OLD WAYS NEW
86 | May• 2019
themammarygland– a littlebitof
oildoesthetrick.
JuliaandMarioarerapt.“I’venev-
erworkedwithsheeporgoats,”Julia
explains.“Thisexperienceisperfect.
I needtolearneverything.”
Theyscrambleupascrubbyhill
behindJuanAntonio.Thealmostbar-
renlandisrollinganddry,punctuated
bythirstyweedsthatmakeexcellent
snacks for goats and sheep. The trio
arrivesatJuanAntonio’smakeshift
dairy,cutintoa three-metrenatural
marblequarry.Withinitscoolwalls
MarioandJuliawatchintentlyastheir
tutordemonstrateshowheturnsthe
goats’milkintoperfectwheelsofarti-
sanalcheese.Firsthefiltersit through
twolayersofcloth,thenaddsa dashof
groundcalf ’sstomachtoactasa coag-
ulant,andthengentlyflipsthewheels
byhandsothattheyageevenly.The
finalproductisfreerange,organic,
antibiotic-freeandsoldlocally.
Inthesesimplewheelsofcheese,
Juliaseesa future.Shedescribesher
dream:a bitoflandanda smallherd
of sheep and goats; making small
ITISSHEPHERDSLIKE
JULIA–SAVVYIN
THEWAYSOFTHECITY
ANDTHECOUNTRY–
THATMAYSAVETHIS
ANCIENT PROFESSIONbatchesof high-quality,organic
cheesesandsellingthemintown.
“Iwanttobeself-sufficient,”she
explains.“Iliketopaintandwrite,
butI don’twanttomakea livingfrom
that;I wanttomakecheese.”
Ofcourse,there’smoretobeinga
shepherdthanbrewingoilytinctures
andmakingcheese.Thesummer’s
heatisjustsettinginandJuanAnto-
nio’ssheepareheav ywithwool.It’s
timeforshearing.JuliaandMario
areinthebarn,watchingJuanAnto-
nio’ssonasheexpertlyflipsa sheep
ontoitsback,gathersitsfourlegs
withonehandandquicklybinds
themwithrope.Thenheturnson
a largeelectricshearerandgetsto
work.Inamatterofminutes,the
oncegreyandmattedsheepisonits
feet,freeandoverjoyedatitsnew-
foundnudity.
Thingsdon’tgoassmoothlyfor
Julia.Wrestlinghersheep’sspindly
limbstogethertakesherminutes
insteadofseconds,andholdingthe
largeanimaldownwhilesimulta-
neouslyshavingitscurvesturnsout
tobechallenging.Whenshe’sdone,
25 minuteslater,theanimalhob-
blesaway,spottedwithbloodwhere
theshavernickedit.Eighthours
later,MarioandJuliacollapseona
stonewallneartheherd,exhausted,
drenchedinsweatandcoveredina
grittylayerofdirtandwool.They’ll
bedoingthisfromdawntoduskfor
thenextthreedays.
“The life of a shepherd is a lot of