Today's lesson ...

So, last year I swore that I would not wait until the heat of the summer to shear my wool ewe. She is a Gulf coast native so she's just has a top fleece with some matting around the skirt (belly, under neck, and around the back end) so not a full fleece, but enough. With my back and hip being down, I have not had the ability to shear her and wouldn't you know, it's now HOT!

I currently hand shear, and I am highly reconsidering that decision, so it's labor intensive.

With the heat I can only shear closer to dark so that it is cooler. I headed out with the kids in tow so they could tend the rabbits while I started at it. I had to snatch the ewe by the back leg and halter her. She is a big gal that is pretty strong lol. I told her to the post and started working. My back started screaming about 5 mins in with sweat pouring off of my face. About a third of the way through the fleece, she pulled so much that she untied the halter from the post. So now, I have to chase a half sheared, halter lead dragging, prey animal in minimal light. SHEEP ARE FAST when they don't wanna be caught. I grabbed my whip and with a lot of juking (running back and forth quickly) I managed to pen the herd in the goat barn. I was able to grab her and drag her back to the barn and start again.

With light dimming to just moonlight, I had to enlist the helping hands of my daughter. Having a 5 year old hold a light so that you don't cut yourself or the ewe, is a brave and aggravating decision. Between her making shadow puppets and, I'm guessing, sending messages to UFOs, there was fleeting light, almost strobe light-ish for the duration of the trim.

My glasses fell of with the river of sweat flowing off of my face and I decided that I would leave the skirt at this point. I enlisted a pair of kitchen scissors for the last few clipping that needed off around her pooper, she had bad matting that needed to be gone, it was naaasssty.

After an hour, and about 10 Lbs of fluid gone, it was good enough for government work and I will clean her up once I resharpen my shears or just use the electric clippers.

Lesson for today....I walked in the house and told my husband that I was rethinking hand shears lol. Especially being that I have a few more wool ewes coming tomorrow to live here on the farm.

I have a mixed flock for multi purposes but I now see why some people refuse wool breeds.

I hope to have fleeces for hand spinning so just a few are enough for my needs.

I am in bed now and I am hoping that I wake up in the morning with the ability to stand. Lol.

Goodnight and happy farming tomorrow.