Upstater

“Not that many,” I said. “Mostly just working on the garden…” I thought a bit, imagining a summer of barbecues and swimming holes and not too much work. But then I remembered some other things I wanted to get done.

“And fencing in the South Pasture so the sheep can have more grazing space… And landscaping the path by the ponies’ paddock. I’d love to get some echinacea and some bee balm in there, and beat back the nettles…”

I thought some more, and that was probably my mistake. The ideas started coming fast and furious.

“And fixing up that that wild area by the cottage, maybe put down paving stones. Oh, and I want to go over to Ruth’s and harvest some poles from her ailanthus patch and then build teepees for trellieses. And also I need to put mats and stone dust in the run-in shed. And I want to build a chicken tractor. And get the squash garden going. And take down that rock wall in the cottage garden, and turn it into flower beds, and fence in the lawn area, so we don’t have to mow the grass…”

The list went on.

By now we are in full-on locomotive summer-chore mode. There is just so much to be done, so many babies to be fed, and so many hours in the day. If we leave one thing undone, it causes mayhem, and like a mythological monster, instantly sprouts five other chores:

For example, the stable door broke. One morning we came down and the door was off its hinge on one side. With my husband away a couple weekends in a row, and then crazy downpour rain some other weekends, we couldn’t get it fixed right away.

Because the barn door was difficult to fully shut, the goats could get in. Because the goats could get in, the feed barrels were under seige. Because the feed barrels were under seige, they had to be moved into a little gated area (another chore), which kept them safe, but multiplied the steps required to access the feed…

Around the same time, the pig got out of her fence, and became a free range pig. A cute situation, but one not without its issues.

Meanwhile, the goats’ efforts to get in and out of the partially closed barn door caused them to further destroy the door, loosening the boards each time they jumped in and out, over the increasingly complex barricades we laboriously constructed each day.

On top of all this breakdown-mayhem: it’s baby season. Babies need extra care, whether they’re ducklings or turkey poults that need to be taken in and out every day, or an adopted goat kid and a rejected lamb that need to be bottlefed (cute during daylight hours; not so cute during sleeping hours).

But, yeah. Really cute during daylight hours.

We just spent two intense work weekends in a row, and I am happy to report that the goat paddock is firmly installed and has proven to be escape-proof. The pig fence is also fixed, and the pig is in her proper home with a new piggy friend. The sheep fence is fixed, although we still have plans to expand it.

The barn door is repaired, dammit.

And the bottle-feeders are growing up. Just two feedings a day, and they’re no longer in the house.

But the work continues.

My arms or legs are sore most mornings. A great feeling.

Despite the chaos, I can never wait to finish my work week and get back to the farm.

Just a few more hard work days and we can start hitting the swimming holes and the potlucks.

Um, right?

Can’t hardly wait!