Shearing-an annual ritual on every sheep farm-where sheep fall still in the hands of the shearer and wool falls to the floor in thick blankets. Shearer works with confidence and ease, talking to the sheep as clippers buzz, balancing between knees and carefully placed feet. Ewe sits, completely trusting the hands of the shearer. Onlookers wonder at the rhythm of … Read More
Lambing season brings out my nesting instincts. Every year, just before lambs arrive, I go through this ritual of preparing for the new lambs. The barn has been swept clean. The lambing pen has been set up, ready to welcome the new lambs to the farm. I have readied my lambing kit, restocking, ordering, and taking inventory of my supplies. … Read More
Hop over to Woolful to read my guest post on lambing season. Tomorrow, we being our watch here for our 2015 lambs to arrive. For now, we savor and remember the sweet moments from last year’s lambing season with this one picture which captures a single moment in time to cherish. (Join Soulemama to share your moment to remember.)
Years ago, we chose to live surrounded by open fields and mountains, to make do on a single income, to raise our own food, to learn through living life, to have dirt between our toes, and to allow animals into our lives. Our three children had no choice but to enter the lifestyle my husband and I had chosen. They … Read More
When telling someone that I raise sheep, they almost always follow with, “Sheep are really dumb animals, aren’t they?” Many people think that sheep fall at the bottom of the scale of intelligence, but after 11 years of shepherding, I know differently. We may think that all sheep look the same, but studies show that sheep can recognize and remember … Read More
