What do you do with a dead sheep?

Well, this week didn't start off well at all.  We were away for the weekend and came back to find one of our pet sheep had died.  If you think that means dinner for the next couple of weeks is all organised, then you'd be sadly mistaken.  Our two sheep, Dolly and Freckles were/are pretty old.  Their meat would be as tough as old boot leather I imagine and seriously how could you eat your own pet anyway?!

Even though we were expecting this moment eventually, it's still a terrible shock.  Poor Emily was devastated and couldn't stop crying.  Strangely I found this quite comforting.  She's not one for noticing much about what happens around her and doesn't seem to care all that much about, well, anything really, so it was nice to see she really did "get it".  She goes to a Lutheran school so she obviously learns about God etc. but she's never mentioned the G word at all.  Until that night.  She asked "Can God read your mind?".  Now, truth be told, if I'd been honest I would have said that I didn't believe in God, but not wanting to disappoint the poor girl twice in one day I came out with "no, but I can!".  This of course horrified her more than anything else I could have said and she now practices keeping a blank canvas inside her head to make sure I don't intrude which of course means she doesn't think in any sane way at all. 

Reminder - do short course on how to talk to children about religion.

In any case, after we'd all had a good cry, we awoke to the new day.  I carted Emily off to school (don't want the mourning to go on too long) and it was then that we realised we had the task of disposing of our beloved Dolly.  We considered digging a hole in the paddock, burying her and making a nice little grave, but practicality took over.  Or perhaps we were just too lazy.  Either way we decided to find "a man" to come and collect her.  Surely they'd be somone who would.  And find someone we did.  He wanted $650 to come and pick her up!  You've got to be kidding. So we did some further investigation and we found that we could take her to a place that has a special spot for deceased animals.  Well, OK it's a tip, but they DID have a special spot for her.  So we wrapped her up in a tarp and placed her in the back of the ute.  Problem was it was a 45 min drive and Dolly was starting to....well.....stink.  It was a very unpleasant drive.

So anyway, poor Dolly's body is now at the tip and according to Emily she is a lovely angel.  And next week we're getting delivered some new 1 year old lambs.  And tomorrow night we're having lamb cutlets.  Life must go on.