A study in contrasts

We're enjoying some winter sunshine here after the morning fog burned off!
Brian and I were down at the barn before lunch, so I went in to visit Valentine and Bella. Bella was in one of her "sheep-kite" moods, but I didn't hold it against her too much. Yesterday Brian had gone in to visit, and I learned (by asking, when I saw the girls looking frightened) that he had been chasing them around the pen a bit. So today I sat on a bucket and talked quietly while petting Valentine and extending a hand to Bella. But when I got up to leave, Bella rocketed to the back of the enclosure where the half-wall is the lowest and leaped, getting high-centered for a moment but landing on the outside.
Slow and steady wins the race I told myself as I followed Bella back and forth between the pasture and the quarantine pen, hoping she'd go in the open sheepfold (vacated by Dinah and Bella, who were in the pasture) or in the open barn door where I could catch her. Eventually, she entered the little "blind alley" walkway Rick created in their pen (he's in the process of turning this into the permanent sheepfold), and I caught her there.

What a difference this little "sheep rodeo" was compared to what happened earlier! This morning while I was doing chores, I entered the quarantine pen with Valentine's and Bella's alfalfa pellets. Apparently I didn't get the gate latched behind me and it swung open. Bella was intent on gobbling all the pellets and didn't notice, but Valentine strolled out. When I realized what happened I called to her, but she had already walked into the barn (something the other three sheep are skittish about doing). By the time I'd exited the pen and latched the gate, Valentine had strolled back up towards me. So I opened the gate for her and she walked right back in as nicely as you please.

That's it for now at . . .