Good Afternoon,
I've got a fun story to share from last weekend. Anne and I embarked on a Lamb delivery adventure, a round trip to the far side of Toronto and back. And let me tell you, it was quite an adventure. Picture this: GPS guiding us to the wrong addresses thanks to my incorrect requests, an surprise trip down memory lane near my old college house in High Park, Toronto, and delightful surprises from our customers along the way.
As we made our rounds, one of our wonderful customers treated us to warm homemade soup, and another shared the most delicious specialty donuts. It was a busy but enjoyable day, filled with wonderful conversations and unexpected moments of kindness.
Now, while all this excitement was happening, I had some important tasks waiting for me back home. You see, ensuring a steady supply of Lamb for our customers is essential. So, after completing the Windsor deliveries on Sunday, I had to rush back home to get some critical work done. It was time to put the Rams in with the Ewes to secure a supply of Lambs for our early summer shipments. Talk about planning ahead!
My task was to sort 30 Ewes and 5 Rams into their designated spaces, ensuring that our special Ram was paired with specifically selected Ewes to produce some keeper Lambs. It wasn't the most refined operation, but after a few hours of work, I got it done. The boys were ready to work their magic, and I went to bed feeling accomplished.
But the next morning, I headed to the barn for chores, and something felt amiss. There were only two Rams in the pen when there should have been four. I thought, "This is odd." I searched the pen, thinking I might have overlooked them. But no, they were nowhere to be found. To make matters more perplexing, the gates were closed. Where did they disappear to?
It turns out that the other two Rams were not thrilled with our special Ram getting all the attention. They had staged a mini-revolt. They'd broken a gate latch, pushed the gate open, and brought a few Ewes along with them. And, remarkably, they managed to close the gate behind them, isolating themselves with the special Ram in the other pen.
The situation was a bit upsetting. We lost out on potential replacement Lambs, and it felt like all the stress over the weekend about sorting was for naught. But, as the saying goes, "It is what it is." I decided to remove the gate and reunite the whole group.
Catch you later, farming is a journey with a few "ewe-nique" detours along the way!
Farmer Rod