A DAY IN PHOTOS: EVENING CHORES.
Moving the milking stanchion, letting the animals into their new paddock, tying up the calf and then milking Lily, collecting eggs without getting killed by the geese.
WINTER CHORES.
With cold temperatures comes a new daily chore: breaking the ice. We have to make sure the animals have access to their water, and without electricity, this means breaking the ice (sometimes multiple times a day). For us, this is quite simple: just the dog and the cat and the chickens. But while Bugtussle was away for the holiday, we got to walk up the hill to break the ice for the sheep and cows. I love seeing these guys when they get their fluffy, scruffy winter coats....it definitely makes it worth the cold morning walk.- Hannah.
THE BEST CHORE.
The cow we wrote about last week, Dandy, did in fact pass away. Not only was it very sad, but it also left the farm with a somewhat laborious chore - feeding her newborn calf. With the Smith family on vacation, this task falls to us....but I'll be honest. While it is time-consuming and must be done twice a day, it is definitely not that much of a chore.Feeding this little orphan face every morning is a delight, crouching in the dewy grass while curious sheep and cows sniff at my ears. This little guy is, in fact, a little guy, but Jesse and I hope to one day raise and bottle-feed a little heifer to become our milk cow. Until that day, we will just keep practicing, and enjoying every minute of it.- Hannah.
CHORE TIME.
"Chores" is a fancy farmer term applicable to any task that must be done daily. Usually "chores" translates to tending animals. "Doing chores" could mean taking slop to the pigs, or grain to the chickens and collecting eggs, making sure your animals have water, food, and shelter. It often must be done every day, if not twice a day. At Bugtussle right now, "doing chores" means moving the livestock twice a day into small paddocks. Last week, I decided to start helping Eric with his evening chores since Hannah and I don't have much in the way of chores for ourselves these days (beyond our Wendell chore, which is more playing than tending).I've always been under the impression that if I have the chance to help someone who knows more than I do––especially on a daily basis––I should probably take it. I like being around the animals, being in the pasture and listening to Eric talk about what he's learned in his years of Management Intensive Grazing, and what he still doesn't understand. Myself, I still have much to learn about the agrarian language, and like any language, immersion is the best way to pick it up. There is no Rosetta Stone comparable to listening to a passionate farmer compare seasons, talk about specific grasses, and admit they know nothing, while simultaneously doing amazing things for his pasture. If that is something I can take part in every day, I'm going to.Our friend Jacob from Sweet Grass Granola once said something I liked, that living one minute away from someone was a whole lot different from living fifteen minutes away. In other words, out here in the country, you are a lot more likely to interact with someone often––to see your friends––if they are extremely close, and if you don't have to get in your car to do so. For this reason, Hannah and I are so happy to have the Smiths, our friends and mentors, with all their knowledge and savoir-faire, right next door. Our next lesson in the farming language is always, literally, just right around the corner.- Jesse.
