I have been chipping away at life to the tune of a sporadic harmonica, a howling Jameson (dog), and a giggling almost-two-year-old...
It has been a riot!
I'm not sure what the average bystander would think about our daily routines, but the sheep sure give us some weird looks...
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As for Peter, it's just another day in the life, full of his favorite things.
He follows all the animals around playing various instruments, a harmonica being his most favorite, to see how they might react.
For our Lab-Border-Collie cross, Jameson, the urge to howl back is just irresistible.
Among the ruckus, we are preparing for our last few weeks of production season, and the transition into breeding season for the flock.
I will have three different rams I am breeding to my ewes this fall, so I will be dividing up the ewes into 3 different groups as our group of feeder lambs heads in to the processor in October to complete their mission in life as nourishment for our friends and family.
When the days get shorter in Fall, this heritage breed of sheep still has the instinct to begin cycling and releasing eggs- just like the antelope, deer, and elk do around here. This is an adaptation that has been bred out of most conventional breeds of sheep to this day.
But as for Icelandic Sheep, the hormones begin to flow in the fall and the Rams become rather... well... rammy!
The masculine need to compete for breeding rights is not something these Rams can ignore when breeding season comes around, and things can get dangerous when multiple rams are present.
Unfortunately for Peter, it is a time of year when he has to be a bit less involved for safety reasons.
So, I separate them into groups to keep the rams more calm, and to keep things a little less dangerous for myself as I work the sheep across their Fall pastures. This also allows me to track genetic trends across my flock and to select heavily for rams that are not overly aggressive. This makes my life a lot easier, as the aggressive attitude trait seems to be quite heritable.
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The seasons, cycles, sacrifices, and joys of life are things I am so grateful I get to experience alongside my son on a daily basis. His understanding of where food comes from and the work it takes to get it to the table already exceed the understanding I had as an elementary-school kid, and I am so grateful for this.
He has watched and participated in the bringing of life into the world, shearing, doctoring, moving, feeding, watering, observing, and enjoyment of these animals, and he has even taken part in the process of sending them on to the next realm and the conversion of the sunshine and grass that they have used and transformed over their lifetimes into the sweet gifts of food and fiber we will live on from this Fall until the next.
He has done all of this with me, with the absolute joy and curiosity of a fresh soul in an almost-two-year-old's body...
What a joy it has been to observe!
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I want to thank you BJ, because you are a big part of why we get to raise our family in this way.
You value clean food, animal well-being, and community, and your choice to source your family's nutrition from our small farm allows us to continue raising food on the land with our whole family.
Thank ewe from the bottom of our hearts and with a whole ear-full of harmonicas, howling dogs, and baaing sheep.
I hope you taste the love and intention in the meat packages you receive, and that you feel the sunshine and smell the breeze tumbling through the grass and that it makes you smile.
If you haven't reserved your Fall Lamb or Beef shares yet,
you have One Week Left before they are gone!
Head over to the website and claim your 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, or whole beef package and/or your 1/2 or whole lamb package and get yourself set up for meat this winter.
Not sure that you have enough freezer space?
Don't worry! I have charts on the product page to help you figure out how much space you will need based on the type of freezer you have.
Have a question?
I'm here to help you through the entire process, from filling out the cutsheet, to enjoying every cut.
Ask away, by replying to this email.
It is my passion- to get clean, nutrient-dense foods to the people I care about and to help them enjoy these meats to the fullest!
Happy Fall BJ!
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-BJ and the Taste of the Wind Crew
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