A Moment of Rest
We’re looking straight into the heart of winter now. Day length is on the positive side of the season, but I still feel like an antisocial creature stuck away in a small world, moving only between home and barn. Our daily lives slow down just a little this time of year. Shearing is less and the farm work lightens. I welcome the calm even as I grow restless due to more time at my computer than with the flock. I finally have most of last year’s records and reflections wrapped up, new schedules have been anticipated, and our goals are set for the months ahead. This is when we lay the foundation for the whole year. A small sense of predictability is a comfort, even knowing that plans will have to change and adapt.
I’m beginning to understand the importance of gauge swatches, finally!
While hunched over computers and notebooks for hours on end, we make it a greater priority than ever to take breaks. The cold is a convincing enough force to keep us inside and making more time for reading, playing cards, and of course knitting. Well, I do the knitting. Colin prefers crochet. Currently, Colin is in love with the Cascade Scarf pattern by Rebecca Jackson which works up beautifully with our Border Leicester DK. The luster and drape of the Leicester yarn gives this scarf such an elegant appeal. I’ve grown so fond of how his project looks, I thought I’d take a couple of skeins for myself. I have my eye on the Easy Striped Triangle Scarf by Churchmouse Yarn and Teas. I lack some…well, really any confidence in my knitting so this simple pattern with three colors in garter stitch should be just right. The natural colors of our sheep’s wool are a delight to work with, but I might try something new for this one. That “something” isn’t ready for release just yet but here’s a little teaser!
Farm chores are still abundant and if I’m entirely honest, I’ve felt busier than ever. The most urgent task on hand is preparations for lambing. Two Finn ewes delivered their lambs (perfectly, might I add!) in January and I expect a few more ewes to lamb this week. But the true flurry of lambs won’t arrive until late February and March. So, we’ve had time to organize the barn and restock the lambing kit. The “working” side of our milk-house-turned-sheep-barn gets cleaned out and lambing jugs installed. The jugs are nothing fancy – just scrap wood strapped together to make individual pens with heat lamps. Plus, one extra panel that can quickly go up if an extra jug is needed, because we ran into that last year. There was one instance of 13 lambs born in 24 hours. That was fun! Our lambing kit has been restocked with all the essentials: naval dip, tubing supplies, molasses for the dams, clean towels, and more.
And then it’s all about the ewes. We have roughly estimated due dates for each, but never trust those. Instead we watch, observe, and carefully calculate each sheep’s behaviors. We can tell when they’re feeling heavier as their lambs near full development. We watch udders to see who’s bagging up and know what kind of lactation to expect from each experienced dam. We keep a close eye on all the first timers, prepared for anything from them. Many will take to their lambs well but you never do know what they’ll think when they see their first lambs on the ground beside them, slimy and squeaking. My absolute favorite part of lambing is coming to recognize each ewe’s differences in character. They all take to their gestations differently in minor ways and the more years I spend with them, the better I am at recognizing those particularities.
I mentioned our extra care to take breaks this time of year and part of that is also in step with pre-lambing rituals. We make sure to get a little extra sleep and maybe even some slightly more restful days. Once lots of lambs arrive there’s no expectations for regular sleep. Colin and I can switch off with each other during lambing duties so the other can catch up on some sleep. But to be honest, neither of us wants to miss a moment. This is what we’re really here for after all. It’s these ewes whose parents we raised and lineage we’ve studied, whose entire lives are catalogued in our memories that we are working for everyday. We’ve each already dedicated a lifetime to the sheep you’ll find out in that barn. Our flocks raised us. When ushering in the next generation, we tend to every new hope and goal for our farm.
So, before the marathon of sleepless nights begin, we rest. As lambing is winding down shearing will reliably pick up again and soon we’ll be on the road nearly seven days per week, pastures will sprout, and the rotations of grazing will begin. This is our moment of rest for the year.
Wherever you are at present, I hope you can find some time to relax as well if only for a moment. Pick up a book or cast on something new and exciting. We live by the needs of the flock and hopefully you feel in some small way that you can too.