In the morning, we both go outside before breakfast, carrying our cellphones and camera. We fill the heated water tub, Maria usually brings treats for the pony, donkeys and sheep. Sometimes we tell Red to keep the sheep off, sometimes Maria has enough for every one.
We are doing something new. To keep order – feeding time can be disorderly – we use Red to keep the sheep in one place, we walk Chloe into a stall in the barn and close her in with some hay. Horses, like dogs, need some down time, and horse people say being in a stall for a pony is just like being in a crate for a dog – calming and grounding.
Chloe eats for an hour or so, and is then released. We fill up the feeders, check hooves and coats, make sure the dogs have gotten some running time, and then go inside for breakfast. Chores are the structure and foundation of farm life, they focus us on why we are here, what is important, they are things we both share, trading ideas, taking turns, helping each other out.
We see how the hay looks, who is eating it and how much. We walk the animals to the pastures together, clean out the barn together, one or the other of us is always taking a photo or video of something. We are constantly strategizing about running the farm – when to heat the water tank, when to clean it, how much hay to put out, how much to order. when the wood is dry and ready to be covered, how to stack it.
We check each of the animals every day for health, make sure no one is limping, look at their weight and their eyes. It is not really possible to run a farm alone,
The farm teaches us how to manage our days. We don’t eat until the animals are fed, we both know the importance of being at work early, the morning is precious creative time, not to be wasted or given away. It always brings us closer together. It was Maria’s idea today to put Chloe in a stall, to make feeding time easier and more peaceful, she can be pushy and bossy.
It was my idea to put flat stones out by the gate so Chloe would make holes by pawing the ground in excitement when we come out in the morning. Holes collect water and freeze in the winter.
After chores and breakfast, we go our separate ways, usually for the day. Maria and I are happy together, but we also understand the importance of space and boundaries. I rarely go into her studio, and never uninvited, she rarely comes into my office. Her dog sits with her, my dog sits with me. Then, they become both of our dogs.
Farms teach us how to manage our lives, it is in a small away an awesome thing to be responsible for the care of an animal. As strong as they are, they are also profoundly helpless, dependent on us for food and water and shelter. People often forget to be grateful, but animals never do.