And Bert helped. . .
9:46am
9:47am
9:51am
10:11am
10:14am
10:24am
10:45am
Not. (12:40pm)
I'll hopefully have a chance to post some more photos (of the actual shearing!) and details from Sheep Shearing Day 2011 soon. In the meantime, there are lots of pictures and answers to sheep shearing questions in last year's sheep shearing post. Most of the whole experience is the same from year to year—except for the beagle puppy of course.
© FarmgirlFare.com, the glad to have that job over (even when we don't do the actual shearing, it's still a big deal) foodie farm blog where Beagle Bert (who has been with us two months already!) is non-stop laughs and entertainment—even if he isn't exactly helpful.
And yes, Lucky Buddy Bear is indeed licking the barn wall in the second and third photos. He loves to do it, and it sort of freaks me out. Joe says maybe his tongue just itches.
And yes, Lucky Buddy Bear is indeed licking the barn wall in the second and third photos. He loves to do it, and it sort of freaks me out. Joe says maybe his tongue just itches.
I'm probably being overly concerned here, and I don't mean to freak you out, but please be careful with the barn licking dog. We had a goat that loved to lick our barn walls. He got sick and passed away. Months later, I bought a lead testing kit to see if we needed to be concerned with our interior walls in our old house. Then I thought to test that barn wall - yup, lead paint. Maybe the goat passed away from natural causes, but I always wonder if he was (inadvertently) poisoned.
ReplyDeleteHi Kate,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your concern - and I'm sorry to hear about your goat. Not to worry - the wood siding in our new sheep barn is local rough cut lumber bought from a nearby Amish sawmill, and it's not painted or treated in any way.
We did use treated posts for the interior supports - only because we couldn't find them untreated - and just to be on the safe side for everybody, Joe has gone to the trouble of completely covering each post with more local rough cut boards. But I still wish Bear would quit all that licking! :)
Oh Bert! have you been in trouble there with the sheeps wool? Your expression looks as if you know you are.
ReplyDeleteBert! In the middle of everything-- as only a beagle can be! He is so cute and so funny. He brings back fond memories of a goofy beagle we had for 14 years. They are characters, for sure. The "big dogs" are funny with Bert...who could probably be a pest sometimes. Thanks for sharing these photos--made me smile!
ReplyDeleteWe used to have a GSD/rottie/collie mix who was the spitting image of Bear (just maybe a little bigger) and he *loved* to lick random things. The floor inside the house was one favorite. And carpet. I never could figure it out and it used to seem odd/annoying to us as well. He lived to be 14 - not bad for a 70 pound dog we got from the pound when he was 5.
ReplyDeleteI think some dogs are just lickers by nature. I hope the sheep stay warm enough without their wooly coats :) I know the wool you get isn't great for spinning b/c these are meat sheep but I forgot - what do you do with it? It looks like it makes a good dog bed for Bert :)
YAY done with shearing! We haven't had the shearer come by yet. Not that shearing our small flock is anything like doing yours, but it's still a pain.
ReplyDeleteOn the upside, at least this year I won't be trying to catch sheep FIVE WEEKS after giving birth. So that's an improvement.
Makes *my* tongue itch when I look at him licking the wall. :-) Maybe he just thinks it needs cleaning.
ReplyDeleteHi! I really enjoy your writing and this blog. I have farmed a little bit and my bro now has the family farm. He has a small flock of sheep and some mother cows. I was wondering if you keep the wool in the plastic bags (I didn't think that was a good idea) and where do you sell it in your area. We have a Wool Exchange here in Utah that buys most of everyone's wool even the small farm's. (Even the guys who only have a couple of weeder sheep can sell there) Shearing is a couple of weeks away in this country, still pretty cold and wet(snowy). Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteBert is so busy and loved the blur. He is so cute.
ReplyDeleteThose are just the cutest dogs!
ReplyDeleteI used to love watching the shearing at my friends' farms in Scotland when I was growing up. Can't wait for this year's pics!!
ReplyDelete