Saturday Night

Shearing well smoothly today. I scrambled around to get everything I need. There is more than you think. Loren came early, Jim came early and we got to work. The sheep were still in the barn so I just put up the gate so they couldn't get out. Matt decided he would catch the sheep and bring them to Jim, Loren would take them from Jim once shorn and hold them while I gathered up and bagged the fleece, swept off the platform, then jumped over to Loren to clip hoofs, give the wormer then shots. By the time I did all that another sheep was almost ready to be taken off the platform. We kept going until we did 25 sheep, about 3 and a half hours. It was hot and the sliding door to the section we were working in was sealed up with dirt and manure. Loren freed it with a pick axe and shovel and pulled the door open. The extra air flow made everyone more comfortable. The sheep we sheared are sporting their new summer hair cuts and I have wool to play with. After Loren and Jim left and the sheep were let out to pasture, I confess I had to lie down for a while. I spent the rest of the afternoon watching movies and sewing, between walking dogs, making lunch and dinner for Matt and playing with kitties. I was doing chores when I noticed Monkey and her baby were not around. I found them inside a giant empty silo on the south side of the barn. They had jumped through a broken window, along with a few other goats, and into the silo. It was quite a jump down to the dirt floor and they were unhurt but unable (or unwilling) to jump back up into the silo entry room and through the window back into the barn. They waited for me to come and get them. Now, the inside of the silo is quite large, and a big circle. Picture me running round and round in the dark (well, my dim headlight made a little light) with five goats ahead of me. I finally gave up and called Matt on my cell phone. I was surprised he even answered, but the phone was near the sofa. He came out, jumped in the silo and asked me to go find a shepherd's crook. He said we left them where we were shearing, which was pitch black dark, and I managed to find one by feeling around. Brought it back to Matt and the round and round started again. He caught one goat and shoved it up through the silo trap door to me, but when I let up my grip on her horns she jumped right back into the silo! Matt was not amused - the colorful expletives filled the night air. It took some doing but we got the goats out. Take a memo: seal up silo door and repair broken window!