Big Billy Goat, Sheering, Round Bale and Mudding

I feel really bad about yesterday. The kids and I drove all the way down to Waxahachie (S. of Dallas) and picked up an Angora goat "herd sire." Since we started with just the three nannie angoras, we needed a male to complete the team. He fills the bill nicely. He is actually a registered show goat and is probably worth somewhere around $900 according the previous owner (who gave him to us free of charge!) He is an amazing animal and we are excited to have him. He is absolutely massive compared to all our other angoras, and while he is freshly shorn, we are expecting him to have some nice fiber and even better bloodlines. The next round of angora kids we have will likely be very nice goats!
While we were picking him up, we chatted with his previous owner for some time and for some reason, I finally received the motivation to go out and try to sheer one of our nannies. The only clippers to be had were the cheapo ones we use for our own haircuts, so I hooked them up, improvised a sheering stand, and went to town on one of the angora nannies. It worked just good enough to keep me going and after 2 or 3 hours of sweaty labor, one goat is shorn. She is really small looking without all that mohair, and she is actually pink because the clippers took the hair down so close to the skin. the good news is that since the clippers are made for humans, it was extremely easy to not nick her skin, so I got the entire fleece off with no blood!
Of course, yesterday was Sunday, and I feel horrible for having spent most of the day messing around with goats. I am definitely going to be making sure that doesn't happen again.
Tonight, after work, I stopped by at my friends house around 5:30p and spent the next 3 hours (not exaggerating) getting a single round bale of hay onto his flatbed trailer. Using mostly spoons....no, just kidding...using two ratchet straps, a come-a-long and several tow straps, I eventually got it onto the trailer. I would have liked to have gotten 3 (which would have fit on there just fine) but I was actually afraid that I would be stuck on his lower pasture with just the one bale, and it was getting dark, so I left with just the one. To get out without getting stuck, I psyched myself up (telling myself that I had just one chance at this) and slammed on the gas (actually diesel) and rocketed up the hill. Due to the fact that the bale was at the front of the trailer adding weight to my drive axle, I actually got pretty good traction (more than I expected) and by the time I hit his hill, I was really moving and actually had to let off the accelerator because I am pretty sure I actually jumped the truck. It was a bit crazy, but I did not get stuck (and even managed not to hit a tree or his gate.) The question is; "should I get another one tomorrow?"