Farm Stuff

Just came back in from morning chores at 11 am. Granted, I started morning chores around 10, as I am on vacation and enjoying being "naughty." Naughty, to me, is staying in my jammies and sewing bags, wrapping soap and spinning wool - all with the intention of selling. Loren, my hired man, was supposed to come early this morning and stack bales. He came yesterday and was pretty crippled with back pain. He looked so miserable and I found him sitting on a bale in the hay mow. I sent him home with pay and told him to rest up. He promised to come back today, but no Loren. Matt came home from work yesterday sick and went flat out on the sofa, not able to do his only nighttime chore, feed the White Boys. He said it's because he doesn't eat enough fruit and vegetables. This somehow implicates me in his illness. I bought $50 worth of both at the farmer's market last week and I don't think he ate any of it. My cabbage soup is not appealling to him, although it has the most nutrition of anything I make. Oh, well...I think I should hire a woman to help me around here. Matt reminded me to give Baby Thunder a shot for foot rot today. He was too sick to help me last night, but is still worried about the poor little sheep. Thunder, my Coopworth wether and my VERY FIRST SHEEP has one foot that is chronically stinky. Most shepherds would have culled him long ago. He HATES shots and is very watchful of us coming after him. I found him lying in the hay mow this morning so I climbed back down and got shots ready - one antibiotic and one B complex to perk him up a bit since he might not have been grazing properly with this bad foot. Now sheep can see almost all the way around as their eyes are on the sides of their heads to know when predators are sneaking up on them. I acted like I was going to walk past him toward some bales then leaped on him, using my weight to hold him down. Now I am fairly heavy, and Baby Thunder is rather old, but he still put up a pretty good fight and nearly threw me off. He did manage to kick the syringes and foot clippers out of my hand and send them flying into loose hay. I had to keep my weight on him and reach around and fish for the needles. I'm thinking I better get the LA200 into him first in case he throws me off. Bingo, got that done. I start the B vitamin but the needle is small and it takes a while. Sweat is pouring off me and Baby Thunder is not amused. Finally I rolled off him and he ran away. Back inside and I am sitting to write this note and get myself a cold drink. It's heating up out there, and, now that everyone has food and water I am going to point the fan at myself and sew. Market tomorrow and I will have six new bags for the patrons to look over. I hope that rich lady from Connecticut comes back through...