Chores here are decidedly different. I start the day at the barn.
I derive an immense amount of pleasure in anything that involves going to the barn. I love the barn. Pinch me, I still can’t believe I have a barn.
And I get to play with it every day.
The first thing I do each day (after counting heads in the goat yard and ascertaining that Cookie Doe has STILL NOT DELIVERED) is go to the barn. I flip the wooden bar on the door that opens into the side of the barn with the access to the hay loft.
I go up the steps to the loft.
Once in the hay loft, I’m greeted by cats. My indoor-outdoor cats (aka house cats) are still in the house (and out of it, when I can convince them) while my outdoor-only cats have now become barn cats. (These aren’t the kind of barn cats that multiply. All of my cats are fixed.)
I bring cat food with me, and the cats are happy sleeping in the hay and eating their cat food without any chickens bothering them up here in the loft. Hopefully, if there are any mice in the barn, they are chasing them.
Then I head for one of the big stacks of hay and nudge down a bale.
I get the bale of hay plopped over at the window that looks down into the barn yard.
I give a look-see to make sure I’m not about to squash a chicken then push the bale out the window.
Then I can go down to the yard and clip off the strings.
If you read my post from about a month ago as to the ridiculous extremes I had to endure at times to get a square bale of hay to the cows at Stringtown Rising, you can understand why I feel like this is almost cheating, it’s so easy.
It could be even easier. I’m hoping to move some round bales over here from Stringtown today. Each round bale will feed the cows for a week, so I won’t need to get hay for them every day anymore. Whatever will I do? I might have to start eating bon bons on the sofa.
Meanwhile, those people over there are wondering when it’s going to be their turn.
I toss out some hay from the barn for them and load it into a wheeled cart that was left here by the previous owners.
I take a couple trips back and forth to bring them a whole bale, but the land is flat between the goat yard and the barn, so it’s not difficult. (I have a bigger cart, but I haven’t brought it out of the barn yet.)
Flat, flat, flat, no obstacles, flat.
Now everyone is happy.
I kick the dogs out of the barn.
I shut up the barn and check on everybody’s water, using the handy faucets at the barn and the goat yard, then I go home for another cup of coffee, having completed my easy chores on my easy farm. I consider tripping into the creek, climbing over a couple fences, letting the goats walk on my back, or helping one of the sheep escape so I can feel like I’ve had a real farming experience.
Never mind!
It’s morning at Sassafras Farm and I feel lazy.
prairiegyrl says:
I am absolutely in love, love, love with your new farm. I really admire your strength and how you have landed right where you are supposed to be.
On December 10, 2011 at 7:51 am
Teri says:
Easy only because of what you used to have to do! Congratulations on your new home!!
On December 10, 2011 at 7:51 am
STracer says:
See I knew you were getting a barn and a wagon for the hay. Just didn’t know it was coming with a whole new farm too. 🙂
On December 10, 2011 at 7:58 am
kdubbs says:
Doncha just love doing the easy a.m. chores and going back inside to enjoy your coffee? As a teenager, I worked for years on a small farm where the layout, the terrain, the fencing, and the lack of water fixtures made everything a struggle (although I can’t say it was quite as bad as Stringtown Rising!). Now I truly appreciate being able to breeze through morning chores and get out the door to work (or, preferably, back inside by the woodstove). I’m so happy you’ve achieved the same!
On December 10, 2011 at 8:16 am
Flowerpower says:
Still plenty of work but much easier! I am glad for you to have all these nice things and a flat spot to work on! :happyflower:
On December 10, 2011 at 8:16 am
gaea303 says:
Suzanne you always make me laugh!! I am so glad things are going to well for you. And I am drooling over your barn!
On December 10, 2011 at 8:45 am
DoTson99 says:
Love your new farm. You are bringing back lots of wonderful memories, I really miss the farm and doing morning chores including milking 40-50 cows every morning starting at 4 AM. Keep up the wonderful posts.
On December 10, 2011 at 8:50 am
JOJO says:
:happyflower: It is so nice you can finally enjoy being a farmer, you worked so hard for so many hours a day before.
I like the picture of the house, I like a house with multiple slanted roof lines–you very own “slanted” (sorts) house.
On December 10, 2011 at 8:59 am
bbkrehmeyer says:
Suzanne, work looks so much more like “play” in your new abode. Now all you need is a 4 wheeler with a trailer on behind to haul the hay, feed and water!! The farm is beautiful, and can truly be called a farm!!!! I’ts lovely… Are the two big girls preggers yet??????? and where is our baby miniature? :happyflower:
On December 10, 2011 at 9:11 am
Cheryl LeMay says:
You don’t even need to wear chore boots anymore. Just an older pair of shoes.Life is good.
On December 10, 2011 at 9:30 am
steakandeggs says:
So happy for you. Sounds like you are in farm heaven. With a 100 acres have you thought about getting a few beef cows? Then you could have a bull, and not worry about getting you cows bred. Just something to think about.
On December 10, 2011 at 9:32 am
holstein woman says:
I wondered what you were going to do with your time after those
“hard chores” are done every morning, maybe we all should send you some bon bons? Naw, make your own, it’ll give you something to do….
I am loving your new place for you and VERY HAPPY to see you actually could take time to sit and eat bon bons if you wanted to.
Happy Day! :dancingmonster:
On December 10, 2011 at 9:58 am
CasieD says:
Are you still milking or is BP dried up??
Any success on getting her bred?
On December 10, 2011 at 10:08 am
CATRAY44 says:
You are blessed! Again, thank you for sharing your little piece of heaven on earth with us!
On December 10, 2011 at 10:22 am
thistlewoodmanor says:
Yep, time to take up quilting……..
On December 10, 2011 at 11:55 am
Ms.Becky says:
thanks for taking me along on your morning chores! it looks much easier and the scenery is gorgeous. I’m so happy that you’re so happy there! :airkiss: :hug:
On December 10, 2011 at 12:55 pm
SusieD says:
I love your new farm. It is perfect. The second to last picture of the farm is beautiful. I hope that one day I can live on a farm like that.
On December 10, 2011 at 1:08 pm
JOJO says:
:woof:
I have been thinking about this post, could it be your good karma is kicking in? I dont know that much about these things, but what ever it is, you have earned it, now it is your time to enjoy the good stuff. :yes:
On December 10, 2011 at 1:36 pm
MMHoney says:
Please let us not get carried away…
Bulls are not toys!!!! One would only consider a bull if you had a herd of cattle (not a cow) Rome was not built in a day. Study the water before you jump.
On December 10, 2011 at 2:20 pm
Miss Judy says:
Suzanne…you sound so…”settled”. Your farm looks better everyday.
On December 10, 2011 at 3:16 pm
Beecie says:
Oh my gosh…..I hadn’t realized how much I depended on your hard chore reports at Stringtown Rising to keep me from falling any deeper into “I want a farm” envy. Now you’re making this look too easy. I’ll be trying to convince my husband we want to move out of town and start caring for critters.
On December 10, 2011 at 4:35 pm
Hlhohnholz says:
Just goes to show that the right farm may still be a fair amount of work, but not nearly as much work as the wrong farm!
On December 10, 2011 at 5:11 pm
whaledancer says:
Sounds like you’ll have time for your writing, if you want it.
I was wondering about a couple of things:
Are you still milking BP?
Do you have a sled for moving the hay when it snows?
On December 10, 2011 at 6:50 pm
Estella says:
Thanks for the story of morning chores. Don’t you love it?
On December 10, 2011 at 7:08 pm
Sue, a Florida Farm Girl says:
I’m so glad that things are easier for you now. I’d like to see more writing from you also, devoted to your new passions. Let me be the first to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas.
On December 11, 2011 at 1:32 pm
yvonnem says:
No mention of milking BP. Did you quit milking her?
On December 11, 2011 at 3:39 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
I’ll do a post on the cows soon! I’ve been so busy posting about major undertakings here that I haven’t gotten to post about the details.
On December 11, 2011 at 3:47 pm
BuckeyeGirl says:
I live on (in?) a hill, though not such a steep one as Stringtown Rising is, but I use a cheap children’s plastic sled to drag sacks of chicken feed down to the coop in the winter. Once winter hits, I prefer that there be snow because it makes it easier using the sled than carrying it while slipping around in the mud which is more dangerous most of the time. It would carry a square bale of hay just as well.
On December 11, 2011 at 4:10 pm
Chic says:
What a WONDERFUL way for you to start the day! I’m amazed at how wonderful your grass looks on your farm…after being in a drought for months and months the poor grass on our farm is in terrible shape. I can only imagine how wonderful it feels to be enjoying your daily chores rather than dreading them with all the obstacles you had to deal with before. I bet you smile every time you walk out your door 😉 ….I don’t blame you one bit. 🙂
On December 12, 2011 at 12:10 pm