A few years ago, an Amish neighbour invited me in to see the quilt she was working on, and we got to talking. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a newspaper I didn’t recognize and when she saw me looking, she put it in my hands and said I could have it. It was called The Budget and consisted of letters to and from Amish and Mennonite writers. They shared births, deaths, local events, accidents, that sort of thing. Kind of like a blog.
Every letter began with a few lines about the weather. I love that. Before anything else — before plans or opinions or news — there is always the sky above you and whatever the day brings. So, taking a cue from The Budget, here’s a glimpse of the rain that greeted me this morning:
But something else has been on the forefront of my mind these days. The farm has grown exponentially in the last 2 weeks, or at least it feels that way. We have 12 new lambs, for a total of 24 sheep! Lambing is thrilling and exhausing in equal measure. It’s also super cute. So much cuteness, every day.
Letting them all out to pasture for the first time was mildly chaotic. The ewes rushed out, and the lambs came running after them, baaa-ing for their mom. Some new moms forgot they had a baby, so back to the barn they both went, together until they bonded.
Later this year we’ll have pasture-raised lamb available for people who are looking to source meat locally and who want to know how the animals were raised. If that’s something meaningful to you, feel free to reach out to me.
We’ve also been getting the fields ready for planting. I’m happy to report that I am getting much more comfortable on the tractor. Sometimes it’s even fun! Most of our fields will be filled with seed crops once again. This year we’re growing corn, edamame, sunflowers, watermelon, and lots of different flowers. We will grow the plants this summer and harvest them in the fall, for seeds. Witnessing the entire cycle of a plant, from seed to seed, coaxing it to life and then gathering seeds after the bloom has faded, is quite something. It’s a kind of satisfaction that stays with you. But then again, any sort of growing brings a special kind of satisfaction. If you’re still looking for seeds this year, you can see what we have available here.
The last thing I wanted to mention was that we have been busy growing seedlings. We will be selling seedlings at two upcoming events. We will be at the Saugeen Trading Community Spring Market on June 6th at the Elmwood Community Centre from 12:00-3:30 pm. The Elmwood Family Fun Fest will take place just down the road that same day, happy coincidence.
And on Saturday June 13th we will be selling seedlings at the Durham Herb Fair from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm in Riverside Park. I’ve never been, because it coincides with another event every year, but I am very excited to participate. I’ve heard it’s well-attended.
All right my friends, that’s it for now. Hope you are well. Hasta pronto, à bientôt.
The cuteness!!! Just wait until the lambs gambol for you. Play music for them when they are a little older and you’ll see ;) Thanks for sharing such special moments on the farm.