Of Sheep, Sheepdogs, and Shepherds

Five of the non-golfers toured the Ring of Kerry on Monday to take in the breathtaking scenery the county has to offer. One of the highlights was a stop at a sheep herding exhibition. 

Who knew there were so many different kinds of sheep?



The border collies never took their eyes off of the sheep even during the pre-herding talk.

The dogs were nothing short of amazing, and one of my fellow travelers said the demonstration made her realize that her own dog wasn’t very bright in comparison. Here’s a little sample from our visit. I tried to download a longer video, but wasn’t able to at the hotel. Watch the action up at the top of the screen.

I wish I could smuggle one of these dogs home in my carry on. They’d be handy for herding Studly.

Peace, people.

Women are from Earth; Men are from Uranus

Studly Doright fell into a deep sleep as soon as the lights went off in Doright Manor last night. In contrast I watched the minutes, then hours, tick by on my Fitbit, practiced coordinating my deep breathing skills with the rise and fall of his snores, and not only counted sheep, but also organized them according to height, weight, and quality of fleece. It was a long night.

Twice during the night I felt the call of nature. Being a considerate woman even in a state of severe sleep deprivation, I carefully slid out from under the covers, making the most minute movements imaginable. With the stealth of a cat I moved through our bedroom and down the hall to access one of the guest bathrooms in order to allow dearest Studly to slumber in peace, undisturbed by the sound of a flushing toilet or running water.

Returning to bed after both trips to the loo I gently eased myself onto the mattress and matched my movements to his snores, pulling the blankets up to my chin in increments of a half millimeter per second. Studly never stirred.

At some point I slept. I know this because I was awakened rudely by Studly who abruptly sat up with a loud grumble-snort-sigh combo, followed by an inelegant roll out of bed, and topped off with a vicious tug of the covers. Granted he couldn’t have known that I struggled with sleeping last night, but geez Louise, he could’ve shown a little respect for the near dead.

I fumed as he showered and readied himself for the day ahead. As Studly noisily fumbled about for his keys and wallet I leaned across his side of the bed to kiss him goodbye. 

Sweetly I asked, “Honey, did I steal the covers last night?”

“I don’t think so,” he said, sounding genuinely puzzled. 

“Then why did you jerk them like a magician pulling the old tablecloth trick?”

“I dunno. Maybe I was looking for a rabbit?”

His humor just barely saved him this time. Grrrrr.

Peace, people.

Crazy?

My beloved housekeeper might think I’m insane. Her English is slightly better than my Spanish, and my Spanish is sadly lacking.

I hope I’m wrong about this, but I might’ve asked her to clean my sheep.

I have no sheep. I do have an oven. By the way, oven in Spanish is horno, not oveja. 

oveja

  

horno
 Ay díos mio!

Peace, people!