Found the wooden ramps we'd bought when we fetched the wood cook stove, then went into the sheep enclosure with a grain bucket and a halter on a lead to catch Jupiter. Dragged him out the gate and straight up the ramp ! Into the truck bed. Fastened the other end of the lead to the u-bend on the truck bed close to the cab, then shaped the cattle panel around him and tied it with bale twine. Closed the back and fastened it with the ratchet strap.
Then went to shower as I was sweating muchly, and put clean clothes on, and plastered a little stuff on my face :). Put a box in the back of the cab, lines it with a towel and went and fetched the puppies. 2 trips in a smaller cardboard box, loaded Anni in too and off we went.
Could see Jupiter in the review mirror and he was a champ. Called Salle to let her know we were on our way, and she was on her way to Grand Rapids for. 1pm eye appointment, so we got here way before she did.
Carried the box of puppies into the kitchen. Anni didn't want to know Jack, her runt from her 1st litter and tried to take him out ! Probably only because he's a male and she has the puppies. He cowered and yelped, so I made sure to keep them apart and have better control of Anni.
Was much harder to off-load Jupiter. He didn't want to follow me down the ramp. So I left him at the top of the ramp for a while, with the grain bucket on the ground then went back and holding the lead firmly, half dragged him down. Filled a bucket of water for him and tied him to the truck until Salle arrived and we could take him to the correct pasture.
I walked around and looked at all Salles' progress since I'd last visited her. She called when she was leaving Grand Rapids saying it'd be another 45 minutes before she got home and that we'd have lunch, she just needed to cook some rice to go with the leg of lamb. So I searched the kitchen until I found the rice, couldn't find a microwave bowl, so found a pot and put some rice on. Anni fed the pups, and I started this blog until the battery died, so I saved my work and went and plugged it into the charger in the truck, and read a newspaper until Salle arrived.
After eating, roast lamb with onions, lovage, garlic and the reconstituted chicken of the woods mushrooms I'd brought, we went to move some sheep and load Hershey into the truck. Jack is such a good help with the sheep. Anni was lying on the outside of the fence. In the hold position while Jack herded the sheep inside the enclosures. We had to be a little ingenious on getting Hershey into our truck, as the Dually is too wide to fit the loading chute. So Salle backed her truck, we loaded him onto hers, then backed the 2 trucks and moved him from hers to mine. Worked rather well. Fortunately he is a very calm ram, although he had some blood on his head from going at it with Jupiter before we could separate them. I was a little worried about off-loading him once back home, as he's 200lbs and not as friendly at mine.
Salle wanted some young friends to see the puppies, 2 young girls. They came over with their mum and baby sister and everyone was holding a puppy. They'd just been fed so were fat and sleepy. After checking with Anni, puppies were dished out after the toll of petting Anni had been paid :). I left when the sky was already pinking. Later than I wanted as driving in the dark isn't my favourite and I couldn't see the ram in the back. Was hoping to stop at Sams Club for some stuff, but I was so late I didn't.
Back home, I backed the truck to the sheep enclosure, undid the baler twine, pulled it, opening the one side, untied Hershey and moved him to the tailgate. He eyes the ground, bleating back to the other sheep, then gracefully leapt to the ground, joining my other sheep.
Unpacked the puppies and all my other stuff from the truck so that Herbie can take it in the morning. He was already sleeping when I got home. My hard-working man.