Rez Life...for the visitor

May 28-May 29
Shear lots'o sheep (live ones!) daily.Butcher ram after shearing him (he was the last).

May 30th
Plant corn field by the house
6:00PM Take a Walk with the kids around the corn field, to the sheep corral and back to the house. Stop along the way to play in the soft dirt. Drew random pictures, played with sandstone, and played Pictionary in the dirt.
6:30 Still light outside! Kids happily playing after a day of herding sheep

May 31st

Up early to plant second corn field. Which is huge compared to the corn field across from the house! Planted until 3:30 PM.

See that little blob toward the left? That's Jaxen....just to give you an idea on size.

This is looking to the left...if you could really know the depth.

Drove into town to the post office.
Prepared dinner.
Kids herded sheep- E rode the horse.
Put apron on Ram. Which wasn't easy because we had to catch him first. This is what sheep "family planning" looks like. A pair of old Levi's tied around the midsection of a ram to prevent....you know...baby making.
7:00 Kids played frisbee with lid until dark
Wash Jaxen and Ember's hair - No running water. Heat water on stove and then use big metal bowls to wash and rinse.

June 1st
Shear 1 1/2  sheep skins - Definitely easier to shear live sheep. It took all day (working alone)!

June 2nd
Drive like a mad woman to Tuba City to miss the appointment I drove crazy to get there for. Grandma able to get later appointment for the same day, so not a total loss.
Go to spring to fill water buckets
Shear the rest of the sheep skin (1 1/2) until 1 AM. Finished shearing in the house...which I have never done before.

June 3rd
Leave for home. Leaving the older two to help Grandma and tend the sheep until the next weekend.

Smore's

It was a first for two of my kids. It was definitely fun to take pics.

  Kaysen didn't know what to do when it wouldn't come all the way off his plate.

 

 Owen just put the whole thing to his mouth...with the plate attached.



The older kids wasted no time in teaching them how it is done.

When you're bored...

Take one bucket lid and add two children who have just spent all day herding sheep and you get a creative version of a tried and true classic.

Sure beats just hanging around.

Oh, wait....I guess that's fun too!

What's wrong with this picture?

It is customary to butcher a sheep each Memorial Day weekend. It happens every year. What doesn't happen every year is butchering in the house. It was extremely windy outside. More so than I have ever seen it. So, rather than have sand peppered mutton, it was decided that we would take it indoors. If only you could see the wheelbarrow underneath it all. Rather a fancy get up really. Usually butchering is done with the sheep hanging upside down by the legs, but apparently you can do the same thing in the small confines of a wheelbarrow. Definitely harder, but goes to show with determination, all things are possible. (Even cleaning out intestines for consumption....not by me.)

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day weekend is designated each year to the shearing of the sheep. This year, we had 49 sheep to shear. This is a time where the whole extended family gets together to help. It is a family affair in which even the youngest can participate in some capacity.

 First, you need someone to take care of the logistics. Someone has to keep a tally of how many sheep have been sheared and who got first, second, and third.......forty-ninth place. It is a contest, at least when you are under the age of 8 and not participating in the actual shearing of the sheep.

Second, if you are unsure of what to do....look around, there are plenty of people who could use a hand....especially since theirs are dirty. On second thought....

See, what did I tell you? Fun for all ages. Cords, cords for sale....binds up nice and tight! Ne'er a finer cord to be found!

In the world of shearing, there are few things more feared then the start of the sheep. You start on the stomach area. This is least desired for most, as it is the area with the, um, delicates. I don't want to be the one to accidentally snip off something important. So, Grandma and few others are the daring ones that start 'em off and then there are "closers" like the rest of us.

Look, practically a pro...and he is daring enough to tackle the under side. He is also willing to do the neck, which is really wrinkly and one of my least favorite areas to cut. I can shear all the rest. Even the outside tail region...which, honestly, is disgusting. But, after 14 years, you kind of get used to smelling like sheep and looking like....well, not so good, afterward. Scrub down I tell you.

Now, I know you don't see a picture of me shearing, don't let that fool you. I was there shearing away, but apparently, I am the only one that takes pictures to show the hard work my spouse is doing. Documenting his hard work, the sweat, and sore hands. For our posterity.

Alas, contrary to the thought that it is all fun and games, there are dangers involved. This is where the kids come in handy. Wow...that sounds wrong. If you got a good look at my legs today at church, you would have seen all the bruises. I was battered. By sheep. They don't always look at the perks of being sheared and the good word doesn't pass as fast as I thought. So, you have to tie 'em down good and tight and have a little help from your (small) friends.

See? The rope is attached to the free leg. Well, I guess it isn't "free" if it's tied up. The front two are tied up by the head, leaving the hind legs "free".One reason I don't do stomachs...you can't have them completely tied up that way. Ember is strong, she helps keep that leg from moving. Not the most exciting job, but important.

Finally, one must inspect the workmanship of the shearers and make sure they did a good job. No one wants to rehire a person who nicks and cuts the sheep. Poor things. Too bad no one was hired....and there were plenty of nicks and cuts to go around. Kaysen was the ambassador of good will and made sure each sheep had a pleasant decent experience at the salon.

Acceptable reasons

In a book I read:

 "You want acceptable reasons why Daniel's not coming to school? Well, stick these in your fascist helmet:"
(At this point there is a list of ten reasons, counting down, but I will only give you the best ones!)
"Number nine: Daniel described your school as a holding pen for the 'criminally underinspired' ...
Number six: Daniel wrote an essay for his social studies class yesterday that was so good his teacher fainted, and we don't want to put any other educators in harm's way....
Number five: We've looked over the terms of the No Child Left Behind Act and determined that if your school is doing the driving, we're okay with Daniel being left behind....
Number two: Daniel's doctor fears that if Daniel has to hear one more nonsensical,, bureaucracy-inspired edict come out of your office, he may decide to flee the country."

My personal favorite is Number 5!

Daniel X
Watch the Skies
by James Patterson & Ned Rust

What makes you think of Grandma's House?

On the way to pick up Jaxen and Ember from school I was talking to Owen about going to Grandma's for Easter. He asked me which grandma. I told him Grandma Horsey. He thing proceeds to spew a list of words out loud:

milk
pa-corn
chairs
t-vev (tv)
snow
horses
sheeps (right, mom?)
one goat

Just like that, no sentences, just words. I then realize that these are the words he associates with Grandma Horsey.
 
milk - the last time we were up there we had hot chocolate made with milk (much better than with water!).
pa-corn - it is a treat to eat popcorn and watch a movie at Grandma's because she never watches tv!
chairs - we all pull out the folding chairs and sit around watching the tv, Grandma has no couches.
t-vev (tv) - see above.
snow - it was snowing the last time we went!

horses- Grandma Horsey is named that because she has horses.
sheeps (right, mom?) - she has sheep too!
one goat - yep, only one.

It is fascinating to see them work things out in their minds. Sometimes I wonder what and how they come to the conclusions they do on many things, but when I step back I can almost always see how they got to that assumption or answer. They really do think outside the box if we encourage them too!