Last Spring while we were down on the farm we met Edith and Edna, two orphaned lambs who were busy spending their days hanging out in the orchard with the chickens, waiting for their next bottle. We were asked if we'd like to take them home. With the wet Summer we'd had last year the idea of having a couple of lawnmowers to help out was appealing but not very practical for an urban situation. So we left Edith and Edna at the farm while we could figure something out.
Almost one year later, Edith, a Southdown cross, and Edna, a merino cross, arrived safely one evening on our doorstep (thanks Bill). We'd managed to find a home for them on a friends property. Here they will enjoy the next five months grazing and growing that wool of theirs. While we eat our own eggs and grow some of our own food taking on Edith and Edna is another small step toward connecting with the food we put on our table. Their wool will keep us warm and they will feed not just us but two other families and friends. I love the idea and process behind this small scale collaborative farming, easing us further along on our journey toward a patch of earth we can call our own. I'm not sure what to expect or how I will feel when Edith and Edna's five months are up. I know for sure that I'm on a steep learning curve and in the meantime have lots of reading, asking questions, watching and listening to do.
But for now these two girls are getting settled in their new digs with the other sheep, ducks, geese, goats and chickens.
