Farms mark the year by the solar calendar. The solstice is the traditional mid-winter festival that marks the return of the sun. For us, too, the solstice is turnaround time. The days when the sun seems to stand still are our time to reflect on the past year. We evaluate our accomplished goals and plan new ones for next year.
Our chores involve delivering food and water to the critters. I spend my mornings watching fluffy sheep get fat and play in the snow. They make sheep nests in the bedding pack for warmth. I watch the breeding ram to make sure he’s doing his job. The current one in my control group of ewes may be a candidate for baatwurst, though… He seems to be butting the ewes more than he’s breeding them. The ewes will get their backup ram in January, so they should get pregnant either way. We’ll know when they lamb who the father is, and if Kai failed in his job, he’ll be sausage.
The chickens are all hunkered down, snug in the coop, but not happy to be confined. I take them hay and chicken treats and talk to them when I gather the eggs. Chickens are quite social, and they like to be talked to, so I cluck at them and pet the friendliest ones.
The dogs also make their own nests in the hay, and the old dog snuggles in between warm sheep when it’s cold. The horses frisk in the snow and the warm sun, but they stand huddled and neigh for breakfast when it’s cold. I have a lot more time in winter, so I’m doing some hobby things that never get done during summer: knitting, spinning, solving a puzzle, and reading are some examples. Winter is a time of reflection, thinking, and planning, more so than doing. It makes for a good balance of activity throughout the year.
I hope you all have an enjoyable winter solstice.