It has been cold for two days, but beautiful and clear. There was snow in the upper hills but we didn't even see a flake. The air felt so good to me this morning. Without the rain, the cold is revitalizing.
I have had the flock in the donkey pasture where they can take shelter in Old Barn. It is a magical set of circumstances that make my morning chores go off without chaos. Today everything just clipped along and I was in no hurry either. I let the flock out first, they descend from Donkey Hill where it is dry footing, make there way down into the marsh area and then up and over a rivulet to graze up on Muddy Hill-named for Mud because as a pup he and Huck would run there and Mud so loved it. It is cross fenced now and I need to get a foot gate up there so I can walk there again with dogs, man and beast.
The flock always look so beautiful to me, in motion, they are like leaves really-there shades all work together but are unique tones of ochres and browns.
I did morning feedings and noticed E.B.White was completely off his hind back foot. While I worked on him, Benedetto came frequently to check up on me. The door he is standing on opens up into a series of three more stalls, all large, 14' or more and they are used during the year for various Misfits. During lambing the ewes are bedded there. The light in this end of the barn is always so beautiful and White Dog's head was like a glowing cloud, a lite bulb up high might be construed as his little halo. I neglected to find any abscess or rot on E.B.'s foot but it was warm so perhaps one is forming.
I gave booster shots to the sows, trimmed some Misfit feet and moved hog fuel-the final bit of 2 units-so that Stevie's den is drier. I made the mistake of not getting his hut's gutter up before the rain, so the deep sand I'd put in the hut-which he loves, as does Aldo, got damp.
And now I'm back in, baking another Buttermilk Pie since we didn't bring home leftovers from the holiday. I'm also working on a story idea in the studio and loving it. To be re energized creatively of late is a very good feeling, like thinking,
"Okay, I still have it."
So it was a morning of good work. I hope you had one too.
