Chapter 12: Kinship Systems Summary

As February draws to an end, Dellarobia volunteers to help Hester vaccinate the pregnant ewes now living on her (Dellarobia's) part of the property, hoping to glean what to expect during the birthing process. The usual tension between the women seems to have thawed, and Dellarobia is glad Hester has trusted her with this responsibility. She is impressed by her mother-in-law's extreme veterinary knowledge and take-charge attitude. From all her recent work experiences, Dellarobia recognizes that she likes responsibility more than she realized.

The previous week has been awash in unending rains, but Dellarobia and Hester take advantage of a respite from the precipitation to seek out some mountain-dwelling, winter-blooming flowers Hester knows about in hopes of locating a nectar source for the monarchs. After chatting briefly with two of the Womyn Knit the Earth campers who explain to...