The morning comedy routine on a farm.
All I wanted this morning was to do chores and make French toast for breakfast.
It sounds so simple.
Well, the tractor’s water pump died. This necessitated my making 4 trips out to the horses with hay and grain. Using an old sled that I had forgotten had holes worn in the bottom. It’s not as though I do not like exercise and caring for my animals, but I prefer to choose when I exercise to that degree.
My geriatric Thoroughbred gelding (Mr. Forbes) greeted me with his customary bucks, spins, whinnies and rears. This is the part that I love. He is 19 years old and is still displays exuberance at the mere thought of food. I like to think he is excited to see me, but that is a nice little delusion on my part.
The other horses greet me with impatience each morning. Fortunately, they have such appealing faces that I normally let it slide.
This morning was a bit different however. Naughty pony Hyacinth had decided to leave the confines of her paddock in search of greener pastures. Wishful thinking on her part. Getting her back in involved wishful thinking on my part.
Since naughty pony proved elusive, I determined that the best course of action was to feed the other horses while ignoring her. What I had forgotten was that I needed to make 3 additional trips with food to appease the masses. Naughty pony followed me (at what she decided was a safe distance) back up to the shed for the second load of hay, then followed me back and watched me feed her buddies. Still not wanting to be caught, Hyacinth followed me back again to the shed and out to the pastures for trip three. By this time the dogs were going ballistic. Fortunately Hyacinth has never been one to take to heart anything that the dogs have to say.
On the fourth and final trip, Hyacinth decided to sneak behind me and enter the shed. The rows of fairly neatly stacked hay and bins of grain must have been calling her. Sadly, when I tried, she choose not to respond. The next step: closing the shed door and trying to catch naughty pony. Not good. Big pieces of equipment are in the shed as are stacks of lumber and steel siding. Pony walked across the steel siding, putting neat little hoofprints across some of the ribs before diegning to be caught.
Dragging a sled full of hay and leading a reticent pony was not a pleasant task, but i made it, and pony was put back into her designated space.
The highlight of this adventure was realizing that I had left the fence energizer unplugged last night, thereby allowing pony dearest (and any other enterprising horses) to examine the countryside. Thank goodness for Pavlovian response - it is the only thing that kept the others in.
This farm thing really seems overrated on days like today.
I am out of eggs. My hair is plastered to my scalp due to the lovely sweat that I worked up beneath my ear-flap hat. I do not want to go to any store. I have no chickens (there is an idea). French toast is not happening.
Damnation.
Dino Corvino said:
Yeah, add chickens. You need more responsibility.
Man.
December 31st, 2007 at 12:09 am #
Billie said:
What are a couple of additional mouths… er, um, beaks??
December 31st, 2007 at 9:09 am #