All my animals are gone.

The farm is sold.

- I just couldn't.

- Get to the barn.

I couldn't feed the sheep.

I couldn't farm anymore.

It's still taking the lot of time -to understand it.

- I knew that it had to come.

- Sometime later.

I thought I was going to be out here for feet -first year.

It didn't happen.

-Not only my livelihood, -but my image.

- People's perception.

- Of what I was has to change.

- Because I'm no longer.

- The Green Mountain.

Shepherd.

I.

Come on, big guy.

I get to take my walker.

- Come on.

- You got to get off.

Yep.

- I don't have anything.

- In this basket.

Nope.

I'm Bambi Freeman.

From Sterling Farm in Moorestown, Vermont.

I've been on this farm since 1970.

And I've been sheep farming since 1972.

- I'm getting to be more like.

- The Vermonter every day.

- A Vermonter is.

- Is not an introvert at all.

But he or she are, - They're passionate.

- About what they do, and they really don't have - a whole lot of interest in.

- Anything else.

- My goal was to have sheep.

- That were unique to this farm.

That's the goal I set - and that's the goal.

- I ended up with.

I was 48.

I think that's one of when it happened.

I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

-That morning, -I woke up and couldn't get out of bed.

I was morning.

- The neurologist.

- Thought I might have.

- Might have, a post nerve.

- Or something like that.

So he -put me in the hospital, - and they did some -tests and found out.

- I had multiple sclerosis.

- And so he was going to.

- Keep me there for 72 hours.

And I said, no, you're not.

- I said, I'm not.

-I'm not staying here.

- For that.

I said, -you got to figure out -something -that I can do at home, -because I got a farm -to manage.

My husband gave up the farm.

Well, since then, I've just.

- I've been doing it by myself.

- With a lot of help from my neighbors -and friends.

Down.

Come on.

And, my son Scott.

- He understands that.

- I can't do a lot.

- And he's.

- Willing to put his effort in - because he wants to stay.

- Here as long as he can to.

-And we can handle, -you know, quite a bit.

A pretty good team.

- My whole right.

- Side is basically useless.

- I mean, I have neuropathy.

- In both feet and both hands.

- So I'm not going to go.

- For surgery.

- I suppose I don't I won't be.

- Able to move around.

I won't be able to walk.

- Come on.

-There's.

- Nothing there for you.

- That's what I try.

- To be really careful and - I kind of plan my day.

- So I'm not overly tired.

And it works.

It's worked so far.

-I don't know how long.

I can do it, but.

This is what I do.

I don't play tennis.

I don't play golf.

I don't play bridge.

I'm a farmer.

But I do miss my dogs.

- I couldn't I couldn't a farm.

- Without my dogs.

There's lots of predators.

You know, coyotes.

They're fox hawks and my dogs kept my animals safe.

We had an incident with the sheep in the barn.

A neighborhood dog came and damaged three youths and killed one.

- And we decided.

- That we needed something.

Fresh.

- If the guardian dog is.

- Is very unique.

It's not a pet.

- But if you put it with.

- A flock of animals, either chickens, goats, sheep.

I mean, it'll guard -anything.

You are.

You're not helping.

No.

You know.

My current guardian dog.

So I have had guardian dogs - most of the time.

- That we've gone in the sheep business.

- I don't want them.

- To bond to me.

- You know.

- !

I want him to bond to the sheep.

It's not working.

I felt pretty safe here - with a border.

- Collie and a guardian dog.

I feel find the stuff to the.

Button that you.

- I was able to find.

- A really wonderful home - for my border collie.

- And my guardian dog.

- Veljko.

-Found a wonderful lady.

- Who have free adores him.

So he's.

He's in a good place.

- So it it worked out.

- Really well.

-But I'm the one who's out, -you know, everybody else is cared for.

But I'm in -a different place.

- And so I have to just learn.

- How to not be a farmer.

I guess.

- Selling the meat.

- At the farmers market.

That was my social life.

- That got me off the farm.

- Every week.

- Yeah.

- I need to take care of.

- We started out.

- With four vendors, and now we're up to probably 52.

That, - and it just became.

- A part of the community.

Oh, absolutely.

- I would make -especially that.

- We cut down for two people.

-You know, you don't need a 4 -or 5 pound leg of lamb unless you're.

It's still going.

- It's been.

- Probably four years at least since it's been going.

If I didn't have that -market, - I would have been.

- A hermit out here around it.

I don't make small talk.

-I mean, -I listen more than I did.

- I like to talk, put it.

- That way.

I'd rather just, do my thing.

You know?

You know, people say, well, you didn't get married when.

-And I said, you know, -they never done that.

I don't need to do that -again.

- I'm perfectly.

- Happy with myself.

- All my -animals.

- Went off the farm live, which really pleased me.

I was so jealous that all - those beautiful lambs.

- Went to other people.

- And I wasn't able.

- To keep farming.

- The young people who came.

- And bought my sheep.

-I mean, -they're just starting out, and they're starting out - a lot better than I did.

- When I started out.

But all I can do is to pay it forward.

And I think -I have done that.

I mean, it was my life.

I mean, it wasn't a, a job, you know, it's just the way I lived.

I read just a little quote in an article.

I thought, that's right.

- I just put my heart.

- And soul into here, and it really worked for me.

There's a time -for everything.

- And it was time.

- For me to give up farming.

- That's a different -chapter in my life.

- That I'm moving into, -and we'll see where it goes, -because I don't know where it's going to go.

This has been my life.

This has been my signature.

- I'm at a loss.

- As to what I will be doing.

- It's just been.

- A wonderful life for me.

- I'm sad that.

- I'm not part of it anymore.

So I miss it terribly.

But I gotta move forward.

Gotta do what you gotta do.

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- Stories made here.

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