Just a "Normal" Day

Fresh from the Farm

June 13, 2019

Just a “normal” day.

Everything is the same, everything is different. That sort of describes life on a working farm. Even life on a small farm has its challenges. Every morning starts off the same…you wake up. After that it can all change in a moment. You take a nice morning walk to the barn to do the chores and say good morning to the critters. If all goes smoothly you can be done in record time. Not a chance. Goats that have stood perfectly for milking every morning for the past six months now act like they have never been milked. Kids are sneaking through tiny cracks in a fence and spring-boarding off your back while you try to tame the crazy doe. Milk flies, cats and dogs crowd around your feet to lap it up. They look at you lovingly and thank you. Do you remember that saying about spilled milk? Me too. Yep, everything is normal. Welcome to my circus.

You make it back to the house with only a few milk stains. Strain the milk, have some breakfast, clean the kitchen…again. Things are going to be just fine. Then one minute you’re getting ready to make soap and the next you’re crawling under the porch to get a newborn puppy. A few minutes later you’re setting up a birthing box in the living room and the next minute you’re mopping the floor where the dog chose to have the next puppy. True story.

Or how about when it’s time to pick green beans but then you see those weeds that are getting out of control? In pulling the weeds you find the mother-load of grubs so you collect a handful and take them to the chickens. Collect the eggs, clean out the nesting box and replace the old hay with fresh. You sweep out the hay room and remember that the goats need their mineral boxes filled. As you are filling the mineral boxes the baby goats are begging you to sit with them. Yes, they are begging! You chill with the babies for a while…and then get back at it. But wait, what was I doing? That’s totally how it goes.

Life on a farm. It’s the best job ever. Sometimes it feels like a big job but other times I feel a little guilty that all I did was play all day. It’s often a sweaty, dirty, back cramping kind of day but it sure feels good to end the day tired. Work hard, play hard, sleep hard. Eat good food.