Blog #18

Suffolks and Hamps

So …, shearing on a Sunday afternoon!  Some gigs are just fun.  These were a few sheep of relatively uniform size, all ewes, and most have open bellies that make shearing start out smoother for each animal.  Couple that with a pastoral farm a few miles out of town, but close enough that going to town isn’t an all-day event, and it’s a pretty sweet set-up.

I’ve had this small batch scheduled for quite a while, and with weird weather coming through I hoped it wouldn’t have to be re-scheduled.  Fortunately, the sheep had access to the barn and got out of the worst of it, and there was quite a bit of breeze as well.  Many times, the breeze is more effective than just heat at drying out wet sheep.  These were all Hampshire/Suffolk – cross ewes, so they had fairly coarse wool, which also helped them stay a bit drier.

While these ewes were all about the same size, that size was big.  Hampshires and Suffolks are some of the bigger common breeds in America, and it’s the combination of their weight and the length of their torso that makes them challenging.  The starting position for shearing has them on their hindquarters with their right foreleg tucked between the shearer’s legs.  When that foreleg starts at about the shearer’s navel, it’s not going as per standard plans.  Also, when finishing the long blow and last shoulder, moving on to the final side, the animal gets lifted from lying down into a sitting position using the shearer’s left arm to lift most of the animal’s weight. When that animal's weight is pushing two-large, that’s a workout.  Thankfully these ewes were former show sheep and were used to handling so they were much less squirmy and flighty.  The contusions running up my right arm are evidence that they weren't taking all of this without attempting to escape, though.

When the sheep were all sheared and back in the pasture, the gear was all stowed and I was clean enough that I felt like I could stand to smell myself it was time for some ice water and conversation.  The owners and I talked about hobbies, callings to ministries, this year’s garden’s and homemade sweet treats.  All too soon it was time to get back on the highway and head home.

Since this was a Sunday evening, southbound traffic was light and flowing smoothly, so getting home was simple and quick.  After that it was time to unload gear, shower, have a bite to eat, then see what’s next on the schedule.  It’s fun to shear for new folks, but also great to visit with friends you’ve worked with before. 

<<< It's been a few days since I wrote the post above, but I also got out and cleaned the garlic I pulled a few weeks ago.  Once pulled I left it out on the back porch to cure, and today all the leaves looked like raffia, so I cleaned the bulbs down to heads and now they’re curing in the coolest, driest room in the house.  I’m going to save one head back to plant this fall, along with some from Territorial Seed, so we’ll see how this comes out next year.  Either way, there will be no vampires at the Martin household for a while. >>>

  

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. ***