Ode To a Vermont Shepherd and Her Sugar Maker

posted in: Maple Sugaring 2

Twas the day before sugaring, When all through the woods, Not a maple was left standing without a spout or a hood. The buckets were hung round the maples with care, In hopes that springtime soon would be there. All over town, sugar makers nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of evaporators whistled in their heads. At Grand … Read More

The Heart Work of Shepherding

posted in: Lambing 7

  shepherding ~ a person who tends and rears sheep. The past two weeks have been one of those heart wrenching times when shepherding has not been easy, when the tears flow gently. The dictionary makes the job of shepherding sound so cut and dry, so black and white. It does not talk about the heart work of shepherding-the clinging … Read More

Last Minute Gifts for the Shepherd in Your Life

posted in: Homesteading 0

Last year, I gave you three gift ideas for the shepherd in your life. I thought I would add to that list for those of you still doing your holiday shopping. So here goes: Lamb Cam – During lambing season, we do round the clock barn checks to see if new lambs have arrived or if laboring moms are doing … Read More

New Shepherds Fill Your Knitting Bag

posted in: Knitting 0

Last spring, we made the decision to reduce our Romney flock of sheep and to begin a process of switching to Gotland sheep. Last summer, we began selling our breeding ewes and finding new homes for those sheep who could no longer be bred, making room for the new flock of Gotland sheep that would arrive to our farm in … Read More

A Shawl for a Shepherd Friend

posted in: Knitting 13

Joining Ginny this week  for Yarn Along to share a story about a shawl for a shepherd friend. It seems fitting that as I have been knitting the past two weeks, I have also been reading a book titled The Art and Science of Shepherding, as I have been knitting a gift for a shepherding friend. (The book deserves its own … Read More

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