This Is My Happy Place

Where is your happy place?
Mine?
On the farm... with the animals (and of course, with Hubbs there as well!)


Yesterday morning Jack offered to do the work for me as I had mentioned 
that I wanted to finish a knitting project that had gone south.
I had knitted a mistake that I needed to correct and explained that I would need time alone
to fix it.


It was very kind of him... and he is always thoughtful like this...
but I explained to him that my time with the animals was the most important.
Knitting mistakes could wait.


I love morning chores.
I love taking care of everyone's needs.


I even love cleaning up manure!
Seriously.
I derive a great pleasure from making sure that everything is right in my world.


And so, we set about feeding, changing waters and picking up manure.
I am a little compulsive when it comes to cleaning up manure.
I'll let you in on a little secret.


I even clean up the sheep's manure.
I am pretty sure that most people don't pick up their sheep manure...
it is, after all very small and difficult to pick up.
We have learned that a dustpan and brush work quite nicely.


You see... sheep have this disgusting habit of pooping while they sleep...
so you will find piles of it around their sleeping area.


So... every morning, we clean it up... and it really helps to keep the sheep yard looking nice...
not to mention helping to cut down on parasite problems.


Then, I guess you won't be surprised to know that I also clean up the pig poop.
What can I say?
I like a clean farm.


Each morning, we take the horses to the pasture so that they can graze...


and then we clean up the dry lot.
Manure is something we have plenty of... if you need some, just let me know!
Over time, though, we compost it and eventually spread it as fertilizer on our hay fields.
We waste nothing!

While we were cleaning the dry lot, one of the Muscovy ducks came for a visit...
and did her impression of The Limbo...


How low can you go??

Once finished with the barn animals,
we headed up to the goats and chickens...
with turkeys in tow...
(they actually run to keep up with the gator... it's quite comical!)


One of the benefits of morning chores?
Just-laid eggs (as fresh as fresh can be!) for breakfast.


I cut some of summer's last blossoms to enjoy in the house...
dahlias and zinnias to brighten the kitchen.


I believe that whom ever named these morning glories...


must have done so in October!


By October, the morning glories are truly glorious.


Most of my garden fence is now covered in them.
Each year there are more and more...
as these flowers are self-seeding and reproduce year after year.
The funny thing is, though, that they come back in all sorts of color combinations!


By afternoon, I had corrected my knitting mistake and finished the project.


The first photo looked like this...


Yes, I have help for just about everything!

Comments

GeorgiaHoneyBee said…
You post made me get the song "I get by with a little help from m friends..." pop into my mind. Hope you have a glorious day!
daisy g said…
No doubt your hay fields do quite well with all of that compost! It does feel wonderful to be productive, doesn't it? I am someone who likes to stay busy as well, and I get a great feeling of accomplishment when my daily goals are fulfilled.
Your morning glories are superb! Love the purple striped one!
Enjoy creating your day!
Thanks for the video of the littles. Ya' gotta love them. They always look so nice. How often do you groom them and are they more feisty than the larger horses?
This N That said…
Lucky lady. The first picture is a great picture of Jack! Happy Wednesday.
janie said…
LOve the finished project, beautiful warm, fall colors. Morning glories are just wonderful!!!

Enjoy, Janie
littlemancat said…
In Japanese poetry, there are seasonal words - the word for morning glories belongs to Autumn. Sounds right doesn't it? Love yours.
And thanks for the wonderful pics, words, and a look at your beautiful world.
Mary
Steph said…
I always find it so enjoyable to read your posts and get a look into your life on the farm. Thanks for sharing!
deodar said…
I don't think cleaning up the sheep and pig poop is odd at all! My kune kune Percival shares a yard with Otis and Fanny, the goats. Every morning I clean up as much of the goats' droppings as I can as well as Percy's. I even go out to their paddocks and clean up the Percy poop! Along with the horse & donkey manure it does make for some wonderful compost. I only have a few chickens so I line the board under their roost with newspaper and that goes in the compost too. I, too, am way more comfortable when I can stick to my routine of chores, they, along with a 2 mile dog walk gets me going for the rest of the day.