24/7 No Overtime Pay
By Rebecca Rose Taylor
Copyright Rebecca Rose Taylor 2011
Smashwords Edition
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Kasey had been waiting for this day for months; she was taking her three-year-old son, Joey, to visit her sister and brother-in-law in the country while her husband was on a business trip. It had been two years since she’d last seen Keri and Bill, and her old rural hometown. The air, the quiet she loved it all but now her home and life was in the city.
They drove the eight-hour trek to the Tamarack Sheep Farm. Keri and Bill were expecting them but they didn’t happen to be in the house.
“How strange,” said Kasey. “It’s midnight and they aren’t here. Their truck is here though so they can’t be too far away.”
She looked around trying to see if she could see her sister or brother-in-law. Finally, she looked across the road and saw the barn light on.
“What are they doing in the barn at this late hour?” Kasey asked the night air. “I’ll use my key and let myself in.”
She picked up her sleeping son from the backseat of her car, shut the car door and went up the steps to the house and unlocked door. Once inside she laid the sleeping child on the sofa and sat down to wait for Keri and Bill.
Two and a half hours passed before Keri entered the house.
“Hi, Kase,” she said giving her sister a hug. “I’m glad you could come visit us. Too bad Tom couldn’t make it.”
“Yeah, well, you know how he is about his work,” said Kasey.” What kept you at the barn? It’s late; you should have been in bed hours ago.”
“Kase, for a country girl, you sure have a lot to learn. Farming is a twenty four/seven job, no holidays and no overtime pay. I’m not done for the night yet either I just came to get some colostrum for some of the lambs. We’ve had eight born tonight: a set of triplets, a set of twins and three single births. The ewe that had the triplets doesn’t have enough milk to take care of them all,” said Keri putting the container of colostrum she’d stored in a margarine container in a bowl of hot water in the sink.
“What are you doing?” asked Kasey.
“Thawing the colostrum so I can heat it up and put it in bottles to take out and feed the lambs.”
“Don’t you ever mistake the colostrum container for margarine?”
“Bill did once,” laughed Keri, “We were out of margarine so he got out a container which he thought we’d bought when the grocery store was having a sale. He went to spread it on his toast when he realized it wasn’t at all what he wanted. From then on, I’ve put one of these lamb stickers which I get at the dollar store on the lid to tell the difference. He hasn’t made a mistake like that since.”
“Do you have to do this everyday?” asked Kasey.
“It depends on who lambs. After a few days of colostrum, we put the lambs that need a little extra milk on milk replacer. It’s easier to make. You mix a cup full of powder in a pitcher of warm water, stir it and put it in the bottles,” said Keri.
“Oh, the amount of work!” exclaimed Keri. “It’s like having a bunch of children. I find it hard enough looking after one.”
“It’s not that bad, Kase, you’ll see later today, you’ll get to meet our sheep. You and Joey can even help feed the lambs.”
Eventually everyone got to bed and every four hours Keri and Bill took turns going out to check on their sheep.
“We really should build a bedroom onto the barn,” said Bill later that morning.
“I’ve thought about it,” teased Keri. “Let’s get the sheep all fed and introduce Joey to them. He’s just going to love the lambs. They’re so cute.”
They headed to the barn, the April rains made everything muddy but at least the grass was growing well. Bill went up to the hayloft and tossed down square bales for Keri to feed. She hauled them over to the troughs, cut the strings and spread out the flakes of hay.
“You’re strong, Sis,” commented Kasey.
“You think this is hard work,” answered Keri. “You haven’t seen anything yet. Come back in July when we’re haying and I’ll show you hard work. About four wagonloads of these a day until we get it all done depending on the weather. You have to pile the bales on the wagon, then unload them on the elevator and stack them in the boiling loft.”
“Sheep furry,” said Joey.
“They sure are and usually a lot more than that too, we just sheared their wool last month to get ready for lambing season. The older they get the more wool they have. It takes about a week to shear them all, “answered Keri.
“Mama, am I going to be furry like that when I grow up?” asked Joey.
“No, Joey,” laughed Kasey, “You’re a person, only sheep, dogs and other such animals have fur.”
It didn’t take long before the week was over and Kasey and Joey had to head home.
“This has been fun, we’ll have to do it again sometime,” said Kasey.
“Don’t wait as long as last time,” answered Keri.
“Maybe I’ll take you up on your July offer when Tom and Joey are on their baseball adventure.”
“Anytime, Kase, I’ll be talking to you.”
Kasey and Joey headed down the road thinking of their next adventure.
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About the author:
Rebecca Rose Taylor has loved creating stories since before she was able to write them on paper. Rebecca is excited to be able to share her work with you. This is her first book published through Smashwords and she is hoping to have more for you to read in the future. Rebecca lives on a farm in Quebec, Canada and this is where she got the idea for 24/7 No Overtime Pay. Rebecca currently works as secretary-receptionist at a senior’s home and writes when she isn’t working or helping on the farm. Rebecca also loves reading, crocheting and quilting.