Animals
- Moving Day
It was a big weekend for Gracie and the twins, as well as Ginger and MaryAnn. Gracie and the girls spent their first day in their new enclosure...as neighbors to the pigs. With dogs safely and temporarily stowed behind the garden fence...I worried that...
- Good Night!
The sun has set.It's almost time for bed.(Yes, we go to bed rather early on the farm.) Before our day is finished, though, we have one last set of chores to do.And most evenings, Bobby shows up at the house for a ride back to the barn. It's tuck-in...
- The Great Free-ranging Escapade
Well, Saturday was the big day. Since the fancy chickens are full grown and laying now, we decided to allow them to free range around the farm in the afternoons when they are finished laying. They have complete freedom until roosting time (nightfall)...
- Nighttime Tuck-in
It is seven o'clock and the sun has long since set beyond the horizon. No remnants of its light are left in this part of the world. Tonight the moon is hidden behind a solid wall of rain clouds. I pull on my muck boots as I do every night at this...
- Last Call
So much of farm life is ritual. There are certain chores that are done every day and every evening....without exception. No matter what the weather, the chores must be done. After all, there are little lives that depend upon us to meet their needs. And...
Animals
Day's End
It's the end of a day...
a day filled with sun and wind and green bursting forth in every direction.
There is so much life happening in this world right now,
you can almost hear the earth humming.
Every square inch of ground is abuzz with growth and activity...
biology at its best.
The sun is setting and the earth is ready for slumber...
and so am I.
We've both worked very hard on this day....
the earth doing what it does best
and me trying my best to control my little piece of it.
Day's end is a sweet time.
The chore list is put away for another day,
and I spend what little daylight is left tucking in my four-legged (and some two-legged) children.
The turkeys have made their way down to the barn and so I tuck them into their house for the night.
Grace and the lambs are waiting for me at the gate...
ready to return to the barn for a good night's sleep.
I stop at the fence to give Ginger and MaryAnn a carrot treat...
and Gracie pokes her head into the pig pen.
I break off a little piece of carrot for Grace,
but she sighs and says she'd much rather have a Ritz cracker.
With her girls in tow, we make our way back to the barn for the night.
The twins are increasingly curious, but still make it back to the barn without incident.
The horses are watching for signs that they are next...
eager to have their fly masks removed so that they can enjoy the night's wind
as they quietly munch on their bedtime portion of hay.
Fly season came quickly this year,
so, daytime hours are spent behind the protection of a mask.
Donnie looks just a little like a court jester in his fly mask.
I love day's end as life slows down and a peace settles over the farm for the night.
It's a satisfying feeling to know that all of my beloved critters are tucked in for the night.
They will be eagerly awaiting my return in the morning.
But for now, we will all enjoy a well-deserved rest.
This life is sweet...
lived out through the rhythm of each day.
- Moving Day
It was a big weekend for Gracie and the twins, as well as Ginger and MaryAnn. Gracie and the girls spent their first day in their new enclosure...as neighbors to the pigs. With dogs safely and temporarily stowed behind the garden fence...I worried that...
- Good Night!
The sun has set.It's almost time for bed.(Yes, we go to bed rather early on the farm.) Before our day is finished, though, we have one last set of chores to do.And most evenings, Bobby shows up at the house for a ride back to the barn. It's tuck-in...
- The Great Free-ranging Escapade
Well, Saturday was the big day. Since the fancy chickens are full grown and laying now, we decided to allow them to free range around the farm in the afternoons when they are finished laying. They have complete freedom until roosting time (nightfall)...
- Nighttime Tuck-in
It is seven o'clock and the sun has long since set beyond the horizon. No remnants of its light are left in this part of the world. Tonight the moon is hidden behind a solid wall of rain clouds. I pull on my muck boots as I do every night at this...
- Last Call
So much of farm life is ritual. There are certain chores that are done every day and every evening....without exception. No matter what the weather, the chores must be done. After all, there are little lives that depend upon us to meet their needs. And...