Wild Ride on the Tilt A Whorl

Labor Day was nothing but a wild ride - at least for me... Wished I had pictures but it was just me and I was thankful for not having this on film - parts where not my finest hour.

As a child I loved those swirling Tea Cup Rides or anything that swirled around and around. Now you can't get in on the Roller Coaster - Hate Heights but anything that spun around fast was my ticket to ride. Thank goodness I had years of practice for what my Labor Day held for me.

I noticed that the little billies where getting too interested in the back ends of the ladies they where living with so I thought why not get them moved. Now this task over the years ran very smoothly because I had dear Sugar and Casper. They would gather the little boys up when I got them separated from their Mothers and walk them across the farm and into their new barn and pens. It would look like one of the scense from the movie "Babe", where the pig would just ask the sheep to walk and they would without the least bit of trouble - "That will do Pig"... Since it was going to be just me I thought no PROBLEM - SILLY Grace!!!

After getting all the mothers and babies into the big barn it was time to grab the boys, remove them and walk them over to their new digs. Here is where the round and round part of my story comes in. After two hours of spinning round and round trying to grab these fast little guys by the horns the task was done - at least this part of the task at hand. Now I admit is was a bit dizzing but I think most either would fall to the ground or up chucked, maybe both..

I closed the barn door so the boys could not see their mother and off we went with Shepard's hook in hand, tunes in my ears and a song in my heart to get across the farm. Yeah Right!!! I thought a person was suppose to get smarter with age?? Another two hours had passed and more round and around we went - the problem was I had 6 boys all going every which way without a single thought in their heads, typical story of when you get a group males together. The llama's tried to help but they thought I was confused and kept putting them back into their old pasture. The Llama's where doing what they normally do - putting things back when they get out. The dogs tried to help but when they would bark it freaked the boys out and they ran back to their old pasture. You see the dogs only bark when there is trouble and all have been taught to run back home to where they will be safe - you don't stand out in the open and surely you do not move to new uncharted territory. I was getting sun baked and tired of the dance so one by one I caught them again by the horns and put them between my knees and slowly we walked, Yeah Right, to their new barn. This was again the round and round we go dance and this time the billies got dizzy. As we slowly and I mean slowly walked across the large backyard they stepped all over the back of my heels with their sharp hooves, poked their sharp horns into my thighs and we are not even going to talk about how the blood was rushing to my head being bent over for hours trying to keep a death grip on the unwilling subjects. I was not going to stop because that would not only break the momentum but I think my body would realize the punishment it was under and give out. Now, I know you are thinking that does not sound that hard - try it and then talk to me....

An additional three hours now have passed but all the little boys are in their new digs. As I checked on Sugar each time after I secured another boy into the confines of the barn I thanked him for the years of making this event run so smoothly. I told him how much I am going to miss his talents and how this batch of boys will not have the privilege of his training and loving presence. Now the screaming, crying and running around like they are being chased by the devil himself will start. While they are doing all this racket the Mother's across the farm are screaming, crying and running around like their little one's have been stolen.. This drama is acted out every year and never changes. Around 3 am the noise dyed down but as soon as the sun rose on the eastern skyline the screaming began and so did the aspirin taking.

Looking back I gave out a big giggle - Labor Day around the farm is One Wild Ride!!!