Liz Willis, our friend, and shearer came this morning to shear our sheep for Maria’s yarn.

She brought two two-year-old Border Leicester mix wool sheep as a gift for us, she’s reducing her flock and wanted to find good homes for some of her sheep, rather than send them to market.

Maria has a lot of exciting plans to expand the wool and yarn part of her work – she loves keeping sheep in our lives.

This was my first shearing in years without Red, and I missed his calm and steady presence. We managed with grain, but it was different, for sure.

I have always had a dog to work with the sheep as long as I’ve been on a farm. It will take some getting used to.

The new sheep are twins so we named them Asher and Issachar in honor of the twins at Bishop Maginn High School, two young refugees from Pakistan I have come to know and admire.

The new sheep with help our flock, we lost Zelda earlier this year and a couple of the Romneys are getting old.

Maria coaxed the twins out of Liz’s truck with grain, they are easy with people and sized Fate up a flash.

They just stomped their feet at her and she ran, of course. She is the Ferdinand of Border Collies.

The shearing is underway, I’m going to invite Asher and Issachar out to the farm to meet their namesakes. Back to the barn.

Later.