Baa, baa, black sheep
Have you any wool?
Yes, sir, yes, sir
Three bags full;
One for the master,
And one for the dame,
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane
It's difficult to ignore this rhyme while shearing sheep. It just automatically pops into the "repeat forever" folder in your brain. Shearing sheep was recently the project du jour at Skyelark Ranch. Two strong and fearless ladies sheared close to 40 sheep each in a day. And if you were to think this a light project, you'd be mistaken. It was an ultimate test of endurance and fortitude. In order to lighten a sheep's woolly load, you have to simultaneously cradle (they don't like to be cradled) a strong, greasy (lanolin is a real thing) 120lb sheep in your arms while wielding razor sharp rotating blades capable of cutting through wool. Oh, and you have to do this skillfully so that you don't ruin the wool. And as I'm watching these ladies artfully shear wool, I'm thinking about that baa baa rhyme and I'm thinking about social justice, and racial justice, and about how far we have come in this world and how far we still need to go.
Did you know the original poem was:
Bah, Bah, a black Sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes old mate I have
Three bags full,
Two for my master,
One for my dame,
None for the little boy
That cries in the lane.
(This according to Wikipedia’s Baa, Baa, Black Sheep page)
The little boy down the lane didn't get wool back in 1744! So, at some point between 1744 and 2020 we realized that maybe it's important to take care of the less fortunate among us. Others point to the fact that this poem can appear to be racist in referring to the black sheep and its master. So now we have taken the poem through its social justice phase, but what about racial justice? Oxfordshire has you covered apparently.
Again according to Wikipedia, in 2006 private nurseries in Oxfordshire altered the song to "Baa baa rainbow sheep" and made those black sheep instead "happy, sad, hopping" and "pink." I'd imagine it goes:
Baa, baa, rainbow sheep
Have you any wool?
Why yes, why yes,
Three bags full
One for the happy person
One for the sad
One for the hopping person
Who feels really glad
And now I'm listening to my happy rainbow sheep rhyme in my head while watching two fearless women shear sheep; doing what could easily be determined to be men's work. We have come so far and, of course, still have a ways to go. But, in valuing these women's talents, we are giving them the opportunity to be compensated respectfully for a hard job done well. And maybe if we respect all the rainbow sheep of the world and their talents and unique gifts, we give them the opportunity to live well. I have so much hope for social justice, and racial justice, and the rainbow sheep of the world!
On that note, while you are all probably familiar with our beloved Skyelarkian Lex the wonder farmer, we’d like to introduce you to the second of the spectacular sheep shearers, Stephany Wilkes! Stephany shears sheep, and is also known to write great books. I am really enjoying reading her book, Raw Material: Working Wool in the West. Find her sheep shearing info, blog, book, and more at https://stephanywilkes.com/.
If you are interested in buying real deal Skyelark wool, (processed by another amazing local woman at the Valley Oak Wool and Fiber Mill) it can be found on the farmstand or at the farmers markets this week.
Whole Chickens are Back!
I love the guide to roasting chickens from NY Times Cooking and don’t forget to use the post-dinner bits to make chicken broth. The Davis Farmers Market Cookbook has a great recipe!
Our inventory is updated and you can order meat and eggs for home delivery (we will be charging $5/delivery) or pick up for free at market.
Ashland: Please order by Thursday @10am
Davis: Please order by Friday @10am
Mt. Shasta: Please order by Monday @10am
~Jenn and the Skyelark team
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