About “Jacob’s Reward” Farm 

I’ve loved sheep for years – can’t even remember how long. Recently my daughter asked me, “Mom, how come you like sheep so much?” I had to stop and think because there are so many reasons. First, I think they’re lovely to look at. The soft woolly coats, the peaceful grazing, the gentle voices, all impart a sweet tranquility. Second, I identify with their vulnerability. They aren’t the smartest beasts on the earth, and they need looking after. They need a shepherd like I need a shepherd; like I need the Good Shepherd – Jesus. I have a shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want for anything.

I also love wool. I love to knit and spin and crochet and even weave once in a while. Wool is an amazing creation – it keeps the wearer warm and dry, even in severe conditions. It felts. It comes in amazing colors, and can be dyed even more fantastic colors. It’s renewable. Sheep grow new coats every year.

Several years ago, my dream of owning a small piece of property for sheep and a garden came true. My family moved just eight miles from a busy suburb to a little pocket community nestled between several suburbs. We found 4.5 acres with a creek running through it. The tiny house sat smack in the floodplain, so we had to decide if we could live that close to the creek, and within its 1000 square feet—we wouldn’t be allowed to change the footprint. It would mean some severe downsizing. It took us nearly two months to make the decision, knowing that it would be a radical change in lifestyle. What we didn’t know at the time was that it would take us a year to remodel the house so that it was habitable. It was a very long year. But in the end, our little house on Maxwell Creek is like a cozy vacation cabin—not enough storage inside, but the space outside the house is priceless. Slowly we are working on remodeling outbuildings. We have a nice animal barn, and I have a great free-standing studio. Eventually we’ll redo the carport and storage shed. DH is building a cool loafing shed from huge trunks of a tree that fell down on our property. We look around and see nothing but unfulfilled potential!

In the meantime, I’m building the fiber herd and egg-laying flocks. You can read about each species on its own page: sheep, alpacas, donkeys, and chickens.

My animal chores are at the heart of my daily routine now. I feed, clean, doctor, and gather the produce from my animals, and it is such a joy! In Texas, the only time I really dread chores is when the temperature is over 95 or so. Our winters aren’t too bad, so even they don’t slow me down much. My worst enemy is mud. I’m still working on ways to defeat the Mud Monster in the spring and fall when we have our largest periods of rainfall.

I take out plenty of time to knit and spin, and tend to my internet marketing of the farm products. We do a modified homeschool schedule, and are very active in our church.

Overall, we strive to manage the property in a healthy, natural way. We’ve not pursued official “organic” designation, just because of the red tape, but that is our philosophy: do things with as little chemical or artificial input as possible. Use God’s systems to see that things run smoothly. I find that as I discover these systems, I don’t have to work as hard, and I have better results.

For example,

• chickens who free range, will put themselves to bed when the sun goes down. You don’t need to catch or herd them.
• Many sheep have such a strong flocking instinct that you only have to lead one where you want the group to go, and the rest will follow.
• Compost happens.
• Up, is work. Gravity is your friend.

We still have lots to learn and lots of experience to gather, over time. I pray that we will continue to honor God in the way we deal with this land, our creatures, and all the people He puts in our life.

Like faithful Jacob from the Genesis story, we have studied, worked, made mistakes, had wonderful success, and are reaping Jacob’s Reward.