Dear Curiosity Journal,
After the whirlwind of the Mexican Fiber Arts Weekend, I’m turning my attention back to the fiber animals themselves. Rufus and I “finished” the 3-acre pasture and have released the flock onto fresh grass (one of our favorite spring sights). I put “finished” in quotations because we technically have not completed the bottom corner of the paddock. However, it is so far away that we’re betting that they don’t wander to the lower reaches of the grassland for a few weeks. They tend toward the familiar, and so far, haven’t ventured very far. There is plenty to munch on the top of the hill where they have more of a sense of safety. After finishing the pasture on Wednesday, I spent Thursday giving Ralphy, our new Angora wether, a much overdue haircut. Angora goats should be shorn twice a year, and this little guy was two haircuts behind. I took a slow and steady scissor approach, lopping out the matted dreadlocks one by one. Thankfully he is super sweet, tame, and patient, letting me follow him around for hours, chipping away at his heavy fleece. He seemed relieved to be rid of it, now able to scratch his skin and feel the breeze. He rested his head on my shoulder as I cut and even laid down and allowed me to cut some of his undercarriage. It was a pretty dramatic transformation and by the end of the day, he was happily bucking around, strutting his stuff, and sprinting up and down the hill. He even tried out humping a few of the ewes. Minor scissor blisters are a small price to pay for how happy he was to get his haircut.
~Joy
