Book Reading by Kathryn A. Sletto KEEPING WATCH
30 Sheep, 24 Rabbits, 2 Llamas, 1 Alpaca, and a Shepherdess with a Day Job
Sunday May 9 - 3:15 - Band Shell

A midwestern woman leaves her day job and becomes a full-time shepherdess, raising a wild mix of animals with equally wild personalities.

In our fast-paced modern world, quitting one's job to live off the land is a common if often unrealized dream, but Kathy Sletto and her husband know that one of them will simply have to. They were both raised on farms, they own a picturesque parcel of land, and they love the sheep they are raising on the side, but the work with the animals is taking over their lives. She is the fiber arts specialist, and she jumps at the chance.

Besides, they got into this predicament because of Sletto's crazy love of animals. An initial purchase of two sheep quickly grows to an entire flock with the addition of llamas, an alpaca, and way too many angora rabbits—each treated more like family than livestock. It's a fault Sletto recognizes when she can't bring herself to cull her favorite sheep for the good of the flock, put down a roaming dog, or give up on a lamb born blind. She sees in these animals distinct personalities, respects their quirks, and recounts their adventures in hilarious tales—Tony the lonely, lamb loving alpaca, Steve the possum-playing rabbit, Mack Dawg the llama with berserk male syndrome.

When freelance grant writing promises to balance the household books, Sletto must counterpoise new demands with the old, showing how the most modern and most ancient of work can coexist in this American life.

"Kathy Sletto brings new meaning to the concept of going green. I'd call it going broke, and her story will break you up, too—with laughter." Suzann Nelson, coauthor of Growing Up Lutheran

"Like a knitting project that cannot be put down, Keeping Watch sweeps the reader into a compelling engagement with small-scale farm life. The author deftly spins fibers and story, and her strong, warm, and resilient characters, both wooly and human, will linger as a welcome presence in your heart." Cat Bordhi, author of A Treasury of Magical Knitting

Kathryn A. Sletto's Biography
Kathy Sletto is a shepherdess, spinner, and knitter who lives at Shepherds Bay Farm. She is also a freelance consultant, doing grant writing and grants administration work for cities, counties, and non-profit organizations in housing development and rehabilitation, flood recovery and mitigation, and various other areas.

According to Kathy, it all started about ten years ago when she inherited a spinning wheel. Her husband agreed to the purchase of two Shetland sheep to provide wool for practice as she learned to use the spinning wheel.

Over the next few years, those two sheep evolved into a flock of thirty, plus a couple of llamas, a few alpacas, and far too many angora rabbits. Before long, the family’s involvement in the fiber business grew to the point where it was too time-consuming to be considered merely a hobby any longer. Kathy left her full-time job to take the helm as head shepherdess while continuing to do consulting work to help pay the bills.

Spinners, weavers, and other crafters visit Shepherds Bay Farm, and they love meeting the animals whose fleece or fiber they are buying for their next project. Each animal has its own unique personality, and the visitors seem to like hearing about the animals just as much as they enjoy shopping for wool. The book Keeping Watch was written in response to the many people who have asked, “When are you going to write a book about your animals?”

The book is about a sheep who believed she was human, a llama gone berserk, a vindictive rabbit, an uncommonly ugly dog, and a farm boy who yearns to fly. It’s about living with family and animals, working at home, managing a small farm, and trying to accomplish these things without going bankrupt. It’s about seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary.

Kathy, her husband, son, and the whole dysfunctional menagerie are still living on their small farm near Alexandria. You can visit their farm’s website at www.shepherdsbayfarm.com.