I was to pick up Javier and Edgar at the sheep pens at 6:30. All the sheep were tucked in their pen and Edgar told me that Saturday they will all be separated, since they had not been able to do it Wednesday because of the snow. The lambs will be loaded on the truck to a feedlot in Denver where they will be given GMO corn and other junk to fatten them up as much as possible for the next two months before slaughter. Grassfed meat certainly does not always mean grass finished.

This was one of the lead ewes with her bell on.

Javier was not there yet, as he was settling his sheep down for the night at his camp and then he rode up on his horse.

He gave the horse some water and let him go free, as it will stay around Edgar’s horse which is staked out. I noticed that they give Redmond salt with trace minerals to the animals.

He had a small backpack and his little dog with him, but his dog stayed at Edgar’s trailer as we head off to the farm for dinner.

Our sheep were so bad yesterday, and kept finding ways to get under the fence on to our neighbor’s property. We certainly have enough to eat here, but they just get bored. This sheep chasing certainly occupied most of my day and now I know the worst spots in the fence, hopefully Noni and I can fix it today, to stop that party. I was not able to get everything done with our animals for the night, so I asked them to help me hold Salomon down while I give him his pain and inflammation medicine.

Salomon got kicked in the mouth five days ago by the bad horse. His lower jaw where his teeth are is broken and his teeth are pushed off to the side, but he is progressing. The vet came and gave him antibiotics and I have to give him this other medicine for 6 days.

She also tubed him with some milk, but he is able to nurse now.

So anyway, Javier examined his mouth and did not like the looks of his gums which had some infection and gunk. We held the calf down as he cleaned out all of that stuff. Poor Edgar got the short end of the stick in the holding department, or should I say the back end of the calf.

When he stood up he was covered in baby calf, runny, raw milk poop. AHHHH!!! Poor Edgar! They both laughed and said all was well, but it was not. It of course was his only coat and pants, so I got a pair of Luit’s pants and put his and the coat in the washing machine. Whew.

Javier does think Salomon will be ok when his baby teeth fall out and his permanent teeth come in.

At dinner I find out that there is not one El Patron which owns all the sheep, but four different ones (with their Patronas) and they are all one family. They both like all of the patrons very much, except the one which owns Javier’s sheep and refuses to pay him and is angry and screams all the time. Poor Javier has not been able to call his family in Peru for over 4 months because the patron won’t buy him a cell phone calling card either. Javier promised that today he was going to INSIST to be paid.

Edgar likes his patron, but he is still fed up with the lousy pay of $700 a month. He is quitting this business and going back to his family in Peru on October 19th. What a shock for the new replacement fresh from Peru to show up here in the mountains at the end of October. hmmmmm.

After dinner, Javier got out his backpack and began to tell us how much he loves to dance in the Peruvian style and he brought his Peruvian poncho, hat and a dvd player with his music. They both said that Peru is filled with music and dancing and festival after festival.

So Javier wanted Edgar to take Javier’s camera and video the dancing to someday show his family when he gets back home.

Javier then goes into a long speech about Dios, familia, amigos y amigas, gracias Estados Unidos and all that, and then the music begins!

In all the excitement, our dogs know how to open the door, and let themselves in to join in the dancing.

On to the next song, and the dogs are put out and door locked.

Javier changes again for a more cool cat dancer. As you can see, someone really does not like dancing, or to be embarrassed.

So there is continues checking the drier to see if Edgar’s jacket and pants are dry, and lo and behold, the pants somehow remained in the washer. “Sorry, Mama.” and now there is more time for dancing while the pants dry, then the long drive up the mountain to take them to their trailers.

Javier also takes his white, veterinary lab coat out of his backpack to wear during pictures with us all for his family back home.

Edgar’s patron will take his trailer far, far away tomorrow way up high, so Javier will be all alone again.

You know what? you can’t make this stuff up.