Today is a day of getting farm work done. The first thing (after the usual feeding, watering and cleaning up poop chores) was letting the lambs out of the barn. First we need to fix the gate to the donkey pen to make it extra secure so there would be no repeat of the Bambam episode. The lambs are enjoying their new-found freedom, running in circles and frustrating their mothers.
After this Tom went on the roof of our house to secure holes where Starlings have nested in the past. While he was doing this I sheared the old skinny sheep, Bob and Sadie. I worry about them growing enough wool before winter and expending extra calories to stay warm. Plus being old and presumably arthritic I did not think they would enjoy the shearer. So I waited until it was a little warmer and sheared them myself leave wool behind to keep them warm. I was careful with my body mechanics, respecting my back. Here’s Bob afterwards.
Then Tom starting chipping the branches in the orchard leftover from pruning and taking down some trees. The orchard is mostly in bloom now so quite pretty. Vanessa is helping.
While they were chipping, I decided to shear Timmy and Sarge, the returned wethers. Timmy decided to take a Shetland flop into the mud en route to the shearing stand, making it all the more pleasant. Here’s Timmy after the fact meeting the flock again after his quarantine period.
And here’s Sarge after his shearing meeting up with Monette. It looks like they are talking.
So that is what we accomplished today on the farm. I am quitting a little early because my back hurts, and I have a work meeting tonight. Tom and Vanessa are still out chipping though.
