It was bound to happen -- and here it is -- my first guest post as the "Farmer-at-Heart" husband.

Earlier this month our capable herd manager, Janet Franklin, made plans for the annual shearing with Jason Black from San Juan Island. It was unseasonably cold and wet this year, and many farms apparently put off their shearing, but we were fortunate to have a clear, beautiful day for the job.

Jason is a super person to work with, knows his animals well, and was incredibly patient with me: the novice. He is a skilled pro and I was glad it was him holding the shears and not me!

My job was to hold the animals as upright and steady as possible. Generally this was accomplished by wrapping one arm around a neck and twisting an ear to release calming endorphins with the opposite palm above the front shoulders, all along "speaking" to them softly. However, I often found myself resting an animal that wanted to go down on my knee, shoved against the run-in wall, or otherwise in all manner of contortion.

Some shearers/farms prefer to work with animals on their side and tied down. This takes quite a bit longer, but can be safer for jittery animals, and we resorted to this method at least twice. The third person's job is to gather, sort and mark the fleece. Janet and I occasionally traded this job.

Shearing is hard work lasting about twenty minutes per animal including corralling and haltering the next-up, the actual shearing, gathering samples, firsts and seconds, and sweeping up the thirds. In spite of the foul smelling spit and bodily bruises I tended to later in the day, it was undoubtedly one of the more satisfying span of six hours I have spent in a long time. In fact, Jen wanted me to entitle this post "Shear Delight" -- well there you have it, Dear.

Thank you also to my brother and aunt for coming up to help out and take these terrific pictures. Here is their photographic vignette: