I figured I’d eventually come around to shoveling shit — can’t really be a farmer without it.  The shearer is coming tomorrow to relieve the flock of its wooly burden, and he needs a flat, clean place to work, so yesterday I cleaned out a section of the lambing barn for him.

I didn’t realize how deep the bedding had built up, but I managed to fill the tractor bucket seven times over.

I also got to make a significant contribution to the compost pile in one of the gardens.

Then today’s project was to set up the barnyard for sheep-sorting and bring the flock down from the pasture. While I shoveled shit alone, I was grateful to have help today from my shearer, Bruce Clement, and friend Wendy Pelletier in setting up the temporary handling system and moving the sheep.

Cleo and Bravo of course moved with their flock.