Posted posthumously.
RIP, Cotton: January 27, 2025
Cotton had been going downhill for a while. He had lost a number of teeth and was simply getting old. He passed in his sleep overnight, in his usual space in the stall, surrounded by the flock.
Cotton was such a personality. He was our summertime dinner bell, coming around to find us in a window and bellowing that it was time to go in. His fleece had a distinctive spicy scent that was unique to him. He was also the first sheep to explore the back porch and yard. Neville (our other white sheep) has been the only other one to even think about it.
I was away for the weekend at Ursulmas. Allan told when I got home Sunday evening that Fezziwig had knocked him down at the feeder that the morning, and Cotton just stayed down for a while and ate there. This was the second time we had seen him lying down and eating, but sometimes older sheep just do this out of energy conservation, or when they're sleepy. I went out this morning with more ideas about separating him with Cambridge for extra feed and not getting beat up. I am somewhat relieved that he made it through yesterday so Allan didn't have to deal with it by himself.
He will be buried here on the property next to Dodger.
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