Life in the Fold
Visitors often wonder what our days look like, and the honest answer is that they look much as any farming life would look to anyone, only our days are ordered by the seasons and by the Lord's day rather than by the clock, and we take our time with most things more than most people outside would.
The Shape of a Day
| Before sunrise | The Tenders rise. The kettle is set. Tea is steeped for the morning meal. |
| First light | The Flock gathers in the Great Room. Hands are pressed to the floor. The morning tea is shared. |
| Morning | The Hunters depart in pairs. The Tenders to the gardens, the orchard, the kitchen, the Littles. |
| Midday | A meal of bread, greens, and what the land has given. |
| Afternoon | The work continues. The Littles are read to. Mending is done at the hearth. |
| Dusk | The Hunters return. The evening meal is shared. Stories are told. |
| After dark | Reading by lamp. Quiet talk. The Shepherd's Voice may speak. |
Meals
We eat what the land provides. In summer: peppers, tomatoes, corn, squash, eggs, goat milk, bread, and what the Hunters have brought home. In winter: root vegetables, smoked meat, preserves laid by in the good months, and the same bread. Salt, coffee, and a few medicines are traded for in Madison.
Before every meal, every lamb presses his or her hand to the ground. It is a quiet thing. It reminds us that we are not alone, and that the Lord has provided.
The Littles
Our children are raised in common. The Tenders who have been Shepherds of the Littles, which is mostly the young unpaired women and the new mothers, tend the Littles during the working hours while the other mothers serve the Fold in the gardens and the kitchens.
The Calling & the Presenting
Each spring, at the Gathering, we mark the lambs who have reached their sixteenth year. (See Our Teachings for a fuller account.)
The Hunt
Our Hunters leave in pairs at first light and return at dusk. They bring rabbit, deer, dove, and in good seasons, elk. Every creature is prayed over before it is taken and again before it is eaten. The Lord provides; we do not take lightly.
Trade with Madison
Twice a month we go into Madison for salt, oil, thread, coffee, and the medicines we cannot make. We keep these visits brief and return before dark.
The Gathering
Twice a year, at the spring equinox and at the autumn equinox, the whole flock gathers in the Great Room for prayer and testimony and song. At the spring Gathering we mark those who have reached their sixteenth year. At the autumn Gathering thanks are given for the year's provision.
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Last Updated: November 22, 2018