Summer feels like it's evaporating as we edge toward the autumn equinox. Hay is happening, bit by bit, and the barns are now about half full of what we need to feed the flock this winter. The flock is now enjoying cool, dry grazing days. 

Here's the scene at the top of the hill this afternoon, where my son Caleb and I found Caitlyn and her entourage enjoying the shade of the pines. Actually, when we arrived at the top of the hill, Caitlyn was in one of her favorite haunts on the leeward side of the shelter. She seemed a little perplexed by my son, an unfamiliar face. He's here on visit from Florida this week, helping me out with some farm chores.

Butch came out of the shed to say howdy and sample the minerals – a bit salty judging from his expression.

The sheep are doing what sheep do in late summer: grazing, putting on wool, getting frisky with the cool evenings. The ram lambs are up to their shenanigans – and getting to be quite the handful. The ewes are sweet, demure – and a safe distance from the boys.

Won't be long before it's courting time for Teaberry and a hand-picked group of ewes. I've spent several afternoons reviewing flock records, family trees and wool samples. Over the next week or so I'll be selecting the ladies who will join Teaberry for 4 weeks, beginning in mid October, which will put lambing in mid March next year. 

Some of you know, I wrote about the whole process of sheep match making for the fall issue of Twist Collective – if you're curious you can check it out right here  in my article  The Ram is Half the Sweater (which is part five in a year-long series entitled Yarn Farm: Four Seasons from Sheep to Skein I have written for Twist Collective). My series will wrap up with the winter issue that launches later this fall. I've really enjoyed writing this series, an exploration of all facets of sheep and wool craft. Writing increasingly has taken more and more of my time in recent months as I embark on a brand new literary project – more about that tomorrow. We're about to sit down now for a family dinner, a rare treat now that our son is grown and living quite a distance from home.

As I said at the beginning of this post, I'm not quite sure where the time goes and how I can possibly be thinking of next year's lambing already as summer wanes. Promise to share more soon. Stay tuned.