Griselle has a lot of presence for a sheep, she has a withering start that falls somewhere between curiosity and contempt. I am fond of her, and I admire the leveling stare she lays on me when I show up with a camera. Like other strong women, she doesn’t budget, she looks me right in the eye and dares me to hit the shutter.

Griselle has a presence, and she’s carrying an awful lot of weight around on her back.

Next Saturday at 2 p.m. on the first day of our October Open House, shearer Jim McRae will shear Griselle and the other three new Romney sheep that have been rescued off of a farm in Shushan. It looks like Griselle has not been shorn in several years, it will be a shock for her and the first time we will get a really close look at her wool, which appears to be very beautiful.

We didn’t know this about Jim, but at the Open House, he is transformed into quite a showman, telling stories, singing songs, reading poems about shearing. We thought he was shy and quiet.

(Farrier Ken Norman will be trimming the equine hooves at noon Saturday.)

I imagine Jim will have his hands full, Griselle is big and strong-willed, and I don’t think she takes direction from men all that well.