Saturday Musings

I don't realize how much winter, the cold, the critters and my job is taking out of me until the weekend, when I have so much work to do around the farm and not enough energy to do it all. I felt such a sense of relief last night when I got home safely, off those snowy, icy roads. Very cold with snow every day lately. High of 11 F. today, low of 3 tonight. The road my school is on was blocked yesterday morning, due to a collision between an SUV with a small child who was ejected, and a police vehicle. The child was airlifted out to Upstate in Syracuse with a spleen injury, I heard, and the detour was an extra 5 or 6 miles to get to school. The DVD I planned, Beowulf, didn't work when I put it in the machine (almost new DVD) and luckily Gretchen had many others to chose from. I wasn't entirely happy about spending the morning watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail but the kids liked it. I was going to build some lessons around Beowulf, but Monty Python??? I did talk to them about the plague, and the importance of the "quest," and how it's a metaphor for striving to reach your goal and not giving up, etc. The rest of the day was semi-uneventful with that lovely this-is-Friday euphoria. I made my once weekly trek to the Post Office, only because the post lady, wife of one of our tech teachers, called me in my classroom to ask where I live so she could drop off my mail to me on her way home. Unfortunately I am way out of her way, but her call made me drive the 8 miles out of my way to get the mail. I know, I know, why don't I get mail delivered???? The lovely people who sold me this farm told me I was in Brookfield, when I am actually in West Edmeston, a name I would have to spell every time I said it to someone. Kind of like Riegelsville, in Bucks County, Pa., where I used to live. And then they would think I was talking about somewhere in Canada. So I got a box in Brookfield and have to go get my mail. Might have been a mistake...but here we are. I spent a relaxing and enjoyable two hours doing chores in the barn, with lambs running up and down, doing mule kicks and racing with each other. I'm in heaven watching them play. I was thinking I would have all the work done when Matt got home with Chinese food. He has a dreadful commute in the snow, with people doing 25-30 on the roads (like me) turning a 90 minute drive into eternity. I keep telling him to stay the night in Syracuse, maybe in the training trailer, but he wants to come home. It was almost nine by the time we were all settled down in the apartment. My back is better enough so I can sling bales and tote water without too much discomfort. Now is the time to do some exercises to build up some core strength and avoid complete breakdowns. I just can't be laid up with a job and all these animals to take care of. We spent the evening eating the Chinese and watching Clint in Gran Torino. Saw it in the movies last summer but it was still very good the second time. Thought I would sleep but finally got up and came out to the sofa and TV again. Not a good night sleep and it's dragging me down today. Belgium waffles at the Beaver Den is not helping my energy. Maybe I need a day off??? Not happening. I need to "crotch" Monkey, who is looking very pregnant. Goats need to be trimmed around the back for babies to be able to find the teats. When I try to check her udder I can't even find it in the tangled up mass of mohair. It takes two people. Matt is going to work on the hay elevator motor and I want to clean out the milk room. The cats and chickens have left a fine mess for me. I figure I have four more hours of daylight, then I might treat myself to some spinning tonight. Oh, the Christmas tree has to come down first. Needles everywhere, but, surprisingly, no chewed up ornaments while I was at work. Good doggies!!