You might notice in many of my photographs, this growing mound near the hay feeders. It is our manure pile, and every Spring we give the manure to farmers or gardeners who want some of the world’s best fertilizer. Last year it went to Pompanuck Farm, not sure where it’s going this year.

The pile has been enhanced by the arrival last year of Chloe, our pony, she has made the pile quite a bit larger than last years pile. One of our first chores every morning is to clean the manure out of the pole barn, where the animals spend the night. I take the rake and pile it up, Maria scoops it into a wide shovel and carries it over to the pile.

For some strange reason, we love this chore, it is something we do together, and it is something somehow grounding. I love seeing Maria toss the manure onto the pile, sometimes it is still steaming, even in the cold.