Blog #12

Why did people settle HERE?

So …, we just sheared a few Finn sheep north of Social Circle, Georgia.  As soon as we were north of Macon we got off the Eisenhower system and onto the US and state system, which makes for a much calmer trip.  Plus, deer, squirrels, cardinals, and hawks made up the scenery rather than billboards.  Sure, there were ads, but they’re generally 2 x 3 foot plastic signs offering brush hogging or fresh molasses, not law offices emblazoned in lights 24 hours a day.

On this particular trip we went through Social Circle and investigated it a bit, wondering how it got that name and why it thrived. There is some beautiful antebellum architecture, and a sense of quiet and calm as we toodled through downtown.  Why are some towns where they are?  As Dede looked it up on the web, we learned that it came back after Sherman’s march, and that it became a rail center as trade and industry expanded in the last bits of the 19^th century.  Yes, but why right there?  The answer is really in logistics.  How much water can a steam engine hold?  That’s the driver.  Most locomotives of the time could hold around 20 miles worth of water.  Much like aircraft fuel is calculated in thousands of pounds, train water tanks on engines were filled in terms of miles.  There are several smaller towns spread across Georgia in about 20-mile distances along transportation routes, and Social Circle is one of those between Atlanta and Athens.

Other states are similar.  On the west coast, Cottage Grove is about 20 miles south of Eugene, which is about 20 miles south of Junction City, which is about 20 miles south of Monroe, which is about 20 from Corvallis, about 20 from Albany, about 20 from Salem, from Woodburn, and so on up the Willamette Valley.  That route is now bypassed by I-5, but the remnants of the steam rail system are still there, often lost in the lore of the communities.

On the work side of the day, the sheep were located down a path away from the house in a pen next to the goats and chickens, in a wooded glen.  We had three yearling ewes and a ram to shear.  What I’ve read about Finns was accurate, they are a smaller breed with nice wool and plenty of lanolin.  The ram had mottled chocolate wool at the surface, but sheared down to gray, black, and white wool at the skin.  Sun-bleaching is so cool to see, since it means the skin color of the wool will be much different than what shows at the surface.  Finns also have very thin skin, which can be a bit of a challenge when the lanolin hasn’t risen yet.  These sheep were fairly sticky all the way through, which means my handpiece couldn’t flow through the wool since the teeth would get bogged down in more solid grease.

The sheep all got sheared without incident, the lambs were glad to be back with their moms for a mid-morning snack, and the ram was relocated into his own pen onto a fresh bite of grass, so the ewes have time to recover from this lambing season before time for the next one.  That’s one other thing about Finns—they aren’t seasonally polyestrous. They can come into cycle year-round, which means flock management is key to managing the breeding cycle.

 

 

No ice cream this trip, mainly because we were back home in time for a late lunch, then on to yard work.  Maybe some ice cream next weekend.  More likely, though, will be picking up some groceries.  Silo Springs is having a bit of a celebration at their store in Culloden.  They’ve made the leap from Farmer’s Markets to having a physical store and they’re encouraging folks to come visit.  No matter how much you enjoy beef from a grocery store, farm-fresh beef can cook up so much cleaner and have much more flavor.  If you can, check out Silo Springs Ranch, Culloden, GA.

C-Ya!

*** No animals were harmed in the making of this post. Shearing is an important part of sheep farming for the wellbeing of the sheep. ***