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Suddenly quiet in the barn Back in the summer I wrote about our new ram, who we named Angus. If you recall, Angus came to us from a flock in Mount Forest, and roared and bawled his head off in the back of the truck, all the way home. You might also recall a passing woman mistook the sound of Angus' bawling, thinking it was The Sidekick throwing up behind the truck. We still laugh about that one. Well, Angus made it home, safe and sound to Brown Farm, and was stationed in his new ram pen, immediately next to Hemi, our other ram. And throughout the summer and fall, he's been bawling his head off every time we so much as open the barn door. A bit of grain can quiet him for about 5-10 minutes, but soon after he's back at it, roaring and bellowing like some wild, rabid warlord. He has a really deep, raspy voice-- it could almost be called annoying. He did calm down slightly after he was in the pen for a bit, as he and Hemi discussed the finer points of being a ram, the responsibilities of servicing a group of ewes, and all the things that rams apparently talk about-- like `Hey man, that ewe over there is really hot with the way she walks and plays with her hay...' And so on. But those conversations stopped abruptly September 1, when Hemi was moved from his pen, to the mature ewes' pen. And you know, Hemi's been pretty busy ever since, not having much time (or inclination I'm sure) to converse with Angus. So Angus was once again on his own, to fend for and entertain himself-- and bellow his head off again. To add insult to injury, Hemi and the 24 mature ewes are in a pen in full view of Angus, just on the other side of the passage way, as Hemi spends his days `planting his garden', so to speak... But that all changed this week. November 1 is a special time in the life of a young ram, at least for a young ram called Angus residing at Brown Farm. 7 Up to $1,150 Early Booking Bonus with Rocky Mountaineer Independent & Free Press, Thursday, November 3, 2011 EARLY BIRD GETS IT Ted Brown You see, November 1 was the day that young Angus was introduced to a large pen of 12 young ladies. Now there's a few things to keep in mind when talking about sheep. They are sexually mature at the ripe old age of seven months, and with a gestation period of five months, it's optimal for them to be bred at seven months, and give birth to their first lambs around the time they have their first birthday. And, by counting backwards, the plan is for them to have their lambs the first week of April. (Counting backwards five months gives you November 1.) We pick April since by then the weather is starting to moderate a bit, and with inexperienced ewes, we tend to lose a lot less lambs to hypothermia if they lamb in April. So we moved Angus to the young ewes' pen. It was a circus to say the least, as he ran 'round and 'round the pen, with 12 young ewes in hot pursuit (or running away from him-- it was tough to tell) and they all were panting after a few minutes. You've got to remember, these seven month-old lambs are the human equivalent of 18-year-olds, with their hormones raging like some beacon in a dark stormy sky. In less than a minute, Angus and one of the ewes both lost their virginity, and I'm pretty sure he's been repeating that, over and over, since we moved him in with the girls. So November 1 was a magical date for the young ram in the barn. But The Sidekick and I have found it to be quite magical as well, but for another reason. Since last August, it's never been so quiet in the barn. Discover the Canadian Rockies on the award winning Rocky Mountaineer rail journey. There's no better time to book your 2012 Rocky Mountaineer vacation than right now. Book a qualifying 2012 Rocky Mountaineer vacation package of 7 nights or more by November 30, 2011, and receive up to $1,150* per couple in added value with our Early Booking Bonus. Georgetown Offer valid on new 2012 bookings made between September 15 and November 30, 2011. Deposits are required at the time of booking and full payment of the balance must be made by January 20,2012. This offer is applicable to any Rocky Mountaineer vacation package with a land tour portion of 7 nights or more. Travel between April and October, 2012, subject to availability. Based on double occupancy. Not available in conjunction with any other offer and not applicable to 2-day rail only bookings or to Group Tour bookings. Offers are capacity controlled and may be modified, withdrawn or amended without prior notice. Additional conditions apply. 905-873-2000 328 Guelph St. Georgetown, ON TICO Reg #50018501 Open Saturdays 9am - 4pm w w w. v i s i o n 2 0 0 0 t r a v e l . c o m Congratulations to JOHN FIELD, winner of the Pool Closing. Thank you Halton Hills for supporting the Splash for Cystic Fibrosis Fundraiser. 71 Mountainview Rd. N., Georgetown 905-877-3660 Winter Hours: Thurs. & Fri. 12 - 6 pm Sat. 10 am - 4 pm 21st Scouts/Guide Food Drive Saturday November 5, 2011 Georgetown Alliance Church 290 Main St. S., Downtown Georgetown Please leave the food outside your door by 9 am for pickup on Nov 5th. Foods most needed: fruit juice, cereals, powdered or canned milk, canned fish and meat. Volunteers are also needed for that day between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. High school students can also claim community volunteer hours. Lunch will be provided. You must be tall enough to see inside the boxes to be allowed on the floor to sort! If you are available or for more Info: check out our new website www.georgetownbreadbasket.ca, call 905-873-3368 or just show up at the church. Two Innerscapes art shows underway Innerscapes art group has two shows currently underway in Georgetown. The art group is holding its annual "100 Bucks in the Country" show through Dec. 22. The show, which started Tuesday (Nov. 1), is being held at Pictures & Presents, 134 Main St. S. Pictures & Presents is open Tuesday through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There are a wide variety of smaller pieces for the holiday season, with nothing priced over $100 and many pieces much lower. The artists Herta Hajek, George Perdue, Eileen Simpson and Jan Zimmerman will be available on request. The phone number of Pictures & Presents is 905-877-7654. Main Street Inn, 126 Main St. S., is also featuring recent artwork by Innerscapes until Nov. 27. Most of the work is larger than the pieces showing at Pictures & Presents. Main Street Inn is open for lunch and dinner from Wednesday until Sunday. The number is 905-702-5411.