Zelda always puts up a pretty good fight, but shearers know how to grab sheep, sit them on their butts or backs and keep them still while having their coats sheared and hooves trimmed. It took Jim and Liz about a half-hour to shear and trim our eight sheep, we catch up with one another and talk about sheep and their lives. Jim runs a photography shop in Rutland, Vt., and Liz just bought a farm in central Vermont, where she will raise sheep and pigs.

Jim says there are few large flocks of sheep anymore, most of their visits are to smaller farms like ours with eight or ten to 20 or so sheep. Jim charged $93 to come all this way to trim our eight sheep, we always pay more than he asks, as he always asks so little. We appreciate him, people like Jim – he also trains herding dogs, he is a great admirer of Red and his seriousness – without them, our life with animals would not be possible.