Shearing day dawned sunny and warm! It turned out a very good thing that we got delayed by a week. I fed the sheep early as the shearer wasn't coming until mid-afternoon and I didn't want to make them go hungry all day...I had everyone either tied up or in pens when the shearer arrived. He was wonderful. No nicks and he let me walk each sheep back out to the pasture and give it cookies after it was done. Then I had to put the fleece on a skirting screen and sweep the area he was shearing in, before he could do the next animal, which I brought to him. It took us almost 4 hours to do 18 sheep and 3 Angora goats! I SO appreciate that Phil is willing to work slowly and let me "recover" between animals! ;-)
Terry and her granddaughter, Auna, came in time to help skirt fleeces and watch the last few sheep and the goats (which my shearer HATES to shear!) get sheared. I don't know how he could hate anything about Angora goats ~ they truly are the most adorable creatures I have ever encountered!!! (PLEASE don't tell Dream I said that!)
I didn't take a lot of pictures. I was too busy. Then I was too SORE!A few surprises, which I'll post pictures of this weekend ~ I have 3 DAYS OFF! Alice's daughter, Destiny, is going to be SHAELA! I can clearly see the "pewter" color starting to show on her neck. Sara ("Little Red Oak Serendipity") is going to have twins! She is the cutest, little moorit & white, HST (bred to Kimberwood Hunter, fawn/HST) and she is just as round as she is tall! She is finally getting friendly too! She looks great. Has good weight on her but I think she'll be one of the first to go ~ she's huge!
Alice looks like she always looks, a couple of weeks before lambing. Pregnant. She's got lots of room to carry her babies and doesn't start looking humongous until the last week or so. I'll definitely get pictures this weekend.
Lots more news but I've got to get off the computer. I'm (finally!) taking my taxes in to get them prepared tomorrow morning! I just went ahead and made an appointment because I realized that if I didn't make an appointment, I'd never get everything together! That's my job tonight. Tuesday morning I have a doctor appointment. I'm Hoping that life will settle down ~ even just a little bit! ~ on Wednesday and Thursday. I worked this weekend (days) and go back to 1 pm to 10 pm tomorrow. I'm so tired!I apologize for not responding to the comments or to any of the many wonderful lambing posts on the Shetlands' List! My back was so sore, after shearing, that I couldn't sit at the computer. Now, I just don't have time...
See ya Wednesday!
...."you can't see me because I'm bare-NEKKED!! Boy, does that feel GOOD!"
Thank you for taking the time to post the pictures. I look forward to your posts. I'm sure everyone feels relief. I look at my boys and they look so uncomfortable. I called our caretaker and he told Mical they had goat chops and eggs for breakfast. Too funny and of course a joke. I will be so happy to be home with my beloved herd. I miss them and my dogs so much. They absolutely delight my heart. I love the life I have been blessed to live on our little ranch.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless!
I am always amazed that on shearing day, even tho I'm not the one doing the shearing, I'm whiped out afterwards! Must be age and "crippled-ness" catching up to the excitement of it all. But wait, getting the sheep in and out, skirting fleece, cookie-wrangling - that's work too, isn't it? :)
ReplyDeleteI'll bet you're like me and glad that it's over with - for now.
looks like a fun but long day. i still love you more
ReplyDelete