shearing

Today was shearing day. The day started of sunny and windy.  Then it got cloudy and windyer.  Then in snowed and the wind blew, then the sun came out.  Later it was a full fledged blizzard for about five minutes.

Here a few sheared sheep next to some that will soon get to the shearing floor.  We had three shearers that sheared about four hours.

We got three sacks of wool with the help of three helpers pushing sheep and sacking wool.  One lady comes and gives her Border Collie dogs some practice with our sheep.  Her help is greatly appeciated because our dogs are not as patient and obeident as hers.  We also have to contend with the help of our guard dogs.  They really do not like us to mess with their sheep, but tollerate us, and we them.  The guard dogs can be in the way most of the time, but when we are not there they do guard the sheep.

As you can see he would be rather intimidating to a sneaky coyote.  His bark is worse than his bite, but the wiley coyote does not need to know that.

Well maybe we are back to sort of normal .  Tammy made it home from China last Sunday.  She had called 3:20 PM Saturday afternoon she was leaving Hong Kong, on her way to Tokoyo then Minneapolis.  She arrived in Rapid City at 3:14 PM . Twenty four hours of travel.  I spent three days in Huron at the South Dakota Farmers Union convention.   Now we are trying to settle into a routine.  We will shear the March lambers tomorrow (Wednesday).  Then haul the wool to Belle Fouche to be stored until we shear the rest of the sheep.  Next week we will need to sort the bulls away from the heifers and chase them to the bull pasture. Then we need to put the first-calf heifers in the corral and get ready for the first calves around the first of March.  Shortly after that we will bring the cow herd the mile and half  home so they will be close when they start calving.  The fun but busy time of the year is begining.  The weather is trying to change.  It is cloudy and cool with a stiff breeze.  Tomorrow the wind is to blow 60 MPH.