In Spanish a borrego is a sheep less than a year old. Rancho Borrego Negro means Black Lamb Ranch. It started in the 70's, when we were doing that "back-to-the-land" thing. We bought goats for milk, made our own bread, wine and cheese, raised rabbits for meat, and eventually invested in a small flock of Suffolk sheep from an FFA kid who was going off to college. It seemed such a waste, to just dump the wool after shearing, so I learned how to wash it, pick it, card it and spin on a Navajo spindle. It wasn't long until we acquired colored sheep, and my father made me a hand-crafted Shaker spinning wheel. This was soon followed by more sheep, llamas, a barn, more wheels, still more sheep and -- well -- you know how it goes with addictions. Many animals have come and gone from the ranch over the decades. Three children have grown and left for lives of their own. Even the ranch itself has moved once, but the sheep, the wheels, and the spinner remain. I am a recently-retired middle school resource teacher, working with children who have learning difficulties for decades. That work fed us all. What feeds my soul, however, is working with the animals and their fiber.

Thank you for taking a look -- hope you enjoy a brief glimpse of our "fiber farm." If you are interested in sheep, goats, fleece, roving or yarn, please send an email to me at: lambkamp@earthlink.net. If you live in the area, we are at the Vista Farmers' Market every Saturday morning. See you there?