Not On My Schedule

We are moved into the new place and well settled in. OK, the humans, dogs and horses are moved in and settled but the sheep are still spread out among our other three sets of pens and that is where the cows ultimately must go. That means I must get busy constructing sheep pens at the new place and it must happen rapidly. If you have followed me for very long you know that construction and rapid are not two words you would use to describe me.

I am, however, good at contemplation (or maybe that is procrastination), I think I work rather well with a looming deadline. In any case, I need to build enough pens to house all the ewes. We won’t worry about the lambing facilities, after all I have until late December to take care of that part. No reason to get in a rush.

Construction is not my thing, I just do not have the eye for laying things out and making them work right. I do have a definite idea of how I want them, more importantly I have a definite idea of how I don’t want the pens to look and that is like they did at the old place. The sheep just happened at our old place, I have always said they are an overgrown 4-H project and because of that the pens sprung up haphazardly and with no real plan. The new place gives me a chance to start with a clean slate but with an idea of how I want things to work.

I have spent the last three months since the move contemplating and thinking about how the pens should be built (again, I have heard the word procrastinate thrown out too) and it is now time for action. I may not like building pens but when I am ready to do it, I want to get started and keep at it until the job is done. That is why the past couple of days have been so agonizing.

It all started with moving some of the ewes around, so I could bring the cows home off the rented pasture. Loading the ewes is not usually a problem, a bucket of feed strategically placed on the front of the trailer and stand back. However, Twinkle Toes, Isaac’s prized Suffolk ewe, had been through this all before and would have none of it. We played a game of cat and mouse for what seemed like an hour before she finally gave in and loaded up. No real big deal but it put me behind and I didn’t get panels moved and set up to catch the cows.

The next morning, I needed to take a couple of rams to the sheep sale. I got around as early as I could, in fact, I got around earlier than I had planned because Jennifer had both rams caught by the time I got done with chores. When I asked why she had not waited for me, she said something about being married 22 years and knowing how long things took. I am not sure what happened on the drive to Clay Center, everything seemed to go fine but instead of a couple of hours the trip ate up the whole morning. After a quick lunch we moved the panels and set up the catch pen that had been planned for the day before.

The next day was Sunday and of course we started the morning by going to church. That afternoon it was decided to try to catch the last pasture of cows and bring them home. All went smoothly until the last three pairs. They decided that they did not want to be caught and would prefer to stay through the winter. After much cussing, discussing and out right hatred I was inclined to let them have their way. Jennifer was not so understanding and soon the cows came to see things her way. In the end the cows came home but another full day was lost.

Monday dawned and with it the need to get the combine to the dealership for its winter check-up and the grain trucks needed to be put away too. Again, for reasons I don’t fully understand this all took far more time and, yet another day was lost. Yesterday was a day of more progress, the skid loader was roaded home, posts were bought, and the posthole digger was borrowed. Everything was laid out and the project would start today. Today dawned cold and clear. Why the weather report? The water hydrant was frozen, the cows needed fed and the tractor would not start. All of this translated into another half day lost.

This all gave me time to again contemplate and rethink my plans. Maybe I did not need such good pens. Maybe I didn’t need pens after all. Suddenly free range, pasture sheep seemed like a good idea. Then common sense and reality took over, the pens must be built. Wish me luck and stay tuned, this could get good.