Much excitement in the days since the fair. We have been trying to catch our two elderly sheep all summer, with the intent of shearing off a couple of years of scraggly, burdock-filled wool. We could have caught them with the dogs, but it has been so hot, and they are so old, that we didn't want to stress them that way. They got so wily that you couldn't even lay a hand on either of them. The impasse continued until the boss began to scratch them behind the ears every day when he went out to feed Junie and Bayberry their grain. The sheep were eager to steal a little and so they tolerated his touch. Night before last Alan took the grain out to the heifers and just grabbed a passing sheep. We haltered both of them and the others did the milking while I got out the scissors. Yes, that's right, scissors. It took two hours of bending over cranky woolies, carefully separating wool from tender sheep hide before they were semi, sort-of, halfway sheared. Freckles, the old white ewe, loved it and stood like a statue. BS, whose name means just what you might think that it would, fought and struggled the whole time. When we turned them loose, they demonstrated the high intelligence level of the average sheep, by not recognizing each other and fighting like fools until they started bleating and knew each other's voices. Then they trotted off, happier and cooler by far.

Next came the hornets. Every time we moved the horse trailer this summer, there have been clouds of them whirring around trying to sting everyone. We looked for nests on the ground under it, but just couldn't find any. Still the nasty insects were there every time we went near the trailer. The boss found out why yesterday when he put his hand under the hitch to pick up the safety chain. The nest was suspended under the hitch. He was badly stung.

Then while my good friend and I were getting the bookkeeping caught up and enjoying homemade soup and good fellowship, the guys went over to the auction and bought two lovely little bunnies, a white one for Becky and a red satin for Alan. When Alan was out by the coop petting his bunny a veritable cloud of yellow jackets swirled out of the ground stinging him and the poor bunny horribly. She ran under the chicken coop where we can't to get her, and he ran for the house. It was a sad time all around. I hope we can catch her soon. Grandpa has a Have-a-Heart humane trap we are going to borrow and hope that she will go inside.