July 12, 2025

From the Pastures: ‘Tis the season

Pumpkin spice latté anyone? Last week the ever-popular drink flavor was already available. On Sept. 1, I had to look twice at the date. Hard to believe it is already September. Fall always sneaks up on me. It is nice to have a little cooler weather, but hopefully the real cold will be a long way off.

Luckily the rain has been more prevalent in the last few weeks. My pasture is back to green and growing well again. Due to the drought in July, there will not be a second cutting of hay. The sheep will be locked in the barn for a week at least. All our paddock fencing around the barn area is being replaced. The fence is original to when we built the house and barn and set up the property 19 years ago. We are excited to have new fencing going in. The old fence has been patched many times from the time one of the horses went through or the rams were stuck in the fence. It is a big project to remove the old fence.

As I write this column, the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival starts the next day. I did get several rovings ready from my wool. Still have some Scottish Blackface roving to get ready. It may be a late night. I am excited to see old friends this weekend after a long year not seeing them. There will be a lot of sheep to see at the festival also. The dog trials are also fun to watch. Have a great fall.

Jane Zeien

Jane Zeien

Belvidere, Ill.