Anticipation!

Todd came home near lunch time with plans for us to move the sheep into the barn, remove all jackets, and seal up the doorways in preparation for shearing day tomorrow. We’ve learned a few things about moving sheep, but it almost never goes without some hitch. Todd had moved the four boys in with what we hope are the pregnant girls, but what we needed next was to move that group of nineteen into a section of the barn, and then move the lambs, Eleanor (who refuses to get pregnant), and Ralph (our giant Cormo wether), into a separate section. The nineteen were a snap – they followed the grain train. The latter, not so much.  The lambs are skittish, Ralph even more so and Eleanor is too smart. First we tried teasing them into the barn with grain. Then we tried walking them in with panels. We’d get close but one would hold out, then those inside thought they’d missed something and charge back out. In the end, we got some temporary fencing, hooked it to the barn’s doorway and pulled it taught around a stack of pallets because the ground is frozen, and eventually created a very small corral around the uncooperative sheep who once penned in realized the barn looked more inviting.

As we pulled off jackets I couldn’t help but stop and dig my fingers into the clean gorgeous fleece that’s been hiding all year.  I’m sure the chore could have been done faster, but I just had to get that first peak.

I’m so excited about shearing day tomorrow, it’s almost embarrassing. Wait. No it’s not!

Peggy

In the barn and jackets off….

 

Leave a Comment