A Few Views from Lucky Dog Farm

Aug 20

Sometimes I think I spend so much time doing farm work that I forget to stop and look around.

There is always something that needs doing. Fences need moving. Water buckets need filling. Sheep need checking. The garden needs weeding. And usually a sheepdog has decided that whatever I'm doing is much more interesting than whatever they were doing five minutes ago.

But every once in a while, I remember to pause.

And when I do, I am reminded what a beautiful place this is.

There are the sheep, of course. Heads down in the grass, following the best bite from one patch to the next. A curious face looking up as I walk by. An old ewe who knows exactly where she wants to be and has no intention of being hurried.

There are the dogs, stretched out in the shade after a morning's work, or watching the flock with that intense concentration that makes you wonder what they know that you don't.

There is the orchard, the pond, the stone walls, the woods at the edge of the pasture. Morning light through the trees. Evenings when the whole farm seems to exhale.

And then there are the little things: a bee working a flower, dew on the grass, a feather caught in a fence, muddy sheep tracks, a perfect clover blossom.

This is the part of farming that doesn't show up on a balance sheet.

But it matters.

Because farming, at least for me, is about paying attention—to the animals, the land, the weather, and to what is changing, thriving, or needs a little help.

Sometimes paying attention simply means stopping for a minute and taking a picture.

So here are a few views from Lucky Dog Farm.

A little glimpse of the place where the sheep graze, the dogs work, and I am lucky enough to spend my days raising food.

Welcome to my corner (arguably the BEST corner!) of Vermont.

— Farmer Judith