happy ending

Boy wonder was the second son. The first ram born was called Wonder boy, because he was all white except for his black spots around his eyes and black muzzle. The shepherds were pretty excited by the new type of spotting. By the time the second boy was born, somehow, the people were not impressed. His eye spots were nice but his spots on his body showed a grey gene. The shepherd was not pleased with grey spots.
His brother went on to become a breeding ram, little Boy wonder even heard there was a new type of spotting named just for his older brother...called south-park or something. Well, that is what Boy heard. Boy wonder was given two little ewe girls at breeding time, and he was in a very small pen. One of the girls didn't like Boy wonder, and refused to breed. The other tiny girl wanted a black lamb....so that is what she had. Boy wonder was really proud of being a daddy, but when fall came around again, some little rams said they were getting his pen. The new boys were bottle babies...and they were getting girls but not Boy wonder. Truck loads of new and old ram boys went out of the gates. One morning Boy was boosted up in the truck too, and went on a long journey. When he got to the next farm there was a long open trailer filled with lots of little rams.
One of the rams in the trailer was named Whipped cream. Of course, that was a dumb name for a breeding ram....but Whip....was a grey ram, and the minute he was born the shepherd gave him a silly name, because he was grey and wouldn't sell. The little grey ram had a twin sister, who was whisked away young, because she was sold to another shepherd. So Whipped cream got lots of milk from his mom, and grew a long fluffy coat of wool, and big curved horns.
One day Whip saw the shepherd walking through the ram pasture. She held a long rope called a halter in her hand, and seemed to be looking hard at the other boys. One of Whip's friends was trained to walk on the halter, and told Whip he was going to be an important show ram. It seemed the shepherd was looking for another ram to show. Whipped cream ran to the shepherd's side. "I'll be a show ram for you"...whip rubbed his fleece against the shepherd. He knew his fleece was long and wavey....maybe she would notice him. Every day when the shepherd chose rams to walk on the halter, Whip would come close and look at her face....he wanted to show how tame and calm he could be. Finally one day after some of the show rams left for new homes....the shepherd put the halter on Whipped cream. She taught him how to walk nice, and brushed the grass off his fleece. Whipped cream was so proud. He got to go to the show too. He walked nicely on his halter. Some of the other rams were bigger and fancier, but Whipped cream knew he got some ribbons, because they were hung on his gate.
When Whipped cream came home from the show, he thought he had earned the right to be a breeding ram. But at this farm, grey wasn't appreciated, and Whipped cream got put in a trailer with the other unwanted rams. The were all going some where on Saturday. Whipped cream saw a new shepherd lady coming over to look inside the trailer. He pushed all the other rams aside, and came close to the lady. She petted him, and said he was pretty. Whipped cream was so happy that someone thought he was nice. Every day when the new shepherd lady came. Whipped cream left his hay and pushed his way to the lady to wag his tail. She petted him every time. By the time Wonder boy got his ride and was put in the trailer, Whipped cream was the new lady shepherd's favorite. Wonder boy went to meet this new shepherd. He wagged his tail, and tried to explain in sheepy language...that he was a pretty ram, and there even was a pretty lamb he had fathered.
The shepherd lady had already brought her man shepherd to look at Whipped cream. They had talked a long time about who they had that could breed with him. Whipped cream was so excited to hear about breeding girls that he told Wonder boy about the shepherd lady. When she came that night to pet Whipped cream...Wonder boy was there too. "Please save me....no one else seems to think I am a good ram. I have nice white wool, and pretty spots, and I really could do a good job of breeding, I already know how." The shepherd lady could see in Wonder boy's eyes that he really needed help. He had been rejected so many times. She decided that she could save two of the boys....and that is what she did.
Take those two out, I want to breed them to some little girls this fall....she said to the shepherd with too many rams. Fine...this one has papers that say his name is Whipped cream....sorry, that is his name. This boy has always been called wonder boy...but he doesn't have papers yet. What would you like to call him? The new shepherd lady looked at the ram with his white face and two black circles around his eyes....Tonto, she said he looks like a Tonto to me.
That fall Whipped cream had a couple of nice friendly girls to breed with....and Tonto...that was his new name, had a whole bunch. Tonto did his best, and when he bred the girls, he mentioned in sheepy talk, that the lady shepherd liked black eye patches. Tonto was sure if the girls tried hard they could have some lambs with black eye circles and make his new shepherd lady happy. And that is just what they did!
When the girls had lamb babies, they had spotted black and white ewe lambs with pretty eye circles. The new shepherd lady was so excited, she called the old shepherd to tell her what a good ram Tonto was...and how glad she was that he had been saved.
The old shepherd lady knew that Tonto had done his best to make pretty lambs for the new owner...it made her happy that he had a nice home ....finally.

copyright...june 2006