Did I become a farmer?

Let the Wealthy & Great
Roll in Splendor and State
I envy them not I declare it.
I eat my own lamb
My chickens and Ham
I shear my own fleece & I wear it
I have lawns, I have Bow’rs
I have fruits, I have Flow’rs,
The lark is my morning alarmer
So jolly boys now
Here’s God speed the Plough
Long life & Success to the Farmer

That poem was on the inside of a box Cyndy had given me oh probably 4+ years ago. It was just unearthed from one of the seemingly endless supply of totes that has been in storage while building.

This morning I was trying to decide when to have chicks delivered so I was going thru old blog posts trying to come up with weather info. While doing so I found out that while this little box with it‘s poem had been packed away alot had changed.

When I started the blog in January 2005, I had stated that the year before I had learned to spin and weave on a tri-loom. We had raised chickens both for eggs and meat, pigs and turkeys for meat and ducks for eggs.

Reading thru I was reminded that in 2005 I taught myself how to knit, had the usual chickens, pigs, turkeys and ducks but also added a “free” horse , angus steer (meat) and angora goats. We started to shear.

In 2006 We saved a Romanov wether from the butcher and also added two Finn sheep from Grace Hatton's farm and sheared more. The “free” horse went to be a companion horse when a friend lost one of hers and the angus went in the freezer.

In 2007 We added a ram from Hatton Farm and two steer.2008 gave us six lambs. I freaked and gave my ram away. I later gave two ram lambs to a friend, sent one to the butcher along with the steer and we did even more shearing.In those years, the gardens have grown, the food processing has grown, apple trees were added along with horseradish, asparagus, thornless blackberries, raspberries, currants and Nanking cherries. And we built the house and enjoyed a trip to Puerto Rico.

Wikipedia defines farmer as..."The term farmer usually applies to a person who grows field crops, and/or manages orchards or vineyards, or raises livestock or poultry. Their products are usually sold in a market or, in a subsistence economy, consumed by the family or pooled by the community." I guess we have become farmers.

So I now do eat my own lamb, chickens and ham, shear my own fleece and wear it. I just hope I get the long life so I can spin all the fleece.

Who knew that along with all her other talents Cyndy also was a soothsayer?!