Several years ago I wrote a post (later published as an article in Farming magazine) called The Dangers of Book Reading that accurately blamed the authors James Herriot, Wendell Berry and Gene Logsdon for the romantic madness that inspired us to move from inner-city Chicago to this remote Wisconsin farm. But there were certainly more than a few farm visits, both before and after we moved here, that inspired us to further risky behaviors, most involving baby animals. Now I find that I’m gleefully on the giving end of such foolishness.

Last week a wool customer came by to pick up some washed fleece for stuffing dolls. Of course Mary Jo and her two adorable kids wanted to visit animals after driving all the way out here. Led by her intrepid 4-year-old, who was smitten by kittens more than anything, we traipsed the snowy paths that criss-cross the farm to various paddocks containing steers, horses, sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, the goose and Pigalicious. Now Mary Jo, who gamely followed her rambunctious daughter while cradling an infant in a sling, wants sheep, and I couldn’t be more pleased! I feel as though animals have added so much to my life (besides work, winter and summer!), I don’t hesitate to recommend keeping livestock to anyone with property.

Animals are good for the land, when managed properly (see Eliot Coleman’s thoughts in Time) and good for us (see Temple Grandin’s new book Animals Make Us Human).

See Mary Jo’s blog for her “ruminations” (funny, because sheep are ruminants!) and for some beautiful pictures of the animals.