The Long, Hard Day’s Journey of Justin Rhodes (to Get Sheep)

Today is the big day, leaving for Missouri, going to get 9 sheep. Grandma and Big Daddy and Josiah and I. Hey, wait a minute, we'll feed you, we'll feed you in a little bit. That's my home for the next 3 days, a rental truck. I'm finding out I really like the rental truck idea. I don't have to own yet another car, pay taxes, insurance on yet another car. Barely any miles. I don't gotta worry about it breaking down. I like that. I think that makes me breathe easier. Hey, you going with? You can. I'd like to think that cat would want to go with me. It's not about me, it's about the cats. Everybody doing grand. Got some Mr. T. And about Big Daddy and Grandma, I'm actually hiring them to drive me. Why? Well, early on in this entrepreneurial content creation adventure, that was like one of the best things I ever did, is to begin hire people to help me do things they can do, and then I would focus on things that really only I could do, like create content for you guys. Creating— so while they're driving, I'll be editing this vlog I'll be working on permaculture pigs edit. I'll be working on the member area. Let's get the rooster teeth, throw this big stuff out. I have like an endless mine of rooster teeth here, y'all. So it's really an amazing thing— help somebody else out, creating an income for them, growing the business, providing more content for the audience. It's absolutely a win-win-win. I'll help you out. Put some fresh shavings down before I leave.

Looks like they're starting to grow nicely.

They do. They look like they're doing really good.

There's one dead right there.

What?

There's one dead. I just buried it.

Oh, will you pick it up?

It's like they've been dead for a while.

Yeah, well, let's get it out of here though. What do you think? That's much better. All right, guys. Hey, you know what that means, Jonah? 4 eggs. She's done being broody. We could get them out now. Let's get them out now. They're the reason this is tearing up so fast. Guineas don't tear it up very fast. Jonah, how are we going to catch them without the guineas flying out? Try to get the big mama hen right now. She's right there. Wow, that was easy. Oh look, she's going right back to Boston, people. Oh look, he's already getting it on with her. Wow, that's quite the welcome. They're already spreading my hay. You guys just love this. Thank you very much. Look how well they're spreading that. Good job. That's the ticket, isn't it? Good job. Hey, I'm gonna miss you. Okay, okay. You're supposed to say I'll miss you too.

What?

You will?

You will?

Or you're just saying that to be nice, huh? Mr. Okay. All right, checking on our mulch. Boy, it's not drying out with this weather. I mean The weather's been like this the whole time and 70. I mean, it's great for working in, filming in, but not for drying out mulch. We might have to get some from underneath our tarp out there, and that's okay. I just kind of hope to dry this off. Let's turn it one more time. We're gonna go—

I'm gonna go back up and back and show you the trailer. I put hay in it.

I put 3 Oh nice, 3 fits in there.

That one's really jammed, so you're gonna really have to tug and—

yeah, but it's probably all we need.

You want to— you wanted to— you— if you wanted to, you could cut it. Yeah, and take flakes.

11 hours without sheep. Hopefully we're gonna make that in one day. Those sheep will not go through 3 hay bales in one day. They're gonna be stressed out. We'll be lucky if they eat at all. We'll be lucky if they drink.

You want it to be hung, or do you just want it to be on the ground?

This has to stay in here. I think that's our registration. I don't think— see, I think we'll stop and give them water. Okay. I don't think— because it'll slosh around.

I see.

Yeah, good idea though. I see where you're going with that. Jonah's gonna take care of the ICs, then you'll come catch me. Hey, you got to be easy on that door, it's not gonna last. Okay, you gonna ride down the hill on Henry? Okay, need a little help? Okay, go that path and then go crossways down the— Wobble it, wobble it. Okay, nobody's coming. Good morning, it's our big day today. Good morning, beautiful one.

Good morning.

Good morning, Mr. Brown.

Good morning.

Mom's got some of my stuff packed. I'm gonna go start packing. Milking time. She's ready to go. She's over here ready to go. Okay, Miss Thing, you gonna have your baby? You can't have it now for 3 days, okay? You listen. You hearing me? No baby for 3 days. What are you doing? Okay, well, now we're done milking. I got some water for the sheep. Where should we put it, Jonah? Oh, I put it in the back of the truck.

I put that— wait, come here.

No, because it might spill in there. Let's put it in the back of the truck. Let me see what we got. What do we got here, guys?

We did it right here so we could do those, so you can come in.

That's smart.

I'm in the same area.

That's smart. We'll have a little tack room right here.

Yeah, we do.

That's good. Good job, guys. Yeah.

Do you want to take any halters?

We got alfalfa, we got our pails. Yeah, we got our water buckets back in there. We got our, uh, trays for feeding alfalfa. This is gonna be fun. There's gonna be sheep in there, Josiah. I know, sheep in there. Not today, not tomorrow, but the next day. All right, guys, and we're We're getting a mega tour with Greg on Thursday, Thursday, Thursday afternoon, evening. Gonna make a nice video for the member area, but of course we'll conclude some of that content in the vlog. This has got to be one of the best shepherds in the country. Why else would we drive 12 hours, wait a year to get these sheep? Beauty's packing our snacks. Our meals. There's one place we can eat, isn't there?

In Columbia, Missouri.

That's organic.

It's organic, and we ate there on the tour.

Yeah. Look at this sink, Rebecca, coming in handy. That deep sink. Do we have two?

I don't think we quite need two, but it'll be fine. Yes, we do have two.

I need two, right, Mama?

Because we don't drink a gallon.

2, 3, 4, 4 people, 3 days. Okay, all right.

It's only 2.5 really.

Yeah, and we don't— I don't drink much on the road. Don't drink a lot. Okay. Don't be like John where you're having to pee every hour and a half.

Do you want to just bring like 7 gallons of water?

Yes! Yes! Sunshine! I need sunglasses. This is amazing. We haven't had the sun in like a week-ish. All right, you guys ready to go pick this thing up?

We're ready to drive to Missouri like this.

Hang on tight. You got some blueberry syrup on your face there, Mr. Brown.

I think he enjoyed that thoroughly.

I think so. Go that way.

Look to your left, buddy.

Go that way.

And you have this much that way.

Grandma's giving a lesson to Jonah on how to help. Back up.

All right, we're almost there. This is our food schedule, huh?

Nice.

You ready? Hey, next time you poke your head in there, Becky, I know it's gonna be— it's gonna be a nice little sheep. It's gonna be fun. Yeah, cute as can be, I bet. I bet. Scared to death though. They're gonna be so scared.

It's gonna be rough.

Oh, thank you guys for the hug. We'll see you. Miss you, Papa.

I wish I could go.

You do?

Yes. Lily's hugging me hard.

Bye, Gideon.

Bye. That's nice. I'm glad you gave me a hug too. That's nice. All right, here we go. Grandma's got first leg. Here we go.

Yeah, you got second shift. Big Daddy, I guess. I don't know, maybe she'll drive it. She might drive it all the way there. It's all right, it's only 6 hours. Yeah, I just let her have it.

Got enough snacks.

Come on.

Is this going to tip over?

No, no, promise you don't lean on it.

Is it that heavy, Jonah?

It's okay.

Woo-hoo!

They're giving me a ride. This view never ever ever gets old. It is absolutely amazing. And while Amonzo wouldn't ride in the wagon, he's still accompanying us. And they're off already. That was a ton of fun. We are getting Grandma's umbrellas that were left up here, and then we're gonna go back to the house.

Turn right on Josiah's been taking pictures. Oh, that's cool, the cars are up on the roof.

Nice.

And you listen to audiobook? What audiobook you listening to? Farmer Boy. Farmer Boy. Thank you, Best Buy. That's, that's the cost of leaving your camera bag. But all the stuff I can still use.

You, you left your camera bag?

Yes, I left my camera bag. You wouldn't think I made a movie every day, would you? Leaving the camera back. But I do have 3 cameras on me still: the point-and-shoot, this guy, and that guy. So we're in good shape. We've refueled and we're back on the road. You bored yet, Josiah?

Turn, turn left.

Oh, we do?

Yep, see west.

Great American Farm Tour right here. Woo!

Back at the house.

I guess I should do some things. Trying to think if I need to do any chores.

I don't.

I guess I should go check on Phyllis. Let's do that. And this guy is passed out.

I bet Phyllis is going to have a calf cuz Papa had to leave.

Yep, there are a lot of trees growing up in here, aren't there? I am not dressed appropriately for this. Are you sure she's up there? Yeah, Jonah didn't see him up there, so I'm gonna go and walk the lane. He's walking up there. We're gonna see, see where they are. I've got my crew back there. All right, Jonas says she's about to have it, but I think he said that like every day, every time we've ever seen her.

Oh, there they are.

The news is she's gonna have a calf. We just don't know when. This keeps getting closer and closer to the time, and then she'll have it, and then hopefully we'll video it. Hopefully. We're just gonna keep checking on her.

Sun's coming down, but we gained an hour, didn't we, guys?

Yeah, we did.

How was it, big daddy, driving this big truck?

Good. Which way am I going? Uh, I don't know.

Trucks, trucks and cars with trailers.

This way?

Yeah.

Got today's edit done. It's gonna take— it's gonna take a while. 57 minutes left. It's been at it for 30 minutes. Got the internet through my phone hotspot. Gotta start on the next one because tomorrow's gonna be a crazy busy day.

Right here?

Yeah, they're sleeping.

They're sleeping.

We just switching or are we going to the potty? Who needs to go?

We're just switching.

You need to go?

Kind of.

We've decided to push through, go all the way to St. Louis because Grandma and Big Daddy have never been to the Arch. You've been to the Arch? Yeah, but Grandma and Big Daddy have never been. So we're gonna drive late tonight, get up there in the morning, have a leisure drive tomorrow. On the road again with Grandma.

Yep, my turn.

The C River. Oh boy, it's big. Ohio River. Oh, come on with me.

Well, we've never been up here.

Look at all these rivers. No wonder we're such a great country.

That sunset though. We're getting fuel. It's 8 o'clock. Where are we? What state are we in? Illinois. Illinois time? Yeah, 9 o'clock North Carolina time. How much longer do we have, Grandma?

Oh, let's say an hour and a half.

Hour and a half. Who's, who's doing it?

We're almost there.

I don't know who's driving, me or you.

Sure it'll be me.

You want me to drive? No, she don't want me to drive. She don't trust me.

No, that doesn't have nothing to do with it.

There it is, 10 o'clock Missouri time. It's been a long time since I saw That has—

look at this, we go on one side of the—

wow—

column and they go on the other. Is that crazy?

Keep it in the center, man.

That's where really easy to crash into.

Yeah, but people that have had too much to drink did it before.

There it is, guys, I see it. You're getting to see it at night. Yeah, better take a look.

Looks different.

Look at those big lights they got on it.

There's people hanging out around it for sure. Look at that hotel right there. Arch right there. Josiah, come here and look, buddy.

I already saw.

Look at that view. I know.