Swirls

Last week’s high winds cut patterns on the edges of the snow banks along the farm driveway. Ripples swam along the surface of the snow.

The sky reflected the ripples, with clouds that swept softly beneath a bright blue expanse. Across the landscape, sunrise brought a golden glow, welcome after the weekend’s gray skies. Everything shone, even the wooden fence posts.

All of the light was welcome after brown landscapes and gray skies we’d experienced the week before.

Thanks for Reading!

And I hope you feel refreshed and rejuvenated for the week ahead with this moment preserved in picture and prose. Consider:

• Look for patterns in nature this week. What do you see?

Share your answer and this newsletter with a friend who’s looking forward to March.

If Sylvan Sundays was forwarded to you, welcome! To learn more about our farmers, check out “A New Year’s Introduction,” and to learn more about our name, visit “Being Sylvan.” Also, make sure to check out “This Week on the Farm” and “Farm Shop” below!

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This Week on the Farm

We’re at a lull in lambing now, which is good timing as we’re working on our presentation for next week’s Indiana Small Farm Conference (there’s still time to register!). We’ll be presenting our work with the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program in which we graze Shropshire sheep in Christmas trees. The research project is through SARE Grant #FNC24-1423. More details to come!

After negative temperatures during the weekdays, it felt balmy over the weekend with temperatures in the 20s and 30s. Saturday morning, the lambs lay comfortably in their straw, soaking up the morning sunshine.

One of the lambs was too shy to join this photo, but everyone else looked up and smiled at the camera:

The uniformity of the Shetland lambs’ wool surprised us. In past lambing seasons, we’ve seen a variety of colors, from white to gray to stripes or spots. This year, with a new ram, the Shetland lambs are black. That’s another reason why lambing with Shetlands is fun; you never know what you’ll see!

The Maple Syrup Fair is underway at our local fairgrounds. One of the vendors sold felted wool ornaments and goat milk soap. We bought some soap shaped like a sheep:

Farm Shop

It’s time to start preparing for 4-H shows! Last year’s lambs did well at their county fairs, and we are taking pre-orders for this year’s lambs.

We can supply the fiber for your own craft projects! Check out the Sylvanmore Etsy shop for sheep fleeces and llama fiber.