We are slipping into the rythyms of farm chores at our new home. Chores are the glue of life on a farm, the structure of life. The begin and end the day and shape it. We get up at 6 a.m., feed the dogs, put hay out into the feeders for the donkeys, then in the other pasture for the sheep. We check on the water buckets, muck out Rocky’s stall. Red and I work with the sheep while doing the chores. Now, move the donkeys into the sheep pasture, let Rocky out to graze. Then, in the afternoon, move them all around again.

When Rocky is able to be with the donkeys, it will be simpler. Water is one of the most complex chores. Maybe one day, a frost-free pump in the pasture. I walk the dogs in the morning in a nearby path.