The Brightest, Warmest January There Ever Was

All of the sudden life is richer. Little Jack Wickham was born into the world last Sunday evening. He came bounding into our lives quickly and peacefully...a shooting star of sorts. He made May a sister...and he made Rich and me parents anew. Life is such a wonder, and despite all of the marvels of the natural world that we have dedicated our lives to, none is so awesome as experiencing welcoming flesh and blood into existence. I'm not sure quite when we will come back down to earth...but we are sure relishing this transcendental place we are in.
It all Begins Anew
Not only are we welcoming new life into our house this month, we are also starting the first of our 2020 field crops this month. Our seed planning will be put into action starting in the next few weeks! The first seeds which have a long germination and grow rate include our shallots and chives. All of the sudden, it seems that winter will transition to spring before we know it.
In other farm news, digging of our rock trenches for the incoming hoop house will commence! Before we put up the house, we are installing drainage trenches to help the water shed from the roof of the hoop and flow through the property, rather than causing erosion in the field. It's great to get started on this project during our slowest time of the year.
The sheep have been taking advantage of our stock-piled pasture. We've hardly had to feed any hay, which is a huge savings for our farm, as well as a nutritional boon for our sheep to be able to eat directly from the field.
The Sheep's First Escape
It was an occasion that reminded me of the unforeseen adventures that come with raising animals. Rich and I reached back to the time when we first met, apprenticing at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. Raising mixed species of livestock on pasture, we learned how to manage their different ways. Sheep move as a unit as do most prey species...strength in numbers. The key to rounding them up and herding them, as any good sheep dog knows, is to keep them all together and apply gentle pressure to guide them in the direction you want them to go. Naturally, we humans panic in the escape scenario and give quick chase, exuding stress. Animals communicate very differently than us and so we must learn to 'speak their language'. They sense stress so much more intuitively than humans do through our body language and behavior. Remaining calm and moving slowly are huge.
We opened up the sheep's fencing into a nice, wide funnel. And under the waxing January moon Rich and I donned our headlamps and positioned ourselves at the far end of our front pasture, slowly encroaching on the grazing herd. Without creating too much of a panic, we walked in a sort of a pinch formation until they made their way back into their current paddock...safe and sound during the time of day and year when coyotes are all too happy to have easy access to our young sheep. Walking back to the warm, cozy farmhouse, I realized that this is what we have been missing here at Foxhole, the escapades of coexisting with animals.