Progress!

Hey all!  I hope everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving and a safe Black Friday venture (if you ventured out at all).

It has been two weeks since my last post, but a productive two weeks.  I have been immersing myself in research about the Soay Sheep.  Looking for tricks and tips on the best ways to care for them.  Success in mine! More on that later...

The past two weeks have been a flurry of activity around here.  We host Thanksgiving for family and friends who either don't have a Thanksgiving gathering of their own or are avoiding their own families.  Either way, we always enjoy the company and celebrate all we are thankful for in good company.

When I haven't been busy cooking or cleaning I have been reading about Soay sheep.  It is so nice to once again have something to study and take notes on and feel like my brain is once again in use.  If you didn't already know, I love to read.  When I am reading about something that interests me, I can not get enough.  I have a notebook that is filling up with notes on a basic first aid kits for Soays, what treats they can and can not have and little tips and tricks on how to better earn their trust.  Routine is the first step to earning their trust and we have settled nicely on 9 am and 4 pm as my barn visits and trust building.

It my morning visit I take care of all the feeding responsibilities for all of our animals.  I talk to all of them and ask how their night was.  Even though I will never understand what is bleated, squawked and meowed at me, I like to think they understood the question and are answering. Or maybe they just are impatiently telling me to hurry up with the food.  Either way, the noise quickly quiets down as I complete my chores and all I am left with is quiet grazing sheep who I am desperately trying to win over...and it's working.

This week I have gone from feeding Caiohme hay out of my gloved hand, to feeding her hay out of my bare hand, to touching her nose with my bare hand while she eats hay and then finally, to her eating oats out of my bare hand.  Next up, just trying to touch her without a food incentive.  I have noticed that Rosie is a huge problem in these exchanges.  She isn't exactly on good terms with Caiohme.  We noticed this week that Caiohme is sporting a swollen eye (all sites agree that we should leave it, but keep an eye on it), and I'm guessing Rosie is to blame.  Every time she comes near Caiohme and the others, they run off while Caiohme puts her head down as if to head butt Rosie.  Rosie is constantly putting herself between me and the sheep and she is always trying to eat what I offer them.  If this keeps up, we may have to section Rosie off while I am out working with the sheep.

We have been looking into temporary fencing for the sheep so that this spring we can have a vet visit our farm and do any necessary shots.  We also need to find a livestock vet.  I do realize I should have done so before getting these sheep, but I'm on it now.

Pretty sure I have typed enough for this post. It isn't funny at all, but hey, I'm not that funny of a person regularly. :)  In any case. Maybe next week I'll tell you about Sean needing hearing aids and all the hilarious cases of what was said vs. what was heard.

Until then, I hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoy your Christmas trees (if you have them) and don't forget to set your boots out tomorrow night because St Nicholas' comes Friday night.