“Vacation”

This week I am on “vacation” to get the rest of the sheep sheared. So far I’ve managed to shear two more- that was today. Yesterday I was supposed to have the goats disbudded by the vet. I thought the appointment was at 9:40 so I got up early, fed all the critters, picked up the dog at the kennel which I was told by my husband opened at 9:00 (actually it opens at 8) and rushed to the vet arriving there at 9:42 only to find out the appointment was at 9:20, and I had to reschedule. So I limped back home with the goats. At this point the sheep were all fed and wet with rain so I couldn’t shear them so I spent the day cleaning and running errands instead.

So today I caught the sheep in the barn and sheared the remaining two of the main flock that needed shearing- Spike and Mona. Their fleeces are quite nice so I oohed and aahed over them for a bit too. I moved the rams so they’ll be in position to shear tomorrow- 6 of them. Then I loaded the goats back in the truck, packaged some sold wool, and headed out to the post office, the feed store and then the vet’s. Now we are back home, and I am watching the goat kids sleep it off in the laundry basket by the computer. I like to make sure they continue to breathe while the sedative wears off. I don’t have the heart to disbud them myself without the local anesthesia and sedation so I pay the vet to do it. It’s worth it- at least to my conscience.

So tomorrow I’ll hopefully shear the rest of the sheep (except the old skinny sheep who I’ll do once the weather warms up). Then I can celebrate my birthday with my major yearly farm chore done.

2008-03-27 00:18:53 GMT