WET WOOL
Do Sheep Get Heavier When Wet?
As I was walking on a sunny day which is a rarity in these parts, something more normal happened, the temperature dropped suddenly. I shivered and then put on a sweater and kept walking.
Within seconds the rain arrived by the bucketful. In fact within minutes it became more like a deluge.!Where´s Noah when I need him, I thought. Did he forget to warn us this time? Dripping though I was, I turned to look at the sheep in the fields and noticed they had a more difficult time than me.
I mean there were some lovely little lambs,getting wet poor darlings, they are covered in wool?
They´ll soon weigh a ton, I thought if their wooly coats are anything like my woolen sweater.I can feel the garment soaking up more water with every step I take. it will soon be twice its normal weight.!
Looking back at the field, I wondered where the shepherd was? I mean, sheep do still have shepherds, don´t they and sheepdogs,? Poor darlings, stuck in an increasingly soaking field,not even a sight of Noah coming to the rescue, (but then he only took 2 didn´t he?)
I got home dripping wet in a sweater that appeared to be a few sizes too big for me such was the weight of the water it had accumulated. Long enough to be a dress, my husband helpfully observed.
I mentioned my question about wool on the sheep and he just peered over his reading glasses and called me some silly names. Not rude or insulting, just our normal sense of humour phrases. He wondered about my concern for the flocks, pointing out to me that sheep and their shepherds have had hundreds of years to come up with a plan , if they needed one..They surely know what to do, dearheart, They understand wool (the shepherds that is) and if you look out of the window you may notice the rain is now little more than a trickle and the sun is coming out.No need to cry, the sheep and the little lambs will soon be dry.
Perhaps 2 years living in the country hasn´t been enough for you to grasp the basics, love. Silly me , silly me. What do I know of country living? .........But my sweater is another story. If I lift it up and hang it, methinks it will soon fit a 6ft man, such is the weight of the water.So I lay it flat let the sun get at it, and forget about the animal kingdom for now.
All creatures are in Gods´hands and I have a lot to learn about country life.
