Yesterday was one of those exhausting but rewarding days on the farm—we got so much done! Our friend JB came over and the five of us accomplished the following:

• Sheared the last three sheep. With scissors. Assessed the fellows we’ll be eating this winter.
• Walked the horses the two miles to our friend’s house, where they’re going to spend a little time on his much lusher pasture.
• Put Delmonico the steer in the back of the pickup and drove him over to the same pasture (one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever done).
• Repaired the cow stall, which was missing a wall.
• Cleaned up the barn, especially the aisle and feed room. Labeled all the feed barrels.
• Did a bit of fence repair, while marveling over how much easier life is without goats.
• Propped up all the groaning, overloaded branches on the three peach trees.
• Dug a couple of garden beds by hand.
• Wheelbarrowed four loads of manure from the barn to the garden, and spread it on the beds.
• Killed, skinned, butchered, and froze the last two Muscovy drakes. Made a pot of stock from the carcasses.
• Walked the farm sitters through the chores. Had supper together.
• And, of course, all the usual chores: Milked two cows twice for a total of seven gallons of milk. Walked the two cows to their daytime pasture, walked them home in the evening. Waited until the pig wasn’t looking and sprinted up the hill with three gallons of sour milk to dump in her pan, while NOT getting zapped by the electric fence. Gave a bottle to the soon-to-be-weaned Fanny the Spoiled Rotten Lamb. Skimmed seven gallons of milk to get three or four quarts of cream, and washed the jars so we’d have a place to put the current seven gallons of milk. Poured off the latest batch of kombucha and started a new batch. Cleaned up the kitchen after the duck butchering. Cooked supper.
• Collapsed.

Today looks like it will be much the same.

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Now playing: Talking Heads – Tthis Must Be the Place (naive melody)
via FoxyTunes