up and down days
Mar. 17th, 2024 02:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
unicorndukeFirst shearing day of the season went pretty mediocre for me on Friday. The first sheep I did, I managed to do some techniques that I'd been hoping to practice and overall it went really well. I had some dizziness after sheep 1, which I've come to realize is going to happen every time and I need to take a decent break before sheep two. I don't get it again the rest of the day, so there's just something about getting started that is really hard.
Stop two was supposed to be 45 smaller sheep, but we got there and the sheep were in bad shape. I don't think it's particularly anyone's fault. They're more hands off, the owner had leukemia and literally can't go in the sheep barn and his brother taking care of them didn't quite seem to comprehend the problem. Not in a malicious way, but, I don't know, like he maybe couldn't grasp some concepts. Both J and I did two sheep each to see their condition, we could just grab sheep to shear which is not normal. Bad nutrition, probably parasites and some had lambs. So we left. We'll come back in six weeks or so if they're in better shape. J said they weren't like that last year.
After that, it was huge sheep for the rest of the day. I had so much trouble. In total I did eight but my back just absolutely couldn't do anymore. I could bend over for 20 seconds at a time before my lower back would hurt, I would straighten up until it stopped, then do another 20 seconds. J recommended getting an inversion table to help stretch that area since that's probably the issue. The sheep were mostly well behaved except for one absolutely huge yearling. She was technically 8 months old and easily 150 pounds and tall with really long legs. I needed help for her but I got her done. There were nine super pregnant ewes at that stop too, and they were super sweet and well behaved but my back was done at that point, so I just helped J with catching and handing him clippers, things like that. And entertaining one of the ewes who had been a bottle baby at some point. She was tall enough that she could tap my shoulder with her nose and spent some time investigating my jacket, my belt and tried to bite my wallet.
I also wore a hat the whole time which helped with chills as we went stop to stop, plus my red coat.
Sigh. Could have been better. Could have been worse. I was sore in weird ways again.
Yesterday, F and I went to the co-op for my groceries, a hilarious estate sale and a yarn shop. The estate sale was at a rich person's house, and they had weird things like a 10 foot metal horse statue, a five foot tall citrine geode and a signed Dali print. They also had more normal things like nice lamps and like six couches. I picked up two nice lamps and some yoga blocks.
At the yarn store, I got a replacement circular needle for the one that I broke last weekend, some new needles for weaving in ends. I also went digging through the weaving yarn but it wasn't all priced and the owner was away so I left my number and they'll get back to me tomorrow. I might go visit the shop owner's farm on monday or tuesday since they're shearing and she invited the weavers guild members to visit during shearing.
I made ice cream, bread and granola this morning. I'm getting some progress made on sidejob work, getting plans written and sent out. I haven't gotten a ton more requests this week, so if I spend some time this week I might be able to catch up more. One of my work night classes has finally ended so I'll have a little more time to work on them. I billed for february today and it's a good check that I'll get.
I'm calling the vet tomorrow for Mara, I think we're at the end. She's fallen over four times in the past week, she bit my housemate (didn't break skin thankfully) Friday night when she tried helping Mara get up to go out, and this morning Mara got her head popped over the side of the bed and panicked (I think), she was thrashing around when I checked on her between baking. I got her back onto the bed and she calmed right down, but it's not good. I was planning to wait until after the third pain shot, but they're less and less effective and she's declining faster than they help as far as I can tell. Mara seems tired after ten minutes slowly wandering around the yard. She's been sleeping a ton, she's been eating less, especially since she no longer wants to stand up and eat, but she'll eat if I put it on her bed when she's laying down. It just feels bad now.
Stop two was supposed to be 45 smaller sheep, but we got there and the sheep were in bad shape. I don't think it's particularly anyone's fault. They're more hands off, the owner had leukemia and literally can't go in the sheep barn and his brother taking care of them didn't quite seem to comprehend the problem. Not in a malicious way, but, I don't know, like he maybe couldn't grasp some concepts. Both J and I did two sheep each to see their condition, we could just grab sheep to shear which is not normal. Bad nutrition, probably parasites and some had lambs. So we left. We'll come back in six weeks or so if they're in better shape. J said they weren't like that last year.
After that, it was huge sheep for the rest of the day. I had so much trouble. In total I did eight but my back just absolutely couldn't do anymore. I could bend over for 20 seconds at a time before my lower back would hurt, I would straighten up until it stopped, then do another 20 seconds. J recommended getting an inversion table to help stretch that area since that's probably the issue. The sheep were mostly well behaved except for one absolutely huge yearling. She was technically 8 months old and easily 150 pounds and tall with really long legs. I needed help for her but I got her done. There were nine super pregnant ewes at that stop too, and they were super sweet and well behaved but my back was done at that point, so I just helped J with catching and handing him clippers, things like that. And entertaining one of the ewes who had been a bottle baby at some point. She was tall enough that she could tap my shoulder with her nose and spent some time investigating my jacket, my belt and tried to bite my wallet.
I also wore a hat the whole time which helped with chills as we went stop to stop, plus my red coat.
Sigh. Could have been better. Could have been worse. I was sore in weird ways again.
Yesterday, F and I went to the co-op for my groceries, a hilarious estate sale and a yarn shop. The estate sale was at a rich person's house, and they had weird things like a 10 foot metal horse statue, a five foot tall citrine geode and a signed Dali print. They also had more normal things like nice lamps and like six couches. I picked up two nice lamps and some yoga blocks.
At the yarn store, I got a replacement circular needle for the one that I broke last weekend, some new needles for weaving in ends. I also went digging through the weaving yarn but it wasn't all priced and the owner was away so I left my number and they'll get back to me tomorrow. I might go visit the shop owner's farm on monday or tuesday since they're shearing and she invited the weavers guild members to visit during shearing.
I made ice cream, bread and granola this morning. I'm getting some progress made on sidejob work, getting plans written and sent out. I haven't gotten a ton more requests this week, so if I spend some time this week I might be able to catch up more. One of my work night classes has finally ended so I'll have a little more time to work on them. I billed for february today and it's a good check that I'll get.
I'm calling the vet tomorrow for Mara, I think we're at the end. She's fallen over four times in the past week, she bit my housemate (didn't break skin thankfully) Friday night when she tried helping Mara get up to go out, and this morning Mara got her head popped over the side of the bed and panicked (I think), she was thrashing around when I checked on her between baking. I got her back onto the bed and she calmed right down, but it's not good. I was planning to wait until after the third pain shot, but they're less and less effective and she's declining faster than they help as far as I can tell. Mara seems tired after ten minutes slowly wandering around the yard. She's been sleeping a ton, she's been eating less, especially since she no longer wants to stand up and eat, but she'll eat if I put it on her bed when she's laying down. It just feels bad now.
no subject
Date: 2024-03-17 07:31 pm (UTC)I'm very impressed that you can shear a sheep TBH. It seems to me a mystical and gruelling art.
no subject
Date: 2024-03-18 02:39 pm (UTC)