Farming life is a 24/7/365. It isn’t for the faint of heart, but you know that. Having this type of life is a long term commitment, but you know that as well. So, the question is, why? Why do I do this? Well, that is a good question. A question that I often ask myself when I am tired, dirty and ready to fall over but still have more to do.
It could be because I don’t know what else I want to do. As a child, I would play with dolls but mainly, I liked playing with my horses. I enjoyed contemplating how horses and animals interact with each other. I was fascinated by how horses communicated. As I grew older I expanded my interest to how cats, dogs, goats & sheep communicate. I loved trying to figure out how different mammals “talked” with each other. At least looking back at my formative years I feel as though I wanted to learn about how to communicate with animals.
Which has brought me to where I am today, a barn full of horses and goats. Young and old; all relying on me to provide them with the care they need. So many creatures that love attention and being around humans. They have learned that humans equal food and comfort. Early this morning we welcomed a gorgeous mule foal to the farm. She is owned by one of my boarders. Her name is Sunny and the name fits.
I am tired and relieved. Both mom and baby seem to be doing well. I feel as though I should write something profound but mainly I just want to say “thank goodness, everything went well. I didn’t need to deal with a difficult birth.” Momma is a little leery of people. We’ve had a lot of people stop by and come in and out. I canceled my afternoon activities and I tried to reduce the activity outside of Poppy’s stall. There will be well wishers and people who want to come and see the adorable baby. So, I will do my best to accommodate those who wish to come and see the foal while also keeping Poppy and Sunny relaxed.
For now, I am going to say farewell as I am feeling groggy and want to catch a few minute of sleep before I begin another round of caring for all the creatures big and small.
