Ramblings of a Sheep Farmer

By Milissia Owens

Ramblings of a Sheep Farmer, by Milissia Owens, is a collection of writings reflecting on daily farm life and friends. The poetry is descriptive of personal friends, pets, or anything that can be seen around the farm. The poem "My Sabrina" is all about her daughter at age nineteen. All poetry is rhyming, some very serious and some humorous. Readers may, laugh, cry, or sit in serious thought while reading this collection. With the exception of Princess Phoebe, all short stories are true. This is life on her farm. From the sadness of missing a beloved pet to the strange antics of the farm cats, readers will enjoy every word. A glimpse into the very personality of the author can be clearly seen in this book. Her love of the subjects of this collection of writings is palpable. This book is sure to bring a smile to your face and happy thoughts, a feel good read.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: May 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781646702480

Book preview

A Night without Madge

It was a cold winter night on the farm and Madge did not come home. All the other dogs were home and tucked safely inside their hut.

Madge, a young foxhound, always came home with the other dogs. She had such a sweet face and beautiful coloring, it is easy to fall in love with her.

While I was out doing my evening chores and getting all my animals fed and ready to bed down for the night, I called and called for Madge. She did not come.

After about two hours searching for Madge, I thought I could hear her back on the hill—a dog barking and barking. Immediately I recognized that bark. It was Madge.

Night was coming quickly and darkness was all around. I continued calling and going out toward the barking. As I was home alone, I could not just go off into the dark woods alone.

Worried and sad, I reluctantly went inside. The temperature was quickly dropping and snow was falling. At that point, I did all I could do. I bowed in prayer and asked God to watch over Madge and help her find her way back home.

Each time I went to the porch to get wood for the fire, I called to Madge. Maybe she could understand that I had not given up on her. All through the night she was on my mind. It was so cold, I was afraid she might freeze.

Morning came and along with it daylight. As I rushed to bundle up to get outside, I kept glancing out the window to see if Madge might be in the yard or on the porch. She wasn’t.

Finally outside, and was it ever cold! The TV said eight degrees in town, so out here it could have easily been four or five degrees or even lower. My first thought was to look for Madge.

I first went to the dog hut to let the other four dogs out, and she was nowhere to be seen. All the while, I kept calling her, hoping she would come. There were no barking sounds this morning.

The horses had to be fed, so I went to take care of them and waited to see if the other dogs would find Madge and bring her home. The goats, ducks, chickens, and rabbits all had to have water.

All the other dogs took off, going up the hill where I had heard the barking. That made me feel good. I felt sure they would bring Madge home. Going about all the farm chores, I busied myself getting it all done so I could set out to find Madge.

By the time I was finished, the dogs had returned. No Madge. It was really cold outside, so I needed to warm up and get dry clothes before I began to search.

Warmed and bundled up, I headed out, and who did I see in the yard with the other dogs? Why, it was Madge. As she was walking, I could see that she had hurt her leg. Going outside, I called to her and she looked so happy to see me. I inspected her foot and leg, and her paw was about three times the size it should be.

What had happened? Was she caught in a trap? I got her all fixed up and put her in the hut with the other dogs to be safe and warm.

It may never be clear as to what had happened to Madge or where she had spent the bitter cold night. One thing is for certain though, God had heard my prayer and brought Madge home.

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