Winter Chores

Here’s a much-abbreviated but typical morning of winter chores at Rising Moon Farm:

Get dressed in insulated overalls, big boots, wool sweater, barn coat, and accessories. Trudge out to goat barn. Pet barn cats. Climb up into the hay loft, hard to do because of insulated overalls and big boots. Feed cats. Toss hay down hole into goat feeder below. Climb back down, playing peek-a-boo with cat.

Fill red bucket with chicken feed, knock politely on chicken house door, then step inside. Fill the feeders. Avoid stepping on the chickens, hard to do because of insulated overalls and big boots. Dump out waterer, refill, then put back on the heater keeping it from freezing.

Trudge through the snow 300 feet up to the sheep barn, hard to do because of insulated overalls and big boots. Fill feeders with corn, then let the lambs in to eat. Watch their back ends and decide that lambs have endearing butts. Look at their back legs and think of leg of lamb. Remind yourself to eat breakfast before doing chores next time.

Fill the sheep waterers. Wonder why the llamas are following you around, then remember you haven’t fed them yet. Feed the llamas. Climb into hay feeder and toss great chunks of hay around with pitchfork. Grunt loudly as you work, alarming the sheep. Open coat and fling off hat, mittens, scarf. Feel as if you are going to spontaneously combust, thanks to insulated overalls and big boots.

Thank the llamas for scaring off coyotes. Scratch Ewe #101’s head. Trudge through snow back to the house, strip off sweaty insulated overalls and big boots, then collapse on floor.

Repeat next day.