On Shearing.....

It has been established that the sheep needed shearing.

I learned to milk a goat from a handy dandy YouTube video....but, I'm thinking shearing a sheep sounds a little more traumatic if you do it wrong.  Thanks to Facebook, I got in touch with some super nice folks who volunteered to come to MY HOUSE and teach me to shear my sheep.  How awesome is that?  I thought that kind of friendship extension and willingness to share homesteading skills to that level of accommodation was extinct. So, a voluminous, glitter infused shout out to the kind folks at Luckyewe Farm for saving my sheep from a possible societal wreck of a haircut :)

They arrived and brought their shears... and then it was time to catch the sheep. The sheep who are very hard to pet, much less hold. Aha Aha. That was interesting. After much chasing, lunging, chasing, lunging, chasing, lunging.....you get the picture....we managed to corner a sheep and get it up on a table to be sheared. I say "we" but y'all know I didn't pick up that sheep....  I played construction worker and leaned on something while watching someone else lift it. hahahaha...  sorry, sorry..
I love construction workers...not everyone can make a two man job appear to be a fifteen man job. hahaha

I really don't know where those jokes came from. I really have no problem with construction workers.  :)   Anyway.....

They got out the shears and went to work on the first one. I watched. and watched. and watched. And was REALLY itching to do something....so, they said I could get the scissors and trim around their faces. Man, was I happy to get to be hands on. And THEN - they asked if I wanted to try shearing. YESSSS!!!!

 

                                                             THAT was awesome!!

                           
                                       The amount of wool that came off was AMAZING!

                                  And did you know, that because of the lanolin in the wool,
                                 when you get finished your hands are super soft and moisturized...
                                  and it smells really good....

                            I absolutely adored the new learning experience!  It was wonderful
                           having such great teachers. Made my first shearing a memorable
                           experience.

 

 They look quite different, don't they?  Foot loose and fancy free :)

New on the Farm: Feeling a Little Sheepish

Wow. How long has it been?  I really wanted to blog...and then I got distracted....a couple of times multiplied by infinity. When I finally had a moment of quiet to myself at night, I sorta glazed over...there was nothing left.

But, I'm putting an end to that.RIGHT.NOW.DANGGIT.

I'm going to start by telling you about my brand new farm animals. Okay... not absolutely brand new because they've been here since the summer...but, they're new to you and that's what matters. I'll bring you up to date slowly....

A homeschooling friend of mine told me that she had some sheep she wanted to get rid of and asked me if I wanted them. Ummm... does my unicorn prance on rainbows??  Heck, yes, I want your sheep!  So, she tells me that someone gave them to her and they need to be sheared and they aren't very pet-able. Have I ever sheared a sheep? No. Petted a sheep? No. Been a sheep whisperer? No. Was I deterred? Absolutely not!  :)

The sheep were delivered and I was ecstatic!  I've always wanted sheep.. so, I could touch them. They're so FLUFFY!!  Come to find out, they aren't so much fluffy as they are ...THICK.  wow!  Wool is some thick, thick, yummy smelling stuff. Yes. I said yummy smelling. Did you know that lanolin comes from sheep's wool?!  How did I NOT know that??

Seriously... these are some cute sheep...and they're Baby Doll sheep... which makes them even cuter..having that cute name and all.

                      Look at those faces!!!  Obviously, it's been awhile since they had been
                      sheared. But, the cuteness!!!  

  
                            
                    The male is in front. He was very wary of me. Not sure if it was the hair....
                    the boots....the tiny bucket when he clearly deserved more...

           
                 And it proves true in every species... the way to a man's heart is through his
                 stomach.  I actually got to pet him!!!  There is nothing like sinking your
                fingers into some Baby Doll sheep wool!!

                        My son managed to get them close enough to pet, as well. Perhaps, I
                        should dub him, "sheep whisperer"....

                          The female sheep... she gazes across the field with pursed lips....
                          "now y'all gonna have me a nice warm bed of hay, or what?"

                        The male sheep..with his fringe of hair validating the fact that he is
                        the epitome of sheep coolness. "where's my crib, yo?"

                        Some of that bravado slipped when the goats walked up. "we'll just
                        be down here checking out the foliage."

                    Goats just don't care. You can be mid-hug and if they're done, they're done.