Good weekend! Above, Maria looks out at the mountains while her faithful dog Zooms buys, looking for sheep to circle.
Zip’s way of saying good morning.
Apples Please
Communing with donkeys
New lens, new perspective. 50 mm.
In the barn, out of the sun.
Cat whiskers in the morning sun.
Bird on the pasture fence.
Dan Rodgers replaced all the rotting tiles, and Maria is painting them blue to match the rest of the house. Maria loves having at least one farm chore, and as we sat out in our chairs together this morning, we both said at the same time:
“On a day like this, there is nowhere else we would like to be expected here, with each other and our animals on our farm.”
We both are also working hard today on our blogs, art, and photography. I will never retire if I can breathe and walk, and maybe even if I can’t.
So far, we’ve replaced a roof, de-rotted our barn sills, and are working next to the front of the house. We have also replaced our septic system and removed heavy tree limbs that had been blown off. We also have a very efficient and helpful compost toilet in the upstairs.
We may not be able to go any further this year on farm improvement, but we have come far.
We want to give special thanks to one angel – Iris – who helped us, and Dan Rodgers, who is making it happen. We could never have done all this ourselves; there is more to do. Farms are lovely but need as much love and care as humans, sometimes more.
Thanks also to Zip, who took to his duties as a Barn Cat and has killed or chased off the rats, mice, and pigeons who were threatening our animals, hay supply (and our home). Zip is a wonderful Barn Cat and and a great friend and companion.
We have worked hard to care for the farm and stay ahead of rain, rot, lightning, and scary storms all year. All of our animals are safe and healthy, and we pray for them every day.
Many people reading this have had this much worse than us; we think of them often.
So far, so good; it’s a race that never ends, as people who live on farms know. The rot in the front of the house would soon have spread; as it was, we rehomed a billion ants.
I can’t do much of the painting, but I can do much of the preparation, supporting work, and details. On Tuesday, I have my first round of cataract surgery. I will be blogging as soon as I get home and every day after that.
I hope I get a patch; I’ve always wanted to wear one.
“The strength of the donkey mind lies in adopting a course inversely as the arguments urged, which, well considered, requires as great a mental force as the direct sequence.” — George Eliot
For most of my life, I never imagined living with a donkey, let alone two beautiful sisters. I love my donkeys and now cannot imagine life without them. Our donkeys are wise, serene, and loving when they are in the mood.
Every idea must be theirs, or they are unlikely to do it. They are patient and softly bray, never beg. They have no use for predators or people from New York City who spray themselves with hand sanitizers when they touch a donkey.
They are not easily impressed but get irritated when approached without a carrot, apple, or fawn over too much. They are immune to commands and pleas. They just don’t care what you want them to do.
When they want attention, they come up quietly behind me and butt me in my butt. I get the message. Once they are scratched, they move away. They love some attention, but not too much. They learned years ago how to manipulate me; it’s simple for them; I fall for it every time they want something to munch on.
I love the sound of their crunching on an apple or a carrot. I love that they can hear Maria and I wake up in the morning and bray for some food. I love that they chased a fox who had once captured a chicken all over the pasture until he dropped it, and then they chased him right over the fence. He never came back.
From that moment on, the hen always hitched a ride on a donkey’s back when she went out into the pasture to search for bugs and worms.
“I think it’s foolish for people to want to be happy. Happiness is momentary—you’re happy for an instant, and then you start thinking again. Interest is the most important thing in life; happiness is temporary, but interest is continuous.” — Georgia O’keffee.
I believe I have a right to be happy, but I see what she means. My interest is always there, but my happiness is not. See you in the morning. My eye surgery will be next Tuesday morning. I expect to blog as usual when I get home.
Sarah and I devised a weekend theme of joy and meaning: “Four items would be great,” she wrote. That means she’s worried. “People are so generous. The Army of Good is doing well for us.” The idea is to get comfort food for the cooler weather (soon to be cold). “This is such a great idea,” she said. “When they see any of these foods, the people in the families coming here smile. We need all four, and thanks.”
If you are inside the pantry when the families come, you see them smile and light up when they see items they used to be able to get and still want. Unlike most food pantries, this one has a lot of trouble finding out what their patrons want. They work hard to respect the dignity of people who need help.
1. Efferendent Retainer Cleaning Tablets, Tablets For Dental Appliances, 102 Tablets, $5.49.
3. Stuffing Mix Turkey Flavor, 6 Oz., $1.42.
4. Velveeta Shells & Cheese, Stuffing Mix Turkey Flavor, 6 Oz, $1.42.
NOTE: I’ll post these items this evening, tomorrow, and Sunday—three days to take your time and see what, if anything, you can do. I buy three or four lower-priced items each day and save the more expensive ones for later in the weekend. In this case, $10 isn’t all that expensive, and it will keep many teeth clean in any family.
You can access the Cambridge Food Pantry Wish List 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When Sarah has enough of the requested items, she’ll remove them from the list and add other ones. All of them are needed.
You can access the Wish List here using the green button at the bottom of every blog post.
Sarah has worked extra hard to make these items as inexpensive as possible. I love the idea of “Smile Day.” It is difficult to admit you can no longer pay your bills or feed your family. Every smile we can bring is a precious smile.
