When you rent a farmhouse in county Leitrim, Ireland you expect a fair amount of pastoral beauty. The iconic green hillsides, the wild flowers and of course lots of sheep are part of the experience. Having been in Ireland several times prior, we knew what to expect. On our last adventure we spent a month in a 250 year old farmhouse on an Irish estate.

This time we opted for a working farm in the mountain country near the border with Northern Ireland. The farms were interspersed with forest. Mountains and valleys and lakes and streams made it hard to tell where to boundaries of farms and countries began and ended. The roads were narrow and curvy. And the livestock could care less about any of it. They went where they wanted.

The first morning I was up early. I went into the kitchen to make my coffee. When I turned around a little face was looking back at me from the picture window. A sheep was standing at the window watching me make breakfast.

As we settled in, I became more aware of the telltale crunch of gravel and the subtle bleating that announced visitors. There were sheep in the front garden helping themselves to the shrubbery. Sheep in the driveway, licking the salty ocean spray off the car doors. Sheep in the backyard, knocking over the starlink receiver. Sheep on the patio. Sheep in the fields.

Some days they would disappear on the mountain and it was too quiet. Other days, they kept up a steady chorus of bleating. Every day, we were entertained by prancing, jumping, munching, and head butting.

They made it quite clear that the area would be shared on their terms. My sidewalk was a convenient sheep latrine. It was a perfect spot between the sweet grass of the pasture and the tender shrubbery of the garden.

Blehhhhhhh. Blehhhhhhh. Blehhhhhhh. Look in window. Munch flower. Relieve bowels. Blehhhhh. Blehhhhh. Knock over pots. Munch flower. Lick car. Return to field and lay down. Blehhhhh. Jump through hedge.

I started opening the door to say hello. Being careful where I stepped of course, I could walk along and have a conversation. Blehhhhh to you too. Come again soon. Hospitality is important when your neighbors come for a visit.