I went out to buy some dog food and looked into the pasture. Liam was very clearly giving a speech to the sheep and the donkeys.

I couldn’t think of any other explanation.

I watched for a while, and the animals had gathered as if they had seats in an auditorium and were listening to him closely and respectfully.

I wondered what he was giving a speech about?

Perhaps he was scolding the sheep for bumping into Maria as she carried hay into the pasture. “Stop stampeding when food comes in. We expect you to behave like ladies and gentlemen, he said. If Maria fell over or got hurt, there would be hell to pay. You know how unpredictable humans are, even the nice ones: don’t give that Jon any reason to go get another border collies. Some of them really expect us to obey them!”

Perhaps he was giving them a cheer-up speech about the weather. “It’s only a couple of weeks from warmer weather and Spring. The grass will be fresh and up, and be careful not to gorge; it’s easy for sheep to get sick and hard for us to get well.”

Liam is an easy-going guy, especially for a ram. But he can be challenging. He and Red had a truce; they just ignored one another. And Fate, of course, runs away if he even looks at her.

Or perhaps he was warning against barn skirmishes and head butting. “I know you’re bored and tired of being in the Pole Barn every day. It would help if you stopped trying to eat the barn walls. We will get into trouble, and we’ll either be shipped to market, or we won’t have any shelter. This seems to happen every year. Cut it out. Chill. And be careful what you eat. Some of those weeds – like Pokeweed – can be poisonous. You know what the humans say SSSD – Sick Sheep Suddenly Die.”

There was a pause: “And oh yes, I know we’re all a bit edgy because of the cold. Let’s be gentle with one another. No head butting. Please share the grain and no fighting. And Lulu and Fanny, I know you are bigger and stronger than us, but could you please share the hay in your feeder? You’ve got plenty.”

Lulu and Fanny looked at one another, and both shook their heads. No, no sharing.

The meeting lasted a long time. Afterward, it was dinner time, and everybody went about their business. I noticed that nobody bumped into Maria, and the group was quiet and well behaved.

Perhaps I was hallucinating. Maybe I was on the treadmill too long trying to go several times faster than the very old woman who was on the machine next to me.