I Had Hoped.....

To have a shearing update and lots of pics for you folks today.

However…..As the saying goes, make plans and the Gods laugh.

Our shearer got quite sick and could not make our date of 3/23. She had to push it out another 2 weeks. So, we are aiming for 4/6 now.

Since the cancellation came when the out of state folks were already on their way to my house, they just decided to keep coming over anyhow, spend a few days hanging out, eat food, and drink adult beverages. Yes, we ate, drank and made merry!

Since we had extra people here, we were able to catch one of the two goats, who has eluded capture for a year, and got her toes trimmed up.

There was also some fiber equipment railroading going on, so that mission was completed. Plus, Laurette brought up a bunch of yarns she scored at a local estate sale, and we all got first chance to buy!

Honestly, given that Mother Nature keeps acting like a bitch, having a two-week reprieve is going to be a good thing. Having naked sheep with the below freezing temps and snow would be tough going for them all. Even staying in the barn would have been uncomfortable for them. Yes, they are my babies and I spoil them badly.

On a side note, it’s snowing right now and that is going to continue thru Monday night and start up again on Wednesday. Winter is hanging on way to long this year.

In lieu of having a picture heavy shearing post, I’ll give you some updates on past posts.

The druggies have been leaving me alone.

Miss Lucy is back out with the rest of the flock after her time in the barn hospital. She is back to walking on all four feet with no limp in evidence. Given how she was I strongly suspect she had a hair line fracture of one of the bones in her ankle. A few weeks of rest and wrapped support of the leg and she is back to her normal self, except that she has it in her head that the barn is now her sole humble abode. She tries to sneak in the barn behind me if I leave a door even partly open.

Miss Spota unfortunately had a miscarriage last weekend. She lost a set of twins. I don’t know why. Both babies looked completely normal with no noticeable deformities. She is doing well and appears to have passed all the necessary stuff. She never went off her feed and did not act like she was sick. We did give her a round of prophylactic antibiotics just in case. In 11 years of raising sheep, this is a first for me and the flock.

Our predator load went up substantially this week. We had a good overnight snowfall on Wednesday night. Thursday morning when I took Mish for his run, I came across a line of tracks in the new snow. From a mountain lion. I knew they were in the area but had never seen any evidence of them on my property before. And boy, are those feet big!!! I spread my hand over it and it went from fingertips to base of my palm. A local licensed hunter came out with his dogs yesterday afternoon to see if he could find it. The line of tracks had melted away too much for them to get a good scent trail. There are many of us now in the area that are lambing or calving, and a new baby would make a tempting treat for that lion.

To give you an idea of the scale, that is a men’s medium glove next to the track.

My tractor broke. Moved hay yesterday, got the bale where it needed to be and, on the way, back to the barn, it started to sputter, buck, and finally stalled. Thought maybe it ran out of gas, but not so. I got it started back up but the same thing. I let it run at an idle for a while, thinking maybe there was some water in the gas, but it never got out of the sputtering. It’s acting like it’s not getting any fuel. The gas globe is full, and it’s getting down to the carburetor. I can get it to roll very slowly forward, but then it stalls out again. So, for now, until I can find someone with more knowledge of these things than me, it’s sitting in the pasture. At least I don’t need it right away for anything pressing.

Mr. Leo stobbed his eye in the hay and gave himself an infection. He is on antibiotic eye ointment at the moment, and it is starting to clear up. Course he is not very thrilled at the twice a day treatment he is getting. Treatment also includes a big fat kiss on his sweet little nose. He is such a teen age boy and does his best to pull away from it but finally gives in for it. Secretly, I believe he loves it!

I am teaching a local FFA class that is currently doing their sheep unit. I’ll be teaching fiber prep and hand spinning this week. I’m great teaching one on one but having to stand in front of a group and teach is not my forte. I’ve done it, I use to teach first aid and CPR to first responders and the public. But I’m just not good at it. I always feel like I’m stumbling over my words and making an ass out of myself. So, wish me luck I don’t barf during the class.

I also got the mead racked off into the secondary fermentation carboy. It tastes pretty good now, and it will get better with age!

I forgot to add a shout out to Brad for fixing my air compressor!!! Thank you so very much for your time and expertise!! My tires and vac cleaner will adore and worship you forever!

I think that’s pretty much a wrap on what’s going on here at the farm. As usual, its busy and every day is something new. Stay tuned for the upcoming shearing post after April 6th. It’s going to be an adventure! Hint, I’m going to be very shorthanded this year and I suspect a comedy of errors will be forthcoming.

Blessed Be!