Blog
Grass Farming
May 13, 2022
Sheep, like all ruminants, can extract everything they need to flourish and thrive by eating grass. Their four chambered stomachs ferment and extract nutrients from plant cellulose, which for the rest of us is indigestible.
Every summer, pastures absorb carbon from the atmosphere, and sequester it in the ground, and unless the pasture is plowed to grow grain or vegetables, it stays there forever. Grasslands aren’t static, though. Unless they are grazed, mowed, or burned they will eventually
Clatter Valley
May 6, 2022
In the late1 600’s the frontier town of Farmington was connected to Hartford by way of the Clatter Valley Road. It was the clattering of the horse drawn wagons making their way over the rough terrain that gave the road its name.
By the time my great grandmother bought the property the road was no longer a public right of way, but they kept it cleared and used it as access to the pond, pastures, and woodlots. It was still technically drivable when I was a kid, but no one ever did. My mom walked
Bluebirds
April 29, 2022
Two bluebirds are nesting in a bluebird box outside our dining room window. We might as well set a place for them at the table, as we spend much of our evening meal discussing their comings and goings. After a day spent taking care of our animals, it’s oddly relaxing to watch another pair so diligently provide for their own.
We watched as the male collected twigs for the nest the female was building. He seemed very particular, searching at length for just the right stick – small enough to fit
The Race is On
April 22, 2022
The race is on! Our hayloft is unfortunately emptying faster than our pastures are growing. The fields have had plenty of rain, so now with a little bit of sunshine, we might just make it with what hay we have left. It is always a bit stressful this time of year because the only hay that is still available for sale, tends to be overpriced and not be very good.
We have lots of winter fencing damage we need to take care of before we can safely move our sheep to pasture. It seems all the local wild
My Next Life
April 15, 2022
I now have the distinction of being part of a select group of people who inadvertently knocked themselves out by walking into a statue of Buddha. It’s a very select group. Okay, so technically, I didn’t lose consciousness, but it certainly altered it for me, in ways that are as indelible as they are ironic.
As I was walking (without watching where I was going) I was thinking about God - and frogs, and specifically about whether frogs have gods. There are, in fact, no gods (of any sort) in Bud
Lambing Season
April 8, 2022
This has been a lambing season like none we’ve ever had before. We’ve had more pregnancies, more twins, disproportionately more males than females and they are all arriving earlier and en masse.
Clearly our ram takes some credit (!) - but I don’t think his prowess is the only explanation. Last summer’s weather created a healthier pasture, and the addition of a selenium mineral mix that the ewes have access to year-round, have helped with the overall health of the flock, and that in nature often
Farming in Farmington
April 1, 2022
Anne’s and my initial motivation for introducing sheep to Hill-Stead was to revitalize the farm complex. Hill-Stead Museum might be world renowned for its Impressionist art collection, but the farm itself was the real passion of its founder, Theodate Pope Riddle. Signage and archival reports are a great way to keep the story of the farm alive, but nothing tells it better than actually having animals visible, and living, at the barns. It quite literally brings the farm back to life.
We first
Peepers, Lambs and Shearing - oh my!
March 25, 2022
Maple sugaring season came to an early end, which is fine with us as our lambs are all arriving early. The temperatures at night have been above freezing which keeps the sap from flowing - but happily it’s also woken the peepers from their quiet winter’s slumber. They’ve been serenading us from the swampy edges, as we’ve been rushing about our chaotic life.
We’ve been getting ready for our “Shearing Festival”, which after being canceled in 2020 due to covid, is finally coming to fruition this
Patience!
March 18, 2022
Luckily for me, the joy of spring is wrapped up in its anticipation. If I woke up one morning to a garden in full bloom, I’d be thrilled and in awe, but I’d acclimate, and the novelty would quickly fade.
Spring for me is like a wonderfully drawn out, well-crafted love story. And like any great courtship, there is allure and longing - and impatience bordering on despair.
The daytime temperatures last week were warm enough for collecting sap in short sleeved shirts. It felt so decadent and then
The Magic of Lambing
March 11, 2022
Our first lamb of the season arrived this week a little earlier than usual, but we weren’t caught completely by surprise. In fact, we have gotten pretty good at spotting all the tell-tale signs of a ewe getting ready to lamb.
After weeks of looking like a pack mule with saddlebags, she will often (but not always) look less wide and more sunken as the lamb positions itself closer to the exit ramp.
Her udder usually swells as it fills with milk, a process farmers call (and only a farmer could
