “I’m your neighbor.” He pointed his chin up Eden Valley Road.
“Hi,” I said. I hadn’t lived there long, so I didn’t know anyone from that end of the road.
“I see you’re not using your pasture.”
“Nope.”
“Well … ” He scratched his beard. “I’m in need of a field for my sheep. Could you help me out?”
Now sheep people, especially those born in the Year of the Water Sheep—which I was—are said to be always ready to help others. But this didn’t sound like something I was equipped to handle. I cocked my head and sucked in my breath. “I don’t know anything about sheep,” I said.
“Oh, that’s alright.” He stepped closer to me and launched into his sad tale. He had ten sheep, and they were about to lose their pasture, he said. He didn’t know what would become of them if he couldn’t find a field.
I should have put my foot down and declared that no, I wouldn’t do it. I was entirely the wrong person to be entrusted with his sheep. Instead I gently asked him to see if he could find another field. He climbed back into his pickup, gave me a last pleading look, turned around, and drove away.
Cardiff sheep inside fence by James at BlackOps.co.uk
A few days later, he was back. By then, I’d researched sheep. I knew they needed special fencing to keep them in and keep predators out—woven wire or mesh wire or electric fences with five to seven strands of high-tensile wire. Fences meant for cattle just wouldn’t do, I told him.
On his third (or was it his fourth) visit, he insisted he had no other option. His sheep were about to be thrown out onto the road.
Now I ask you: What could I do? I relented, and the man trucked his sheep down to eat my grass.
The internet was right. Cattle fences do not work for sheep. Early the next morning, hot coffee in hand, I opened the blinds and gazed at my pasture. A few sheep were peacefully grazing there while the rest were strolling down my driveway.
That day I learned how pig-headed the famously gentle sheep could be. I told them to go back into the field where all the grass was, and they ignored me. I gave them a gentle push, and they pushed right back. Finally I called their owner.
“This isn’t going to work,” I said after he got them back in the field.
He ignored me, though … just the way his sheep had.
The rest of the story is sad and has little relation to the Year of the Sheep. But I suppose I have to tell you how it ended. A few days later, one of the sheep escaped again and a neighbor’s dog chased and killed it.
I implored the man to find another field for his sheep, but he seemed less fazed by the death of his sheep than I was. Finally, after a second sheep was attacked by the same dog, the man gave up and found a new place to keep the remaining eight sheep.
Real sheep need a real shepherd or a fence that’s made for sheep.
Predictions for the Year of the Sheep
red envelope and chocolate money
I truly hope the Year of the Sheep will turn out much better for all of us than my brief, unhappy acquaintance with real sheep might portend. It should. All the predictions are positive. Astrologers, both Chinese and Western, say we’re in for more favorable times. Political and economic situations are starting to stabilize. One epoch is coming to replace another. According to the Chinese calendar, we can dare to hope that humanity will change the world for the better.
Chinese New Year officially begins on February 19. So, happy Chinese New Year to you all.
(And be sure to keep your sheep protected inside a proper fence.)
What a lovely post, Nicki! I like the way that you tell the story and I do hope your predictions for the year come true. We certainly need a little peace. 🙂
Thank you, Jo, for stopping by. I agree, we need a little peace. It’s nice to hear it from the astrologers if not from the news.
Sorry to hear about your experience with sheep. I know it is sometimes hard to say no when someone is persistent but it seemed that desperate times calls for desperate measures on the owner’s part.
I hope the year of the sheep is an amazing year for you, Nicki. May it bring lots of calm, peace, happiness, and comfort for you.
The year of the horse ended with lots of changes for me and I am very optimistic that the year of the sheep will be an awesome one.
Thank you, Constance. I think you’re right, the year of the sheep will be an awesome one for you. Best wishes!
If we want the positive predictions to come to pass, maybe we need to hire a shepherd to herd all the miscreant sheep?
Or many shepherds to herd the many miscreant sheep.
Poor sheep!
I’ve heard that many Chinese don’t want to give birth in the year of the sheep because they like said qualities of the other animals more. My husband says many people born in the year of the sheep have health problems (citing his father as an example). I’m glad to hear that there are also more positive characteristics, just as you described beautifully in your post.
My late husband was happy to have been born in the Year of the Tiger. I think my father-in-law was a good example of someone born in the Year of the Sheep. He was a gentle, upright, virtuous Confucian gentleman who loved art and flowers. But he couldn’t be pushed around or convinced to take a wrong path. Although he appeared gentle, he didn’t hesitate to stand up for the weak and for his country. He was a Kuomintang officer who fought for eight years during the Japanese invasion. He had some health problems, but he was generally healthy until his death at the age of 77.
That’s sad, Nicki. I agree, proper fencing is necessary. Sheep seem so gentle and meek; they remind me of the Mourning Dove. I’m all for a peaceful year.
The death of the two sheep was very upsetting to me, Jill. I felt so helpless and yet guilty for not stopping it.
Sheep are, indeed, a symbol of gentleness. “Gentle as a lamb,” is a common saying. I just looked up the quote from the Bible about “the lion shall lie down with the lamb” and found that it’s not there. The actual passage from Isaiah is: “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb … ” Oh well, that works too.
Nicki, you are the second person who called it “year of the sheep” this week. Everybody I know use the term “goat” instead. LOL!!!
Hari, isn’t the character for goat and sheep the same in Chinese? I think that’s why we can call it either The Year of the Sheep or The Year of the Goat.
It is the same character, Nicki! That is why this year you can choose either sheep or goats for your Chinese New Year decorations 😀
PS. What a crazy story, haha. Did you have flowers in your garden? Did the sheep eat them?
Hard to believe that he needed to lose 2 sheep to “get it.” Doesn’t sound like he valued his investment. Sure hope they did better in the new place and that dog didn’t kill anything else.
I had visited the owner of that dog several times. A very nice young woman. I even petted her dog. Of course, dogs are always more well behaved around their owners, and dog owners tend to believe that their dogs can do no wrong. I once was bit by a dog while taking a walk. His owner, who was right there, swore he didn’t bite me.
My mom and grandma were devoted dog owners, and we had a delightful pair of beagles when our kids were growing up. In general, though, I feel more comfortable around cats.
That’s too bad about that guy’s sheep — but you’re right, they really do need a shepherd or a fence.
I have to say I’m excited about this coming year. The year of the horse has kicked me and my husband in our behinds time and time again, and we need a change…badly! So thrilled to see positive forecasts coming up!
Jocelyn, I hope the Year of the Sheep will be just wonderful for you and John.
Oh my! I often gaze upon the grazing sheep in fields, and have never thought about the care they need. I joke we need goats so we don’t have to mow the grass, however I do know it’s more than I want to take on, ha!
I’m sure sheep are just fine and gentle if you know how to care for them. I remember one late afternoon on my one and only trip to Italy seeing a shepherd and his sheep coming down from the hills. The bells around their necks tinkled so peacefully in the distance. I’m guessing that goats require even more expertise than sheep.