Sheep

Fibre from The Living

Artwork, Sheep / December 4, 2021 / By

Fibre comes from the living and where there is life there is its opposite – that and Magpie’s.

When a ewe dies the wool produced is gone with that loss of life. It’s a particularly big loss to the shepherd when the fibre produced is unique or highly favoured. The handful of Corriedale ewes that piqued my fibre interest are well aged ewes now. Three of them have died. Annie, Sable and Endeavour are still here, grazing their way through old age. Several of their offspring reside in this flock.

Wool is touted as being a natural, sustainable resource which it most definitely can be, however some awareness is warranted around the oft used S-word. Sustainable is to reach for balance so as to avoid depletion of natural resources (parsed from a dictionary definition). It does not mean a life is never-ending; it does not mean we get to skip over death. Death allows for that very necessary balance to exist in the first place.

There is wool that becomes the fibre of our making because there is an animal who grows it and (hopefully) a shepherd who cares about the resources it took to do so. The animal and the shepherd will not avoid depletion but if we’re thoughtful of our choices we will see the continuation of the nature they contributed to while they were living.

I shared the Felted Flock photo and update on Instagram last Sunday and it resonated deeply with several people. I thought to include it here as the beginning of a longer conversation around death of animals and our perception of death in general. If it stirs you to be part of the conversation, please know your comments are welcome here.

The Long Deep Sigh

Sheep / November 9, 2021 / By

One of the most expressive sighs comes from one of my Kelpies. A long and strong whistling exhalation through his nose every time he settles in to a favourite place. A sigh of deep expression, it is this sigh that most aptly suits the mood here of late.

Have you ever noticed that once a decision is made you get on with doing and carrying it through, but making the decision in the first place is the greater stress. Another group of ewes left last week, bound for their new farm in southern Saskatchewan. Between last Fall season and this one a good number of ewes have been sold and the flock sits at one third of its usual volume. The decision to sell ewes was spurred on by serious dry conditions and lack of winter feed. With steep feed prices purchasing feed was an unaffordable option unless we wish to take on debt again, which we don’t. We’ve been doing this debt free for too long to want to go back into it. Once the decision was reached it was carried through by a realization that drought is a good time to shift to a core nucleus of a flock again. And that it’s okay to let the prairie, and myself, take a breather, even if we don’t know what is coming next. And there is the sigh of deep expression.

The flock feels so very small and so very easy now. I am currently moving the flock home every night so that the ewes get water from the winter water bowls. Natural surface water is nonexistent in the majority of the pastures and smaller hoses and floats that are needed when hauling water freeze up overnight. Typically we’d have snow to rely on by now, but there is none. Moving the flock has never felt easier though, although I still expect to see more sheep and the Kelpies keep looking for more work.

A side affect of downsizing the flock is that my deeper appreciation for sheep has returned anew. I was worried my love for sheep was worn too thin but I love this tidy flock. I like that shearing day next April will be simplified. I appreciate that only five guardian dogs are needed rather then eight/nine, so there is less panic to replace the three dogs we lost this year. And I am grateful that with less mouths to feed the prairie will be able to take a breather and to emit its own deep sigh of expression.

A Flock Without Fuss

Sheep / October 29, 2021 / By

There is always something soulfully appealing in the solo celebration of a world without fuss.