One of the newcomers to the farm has become interested in the sheep. She wrote this in our messenging group: “The leader of the rams ate peas out of my hand and snuffled in my face. Don’t want to slaughter him, can he be a mating ram?” I replied: “I knew this would happen! You’ve developed real feelings for them. In sheep-rearing, as in life, feelings cause problems. Also, we shouldn’t use the ewe’s sons or nephews for mating. The offspring will be cross-eyed and have low IQs. Even lower I mean.” Earlier in the same conversation she wrote (and this is really something): “Today things came full circle for the savages. We prepped with a glass of blueberry wine each, then fetched them from the food cellar and butchered them in the cider-pressing room. We got two prime fillets, eight steaks, four racks, and the offcuts to be ground for mince. I cooked the fillets for dinner later. Massaged smashed rosemary and garlic into them lovingly. It was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. A kind of religious experience.”