Getting In Sheep Shape

Everyone! In formation!

You are never alone. We have your back. We love ewe. We will care for ewe. Anyone who crosses the line will have to deal with us, the Danger Sheep.

— Nurse, Puck, Peaseblossom, and Titania

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Here’s What’s Happening At Good Spirits Farm

There’s a lot I love about sheep, like their love of using each other as pillows,

and the way they bound around on all four feet when they’re excited.

But one reason I bristle at the term “sheeple” is because my sheep all look after each other. And caring for one another shouldn’t be considered a flaw.

Like when Juliet (left above and below), who was raised in a house and thought she was part human and part hound dog, needed to “learn to sheep,” it was Puck (right) that taught her. He still checks in on her, even though they’re no longer the tiny babies below.

And where my cows use their horns to push each other away from the good hay, the sheep gather round and share.

Sure, they do all tend to follow the leader—but did you know that different breeds of sheep have different levels of “flocking” instinct? (I, personally, love that mine mostly hang out in a bunch. It makes moving them around the farm much easier!) Plus: I’ve noticed that there is rarely just one singular leader. They seem to take turns; when someone discovers a good batch of clover, they’re the new leader, taking the entire group to the good stuff.

All this to say: tending to the other members of your flock is important.

In other news, last week, the true cold weather hit, with temps right around zero for a few days. Water is always the biggest issue during these long cold stretches. Hoses freeze and troughs become bricks. The real MVP last week? A battery operated heat gun that lets me quickly defrost frozen gate latches and hose connections.

Runner up? It turns out crow bars are aces at busting ice, AND for fishing ice chunks out of the trough.

The cold days always feel the longest, with hauling buckets or defrosting hoses taking hours of your day. But coming out the other side—into a brilliantly sunny, 43 degree day where the snow begins its slow retreat? A triumph every time.

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Here’s What I Loved This Week

When the garden is bare, we find ourselves turning mostly to the pantry for quick meals. This tomato, chickpea and pasta dish (it’s kind of a soup/stew, but also not really?) is made up of ingredients I always have stashed in a cupboard. Hint: It’s GREAT with dried or fresh cheese tortellini as the pasta addition.