Sunday Morning on the Farm

Cold and lovely, pink sky, icy grass sticks through my Crocs, wetting my nightgown hem. For years I wore gilded gold bedroom slippers and fancy bathrobes, suitable for tiptoeing down my asphalt driveway to pick up my NY Times - now I wear rubber shoes, boots, whatever sturdy, industrial footwear I can slip my feet into, and my old Carhartt barn jacket. No NY Times delivered here. I have to drive 10 miles to get it in New Berlin. I never go barefoot anymore, with manure and sharp things everywhere on the farm. I pop the button on the coffeepot and try to get a few swallows down before the doggies pile up at the door to go out. It's not nice to make them wait, but the coffee helps get me going. I am putting cinnamon in the Canadian Mullatelli coffee Kim and Darryl brought me. Hmmmm, good, and I hear that cinnamon, loaded with magnesium, prevents illness. I think I may have damaged myself inhaling dye fumes last summer. I had a real marathon going. Need to buy some masks to wear. Just got the invoice for the haul I took to Rhinebeck - 92 pounds of dyed fiber!! Can't wait to see how it came out. Let me go make my giant pot of oatmeal. The barn is quiet, sheep lying everywhere. I managed to slip out with the doggies without being mobbed by lambs and goaties. When my "front steps" are built in the spring it will be easier to get outside. I could slip out the back door, but Thor wants to eat Pip, and charges at us. The front door is on the driveway I share with the Sisters and Chris Kupris, and easier to walk up and down with the doggies. Yesterday Matt looked over to their house and saw a car backed up to the front door with the hood opened! He went running over and two men jumped in the car and took off. Looks like he surprised some robbers. If Thor was wandering around the farm that wouldn't have happened, but the Sisters called the dogcatcher and Thor is tied up. I am going to keep Thor in the workroom next to the apt. when I go to work. Just my luck Thor would take a liking to any robbers and my computer and TV would be bye-bye. Extra hour to fool around this morning. It will be dark when I do my chores now. With so much hay on the floor of the barn it's hard to keep light bulbs going. I need wire cages around them. Thank goodness for my barn. It still gives me a thrill when a storm is raging outside and we are safe and dry (although freezing cold) inside. The bunny bottles will start freezing now. I have to replace the bottles with crocks I can pour hot water into. I had hoped to have my bunny room built by now, where I could keep the temp just above freezing. Love the bunners. I have a load of angora from Kim to dye, and lots of wool to sort through including Othello's gorgeous black Merino fleece. My new neighbor at Rhinebeck, Red Maple Alpacas, just sent in an order for creme. I will fire up the Cuisinart as soon as I can find more jars. So much to do, good to keep busy.