I just celebrated a big birthday and my sister and brother wanted to find the perfect gift for me. What to get though? They know I love animals and they wanted to be creative, so they got me a sheep.

Wait, what? They got you a what? Yep- you read that correctly, a SHEEP!

No, she’s not grazing in my backyard- I live in Los Angeles with a postage stamp sized backyard and I have a drought tolerant garden. Hardly a proper grazing meadow for a sheep.

Rather, there is a co-op for farmers that supplement care of their flock through an organization called Rent Mother Nature. So I now am leasing a sheep for the spring. She will be sheared in April and I will receive a beautiful wool blanket in August!

I was a little concerned about the sheep’s welfare and I’m happy to report that Rent Mother Nature shared a little about how they care for their flock and how they carefully shear them.  They sent me the first of my three progress reports and I learned that my sheep lives in Oregon! The photo below is of a sheep from my flock (ok- I only have one sheep but still. This city girl is loving this!).

This breed of sheep is called Poll (hornless) Rambouillets and they are the finest merino. They originated in Spain, then France’s Louis XVI purchased 359 sheep from King Charles III of Spain in 1786 and they were first imported to the US in 1840. Interesting stuff! (If you want to learn more, email me and I’ll copy the letter they sent to me and share it with you.) I learned about their wool, their lambs and how well trained the folks are who do the shearing so that they don’t nick the delicate skin.

Around the same time that my sibs got me my very own sheep, my sister posted that she had helped out with some new lambs at a friend’s farm (photo above). How lucky is she! She lives in Vermont where there really is grass to graze so there’s no sheep rental for her. They get to have actual sheep.

And check out this incredible aerial video that was shared with me of sheep being herded in New Zealand.

If you look carefully, you can see the dogs doing the herding. They’re doing the job they are meant to do. Gorgeous on so many levels.

I’m thrilled and delighted about my sheep and can’t wait to get my next progress report.

Rent Mother Nature also offers cow leases, Date Palm tree leases, Peach tree leases and other options too. So if you are looking for a unique gift, check it out. Obviously, I’m excited about it and I’ll show you my blanket when I get it in August.