We sheared all the ewes on the 10th. Well, actually Emily sheared them and did a fabulous job as always. She makes it look so easy and is never grumpy even when there are challenging moments. It may have been over a week ago but memories of the big reveal are fresh, and Jim and I are still talking about how many people came by. It was really fun to be surprised! The weather was pretty good so nobody froze and afterwards, quite a few of us celebrated with a potluck, lots of chatter and laughs.
soaking up the sunshine
We had a wonderful crew of helpers who did such a good job on the fleeces that I’ll hardly have to do anything when I get back to them. Thanks so much to everyone…for coming…for helping…for the food and good cheer. We couldn’t do it without you all. And it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun either.
happy skirters
The photo above unfortunately doesn’t include the sheep wrangling/sweeping/shearing portion of the crew who really get down and dirty and don’t even get the chance to get their hands into those warm fleeces…except while trying to move the sheep onto the shearing floor.
The fleeces are stunning this year!! I do believe the abundant grass and excellent hay we were able to get has contributed…we are what we eat, right! The girls are also in excellent condition as they go into lambing and that makes the shepherd very happy. It’s nice to get a look at what’s under all that fiber. From what I can see right now, 8 of the 10 are definitely pregnant. The other 2…we’ll see…still early.
really really like this one...
really really liking this one too...
Shearing done -- what a good day!
We were so glad the weather cooperated and we were able to get the girls back to their paddock on Tuesday. The sooner the better as far as I’m concerned. Depositing poop outdoors is preferable to indoors where the shepherd gets to clean it up.
They know the way home.
And what of the boys? They’ll be sheared this Saturday — 3/24. Looking forward to seeing what they’ve grown this year!
