Its Sheering Sheep time!

Baa Baa Black Sheep have you any wool?  Yes sir, yes sir, 25 bags full!

Sunday morning the sheering crew showed up to the Hollenbeck Ranch in Molt, Montana and it was quite the experience.  I'll show you the step by step process of how the situation goes down.... or at least from my view point, which could be entirely wrong.

Step 1: Tell the sheep they are very pretty, but they are about to get a woolcut (haircut/woolcut).

all the paint marks mean something

Step 2: Politely ask sheep to move through gates aka, start poking them until they move the direction you want them to go.

Step 3: Push Sheep up ramp into trailer to their inevitable death uncomfortable sheering adventure.

Step 4: Cheer from the sidelines as sheep get shorn? Shore? Sheered? whatever, their wool gets taken off by a group of 5-6 guys (one girl was in there for a few head, GO GIRL).  These guys are QUICK, 3 were from Montana, and 2 are from Australia, one of whom I referred to as Michael Jordan of  Sheep Sheering. 

inside of the sheep sheering trailer

Here is a 10 second clip video:

Step 5: Once the wool is taken off they push the sheep out of those little windows behind them.  This is where the sheep thinks "what the eff just happened in there?"  I'm assuming it would feel like a bender in Vegas when you wake up in the bathtub with a clown costume on (not that I am speaking from experience).

I'M FREE!!!

Step 6: Where does the wool go?  On the opposite side of the trailer are two girls sorting the wool.  They make different piles depending on the quality of the wool.  They also sort off the belly wool since it get sold separately.

Step 7: the girls would put the wool in that trailer thing-a-majigger and pull a lever and then the trailer would compress the wool into a large sack.  For those of you wondering, no I did not get inside.  Safety first.

yes, those are purple coveralls, jealous?

 Step 8: Take a 15 minute break.  As you can imagine sheering a few hundred sheep a day would do a number of your back, legs, arms, neck, etc. so every couple hours the crew would take a break.  This was when I would go play with Freckles (shhhhhh...it was on "break")

Step 9: While Steps 1-7 are taking place its time for Gilmer to paint brand all the freshly shorn/sheered/shore ewes.  I attempted to help however hearing how many he got done today by himself I realized I seriously slowed him down.  (Noted: Don't get in Gilmer's way)

Get your mind out of the gutter Lesa, that is a Bell shape!  

Step 10: Feed the crew multiple times a day.  I was on food duty.  Remember that blog post about being uncoordinated?  Yeah, well it happened again.  I was taking out a full plate of muffins and when I tried to balance it while opening two latches on a gate shit went down.  I almost cried, it was so sad.  But guess what?  God made dirt and dirt don't hurt!  Right?  No one complained if their muffins tasted a little dirty...but its not like they could tell with where their hands had been all day.  Right?  Right?  

I'm just waiting for this to happen to me...

Step 11: Go to bed at 8pm because after a day of sheering over 1,000 ewes you are a wee bit tired.

And I leave you with this gem from youtube, although its labeled a goat, its clearly a sheep.

You can call me Sara "Professional Backer Upper" Eidman

NOT ONLY DID I BACK A TRAILER INTO A SPECIFIC SPOT I DID IT not 1, NOT 2, NOT 3, NOT 4, BUT 5 TIMES!

Yes Ladies and Gentlemen I am OFFICIALLY A BAD ASS MO FO!


So lets rewind 24 hours shall we?  Henry and his dad bought some prego ewes at the sale in Billings and Henry is out of town, so it was decided that since I had to take 2 of the Peruvian guys into town (Carlos and Gilmer) for a dental exam I could then swing by the auction yard afterward with them to help me load.  Well, initially I am like "YEAH I CAN DO THAT!" and then in my head I am thinking, OH SHIT I have to back the trailer up to chutes to load those bad boys.  So after a 894 minute conversation with Henry about how SLOW I  HAD to drive, how to go around corners and I'm pretty sure he even told me how to use the blinker... I  was going to do this!

I told the guys to meet me at the truck at 12:30pm and we would hook up the trailer and head to town, so of course at 12:15pm they had the truck and trailer hooked up and ready to roll.

OH SIDE NOTE: I put the puppies on craigslist Monday night and immediately received phone calls, so while the guys were at their dentist appointment I was going to sell some puppies.

As I was walking to the truck and trailer I tell the guys I need to take 4 of the puppies, Gilmer (head herder) sees that I am putting the two males in the crate and has a slight panic attack.  "SARA THIS GOOD DOG, KEEP AT RANCH" to which I am thinking that Henry had told me distinctly I needed to get ride of the boy puppies.  So I try to tell Gilmer this, but he says "SARA, LOOK AT PUPPY MOUTH" he opens the puppies mouth and points at the roof of his mouth "SEE SARA, GOOD DOG" then he grabs his foot and shows that he has a dewclaw "SEE HERE, GOOD DOG" so after a lesson of good dog/bad dog I tell him he can keep one male.  I seriously felt like he was my 5 year child that had fallen in love with a puppy and I had to convince him he didn't need the puppy, but how do you tell a grown man who doesn't speak English something like that?  Well, you don't.  You give in and let him keep the freaking puppy.

So we get on our way to town.  I drop the trailer off at the auction yard (Back up #1) and it went okay. Drop the guys off at their appts and then head back to the auction yard and sell some pups.  The first guy wanted a female (I brought two to town) and he was SUPER WEIRD.  He was driving an old Mercedes and clearly didn't have any preparation for a puppy so I gave him some puppy chow I had in the truck and sent him on his way.  He had giant plugs in his ears, who still has plugs?  gross.

Second couple shows up, they OF COURSE want the puppy that Gilmer almost held hostage.  (I brought it anyway cuz I didn't want any to be alone).  So I say "oh that one is going back to the ranch, he's puking and has bad diarrhea.  I knew that last part would work because who wants that in their car? muhahahahaha.  Anyway, they didn't want the other boy so they left and said "once he feels better let us know" I'm not sure why I lied and didn't just say "we are keeping him" but I felt bad and "diarrhea" came out instead... wait that sounds bad too.

So back to the backing up (you know, the part about me being a badass).  I pick up the guys from the dentist (that's another blog entry all on its own) and we hook the trailer up and NOW is THE TIME.  First I went into the office to let them know I was picking up 90 ewes and then I let them know that I'll move my truck and trailer about 50 feet but it will take me about an hour.  With help of Gilmer and Carlos I back my trailer up (#2), it only took about 45 tries, then I have to back up to the top chute to load the top of the trailer (#3), this one proved to be more difficult since another big rig had showed up and backed in next to the chute I needed, he of course did it in one try (SHOW OFF) and now I had to not only shoot for the chute (like that play on words?) but do that without slamming into the big rig next to me.  About that same time someone wanting a puppy drives up and gets in my way of the chute AHHH!  So now I have an audience, a big rig, and a little car.  Lets just say this one took a few more shots at getting it right.  WHOOPS.  Gilmer says "SARA NEED MUCHO PRACTICA!" yes, Gilmer... I am aware.

DO YOU SEE HOW PROFESSIONAL THAT LOOKS? AND YES I got evidence because I knew my sister would not believe me.

We finally get home and let me just tell you...I drove like a freaking grandma (took twice as long).  OH THIS REMINDS ME when I was telling Henry in the morning that I would drive super slow after his 9 hour lecture I said "don't worry I'll drive it like I stole something" which in my head I was thinking I would be driving really well since I didn't want anyone to get suspicious of me and call the cops, instead I sounded like an effing idiot.  UGH!  I'm so dumb sometimes.  Well lets just say I drove like a responsible gma who didn't steal anything.

Unloading at home was a little difficult, one- it was dark and two- I was backing up to the top chute and Gilmer was directing me for the ally.  freaking a.  eventually the unloading was finished (#4&5) and Jorge (Gilmer's brother) says "SARA NEED MUCHO PRACTICA" yes, Jorge... I am aware.

All in all, it was a fun day.  I really enjoyed working with the guys.  When I put the puppies away I started speaking to them in Spanish.  What's more weird, the fact that I talk to puppies or that I was speaking to them in Spanish?

Ta Ta for now peeps.

Grace-full-ness

Anyone else fight gravity on a daily basis?  Minus my sister and brother?  I have this weird feeling that my siblings and myself were gifted with the worst balance/luck/grace/etc/etc on earth.  My sister and I will swap stories on a weekly basis about how we continually eat shit with no help from anyone but ourselves.



Just last week I started training the girl that is going to take over my position.  As I am showing her around the nursery we walk back into the front office where there are 3 stairs...3.  On stair #2 I go down.  And when I mean "I went down" I mean I ate it.  Big time.  Face plant-head first BAM!  This poor girl who is 2 hours into her new job sees her predecessor go down like the Berlin Wall.  It was hilarious   Good thing I am accustomed to this sort of thing happening so I bounced up like its happened 903 times (because it has) and start to laugh my ass off.  She's super concerned for my well being, I'm just happy I'm alive.  I start telling her the next responsibility she has to remember and shes thinking I should be concerned with the coffee running down the front of my shirt (white of course).  All in all it was one of my best trips, and certainly not my last.

Tonight while Henry was on the phone I decide to start dishes, you know because I can do that quietly...right.  I even told myself in my head "shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" which of course ended up sounding like this:


Just to prove my klux-ness I just got up to go get something out of the kitchen, as I did I tripped over the chair next to me almost falling.  Almost = winning.  Go me.

Ranch living

ITS DIRTY AROUND HERE! Get your minds out of the gutter, I literally meant its freaking dirty around here.

Today I cleaned the mud room, you think I could take a hint "mud-room" hence mud in the room.  Well lets just say I could start an ant colony with all the dirt I swept up.

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I've been cooking the crew lunch probably 3-4 times a week since I moved here.  I enjoy doing it and everyday Henry says "IT GOOD? IF NO GOOD SHE GONE!" to the Peruvians.  Not sure if they like my cooking and respond "yes good" or they are just afraid Henry might actually send me home if they didn't like it.


I'll try and put some links up of things I have made for people like Alma that keep asking me.  The crock pot is my best friend mainly because I never know exactly what time they are coming in for lunch so that way its always warm.
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The puppies are getting bigger, they are so cute I almost SQUEEZE the life out them when I go play with them in the barn.  I'm working on sneaking one in the house...still working on the logistics of that and Henry not notice a fluff ball running around the house.  "Its my new mop?" yeah...I need some ideas people! I've already named 3 of 6.

HOW DO YOU SAY 'NO' TO THIS FACE?

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Driving to the ranch and into town is a good 30-45 drive depending on where you are going.  At least I have views like this to stare at while driving on the dirt roads.

San Antonio -> Sacramento -> Montana

The last two weeks have been CRAZY.  Along my travels I realized that people are actually reading my blog and many people *COUGH COUGH, Greg* are angry I haven't posted in a while.  Now that I am back home in Montana I will try to catch everyone up.

San Antonio was a great trip for the American Sheep Conference.  Henry and I were in the "Emerging Entrepreneur" sessions which were great for young people (or older) starting out in the sheep industry.  Many professionals from across the industry gave talks about specific topics that are necessary to learn about getting into the industry.  It was also nice to talk to other new producers from other parts of the country and learning about their operations.

Oh, and Lesa and I got to hang out...

we know how to bust a move

San Antonio was neat, our hotel was right on the River Walk which is a pretty cool thing to check out.  Minus the part where we came across a dismal scene walking back to the hotel one night where a man had fallen off the bridge onto the River Walk below...OUCH.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Man-falls-20-feet-to-River-Walk-below-4226048.php

Apparently he was intoxicated, I would have preferred a hot cup of coffee.


After the sheep conference I made my way to California for a trade show.
In Sacramento it was time for the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium.  It was PACKED.  Also keep in mind I have been living in a town of 200 lately.



The tradeshow was great, the salesmen got a lot of good leads but I was happy when it was over.  After the 4th time of doing that show I am not sad that I wont be there for a 5th time.  Its a good time don't get me wrong, lots of wine and social activities but holy smokes by the time it over you want a new liver and a 16 hour nap.  But hey, not many people get to drink AND work at the same time.



So I made it back to Montana, I could really go without a 6am flight for a while...I guess I have a week to get over that.  Dammit.


I'll be back in Cali next Sunday for the Tulare Farm Show.  When I land in Oakland I am planning on meeting up with Ali for the afternoon before I head down to Tulare and I could not be more excited!!