The perfect life

May 12, 2008 – When people think of my farm, they often think of the dogs or goats or donkeys, and that is a huge part of it. A bigger part – the biggest, maybe – is the watering and feeding of animals, the storage and movement of hay, the clearing and removal of manure, the installation and maintenance of fences and posts, which are continuously eroding, tearing and moving. A farm is to me, like a troubled child, always in need, and you never feel you are close to keeping up.
  Annie and I move hay on the Kubota, which I drive, and her truck. We have hay stored in the big parn and the Pig Barn, but we have used it up and are dipping into the hay stored across the street in the carriage barn. I have ordered some new hay for the Pig Barn and am responding belatedly to a pasture crisis.
  Two of my pastures are just shot, and so I am rotating feverishly, and building a new fence atop the hill for the pasture that is the oldest on the farm, and unfenced. It will get me through the summer, if and when Shane Becker, the fence guy, can get here.
  So Annie and I moved more hay into the big barn..between her truck and the Kubota bucket we can move a dozen or so bales, which are heavy. Then we drive up to the big barn and put it in there.
  Then we built a temporary fence so that the donkeys can get to the grass next to the Pig Barn, and graze there each day. And I took photos of Paula’s lilac bush and Winston Jr.
  And I met with Floyd Pratt, the head of the town Volunteer Fire Co. and the head of the town Highway Department about the road eroding in front of my house. Then we moved a round bale into the big feeder for the cows, to make sure they have enough to eat and spare some of the pasture grass. Also Rose and I will take the sheep up to the top of the hill later today. I also took the dogs four-wheeling, and also ordered a lens to replace my broken one. Also trained the dogs, and met with Don Cavna, who is repaired the hole I put in the carriage barn door yesterday with the Kubota (see above) while moving firewood. Also talked to Don about putting a screen on the porch, as flies and privacy are a problem. It would be nice to write out there sometimes.
  Also took Rose and got the sheep into the pen so Annie can treat the infections that have plagued the wethers (neutered males). All are fixed but one, Brutus, and we have to treat him aggressively. She also got her shoe stuck in the cow manure, yuk. We are also putting fence posts up around the temporary fencing to keep the donkeys in and the goats are eating it. And it isn’t even ll:30 yet and I am just getting to the computer to continue work on the Rose and Soul of Dogs book and I am tired.
  Dogs are tired, too, napping all around me. Farms just eat up days.