*** Sunday, 21 June was the last day of Spring Shearing 2025 for health reasons.  The temperatures and humidity are too high for continued safe shearing of any more than a few sheep.  I am working to contact owners and reschedule during more accommodating weather.

The next few posts will be of recent shearing days.  I'm hopeful that either the humidity or temps will ameliorate in a reasonable period of time. ***

Blog #25

Espresso and Shearing, a great combination

So …, one Air Force slogan is “Flexibility is the key to Air Power” (pronounced AirPahr).  Well, for climatically influenced events like shearing, rescheduling is one key to success.  Several weekend’s gigs have each been rescheduled twice due to wet sheep from this Spring’s rains.  As we were driving out this particular morning, we even drove through a squall less than 20 miles from the flock we were headed to.  We stopped in Zebulon, across from 1828 Coffee and were about to make a dash to the door in the rain, but noted the OPEN sign wasn’t illuminated.  Dede demoed her Google-Fu and we learned they weren’t going to open for another 45 minutes, so we continued on, in the rain, to the farm, minus lattes. 

Two miles out of town the rain stopped, and the pavement was dry, so there was a chance the sheep were, too.  When we got to the shearing site the ground, the driveway, and most importantly, the sheep, were as dry as a bone.  We got set up and these Gulf Coast Native crosses sheared up very well.  A few appeared to have some Katahdin traits in the way some of their wool shed in patches, and in the edges of the wool, where the lanolin seemed to set.  This hard ridge was difficult to get into, but after that, it was fast and open shearing.  Most of the sheep had bare bellies, and a few had clear necks as well, so they sheared really fast.

  

 

On the way home we made a few stops, the first back at 1828 Coffee where the tip jars were debating which is best, waffles or pancakes.  We supported the waffle crowd, and we discussed how good waffles can be when you add cooked bacon crumbles before you close the lid on the iron, then add blueberries and maple syrup to them when they’re on the plate.  Abby, the barista who made our hot honey latte (Yum!) was determined to try bacon bits next time she made waffles.  Next stop was the Silo Springs Ranch store to pick up what’s going to be dinner the next weekend.  Audrey and Arlin sell angus beef, chicken, and lamb at the store and at Farmer’s Markets around the broader middle Georgia region.  Good Stuff!!!

We made it to almost 100% of the weekend’s shearing, too.  Sunday morning broke out bright and sunny, but also incredibly dewy and humid.  We were setting up at 0800 and shearing before 0900, with the ewes shearing up well, but halfway through the train started going off the rails.  The plan was to shear up twelve sheep, a mix of ewes and rams, all Gulf- Coast Native-crosses.  The first half went well, then it was time for a serious break.  Mind you I’d been drinking water and electrolytes between each sheep, and started out with a good breakfast, so I was ready for the challenge, I thought.

After sheep number seven I had to rest again, and the same after number eight.  As I was finishing number 9, my vision darkened and I was having trouble concentrating, so I told the owner to go ahead and shut down the generator since I needed a bit of recovery time. From previous experiences in heat, humidity, and exhaustion, I knew this wasn’t good.  I went over to the truck, sat in the shade, had more water, Dede got an ice pack on my neck and started fanning me, and things didn’t improve.  I suggested that I had one more sheep I could shear, but then we’d have to stop.  I’m thankful Dede looked at me and said “I don’t think so.” 

 

 

When I started a business plan for shearing a year or so back I included Dede as a Safety Officer, which is exactly what she is on shearing gigs.  From having water or Gatorade® handy, to bringing bandages and first aid tape for me, to spraying Blu-Kote® on occasional nicks, Dede keeps her eyes out for the safety of all involved: me, the sheep, the owner, and herself.  After raising two boys and making ER visits with me since before we were married, she knows a thing or two about handling incidents.  She knows I want to see jobs through to the end, but she also knows I have to stay healthy to get to the next job.

She kept pumping fluids into me and working to get my sweating, temperature, and body functions back into the green zone for about 30 minutes until we decided that I could start moving and begin cleaning up the work area, rescheduling for later.  As we disassembled the shearing plant and loaded the truck, she did the heavy lifting, always with one eye on me.  The owner was right with her, making sure nothing worse occurred.  We got the gear loaded, the sheep out into an open pasture, and agreed to reschedule the last three for a later date. 

We drove home without even stopping for ice cream or barbecue, which is an indicator of how worn out I was feeling.  When I go back for these sheep, though, we’ll stop at Dickey’s and Robert’s in Musella for both!

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. ***