Summer Solstice | Foxfire Fiber & Designs

The solstice is a pivot point, marking both a transition in season and a change in the work flow at the farm. This week the border leicesters were joined in the high pasture by the yearling ewes and Caitlyn, my eleven year old llama. This pasture is huge and really ought to be subdivided for intensive grazing, but for now I am letting them have it all. Happy sheep.

Using the shed as a vantage point, Catilyn surveys the flock.

The upper pasture is quite some distance from the barns. We constructed this outpost last year so the sheep would have shelter in the event of severe weather – like the hail storm that struck last week. It's also cool inside and a good place to escape the black flies.

Yesterday was moving day for the lambs and mothers. Crackerjack led the entire procession as the flock of 46 crossed over to the west side of Reynolds Road. Unlike the enclosed and cavernous birthing barn, which was formerly a dairy, the west barn is open on two sides. It was called a "free-stall" barn when cows lived here. The stalls are gone and now it's the summer bunker for the lambs.

The move created lots of excitement for the lambs, who have never set foot inside another building. At first, all was confusion with frantic baah-ing and blatting. The ewes quickly settled once they arrived at fresh grass. Once the mothers were quiet, the lambs tentatively stepped out the doorway to investigate their new pasture.

Happy summer . . . .