Shearing Day 23 March 2007
Having been confined in
the barn late yesterday to be sure that their fleeces remained dry, the
Ladies are eaglerly awaiting the arrival of Kevin Ford, the shearer.
Just about every other
shearer in the United States shears with a shearing tool powered by
electricity. Kevin uses hand shears. No machine noise; just
the occasional calming assurances from Kevin if a sheep struggles.
There are those blades. Kevin is meticulous about keeping them sharp so that each cut is like a knife through... lanolin.
Kevin stops a minute to
chat with John Vollinger who owns the land my sheep graze upon.
The sheep are being shorn in the lower level of a barn he built
himself in the early 1950's using lumber he cut and hauled using his
own oxen.
John raised dairy cattle, selling off his herd during the 1990's.
HuckleBuckle, on the left, and Helena are clearly in violation of the law.
Kevin's future apprentices?
If you'd like to learn
more about shearing sheep, buy Kevin Ford's Shearing Day published in
1999. He describes sheep handling, wool science, and shearing
with blades. Published by Feet on the Ground Press in Charlemont
Massachusetts.