I Could Get Used to This

I woke up with a start - too much light in the room! What time is it? I slept until 8 o'clock. Granted, I woke up at 4 with the roosters and said this is ridiculous and was able to get back to sleep, but the fact that the second stage lasted until 8 is gloriously wonderful. Thank you, doggies and kitties. The sun is shining, birds are singing and the farm is beautiful this morning. I don't have to bomb out of here to work and that's wonderful. I have too much to do, but it's time to start chipping away at it. Hannah and Luke are coming in two weeks and I want the place in ship shape. Loren is coming to help paint the barn and Matt is working on more lighting in my future "work room." Living in a crafts workshop presents challenges. There is clutter everywhere. I need more storage space for fabric and soapmaking supplies. Yes, I bought a giant old barn to put everything in, but wide open uninsulated space, with animals everywhere, is not the answer. I need closets, shelves, walls and lighting. I may not live as long as it takes, but I like to see progress being made. I have to organize and put away all the clothes I rescued from the possums in the tractor shed. That requires plastic tubs and a safe place to put them. All this will be done with time and determination. Already this morning - I had a lovely, long conversation with my beautiful hard-working student-daughter who is juggling full time RN work with two clinical situations and graduate school in Newark. I wish I could do some of that work for her. I hope she gets to the Jersey Shore this weekend to soak up some rays and bathe in the soothing salty ocean water. I managed to catch Ray Davies, one of my adorable billy goat bucks. He's been limping around, holding up one front leg. I caught him a couple of weeks ago, couldn't find any foot rot or injury then, but he's still limping. It's a miracle I caught him again - thank you cracked corn - and still no reason why he's limping. Maybe he was stepped on by one of the 200 pound sheep, or caught on something. I don't know. I carried him inside, held him between my legs while he struggled mightily, and gave him his shots and worming. Once caught, I have to do something with my animals. The little buck goat with the stiff wry neck last year got caught in the creep pen. Legs twisted in the hog panel fence with horns caught too. I had to do some pulling and twisting with him screaming bloody murder but got him loose. There is always something...I did get to spend some quality time with Chris, my old crippled llama. He was so wild for years but we are becoming great friends now. I hold the scoop of cracked corn up to him but won't let him eat unless he let's me stroke and scratch his neck and back. I finally got up to his face and have actually touched his beautiful banana ears! This is a big deal. I'm building him a catch pen in the barn which could double as a horse stall in the future. Fantasies are free! I'm hoping Jim Baldwin comes on Friday to finish shearing sheep and goats. We were rained out last week with the marathon rain. Weather this weeks looks promising. I can't surrender myself to nothing but house work today. There is a jar of Patchouli Essential Oil that is calling to me, along with a walk around my beautiful farm. The June wildflowers are still here and I want to enjoy them before they are eaten by critters, or dried up in the hot summer sun.