We are very fortunate to live in a rural community where the neighbors are all quick to work together and help one another. Yesterday evening was my turn to lend a hand. Meg, one of our nieghbors, is a widow in her early 60s who raises Jacob sheep and llamas. She called me earlier this week and asked if I could come over to help her get her sheep shorn.
She hired a local shearer, Tom, whom I have know most of my life, to do the actual shearing. I helped catch and move sheep and in the process I received some valuable lessons from Tom. I partially sheared 3 or 4 ewes under his hands-on direction. When the time came for him to be paid, he asked me if I wanted in on the payment. I told him I should pay him for the valuable shearing lessons. He told me he would come over when I shear this fall and talk me through the first few sheep.
Now yesterday was a beautiful day and there were certainly lots of other things I could have been doing but rural life would be difficult indeed without a network of neighbors who sacrifice some of their time to help one another. I know that I have plenty of neighbors who would do the same for me and I will gladly continue to do my part in the future.
tags: rural, community, sheep, shear
No comments:
Post a Comment