As the absolutely gorgeous blue sky and phenomenal sun and breezes wash over me as I walk back and forth amongst the animal groups, I wonder how I can describe this feeling I have. So, I keep thinking about farming and my life right now and this is what comes to mind—maybe it’s like swimming in an “Endless Pool”? Maybe I was just hot last week when it hit 87 degrees and wanted to swim? No, that’s not what I’m talking about.
I haven’t yet had personal experience with an endless pool. I am imagining it feels like you swim and swim and your surroundings never change. You’re feeling good, like your getting a work out, you know it is the right thing to do, but it seems strange, like maybe you should be getting somewhere?
This is how my spring has been, and you? I know as mom’s, dad’s grandparent’s spring chores and daily housework can feel just like my farm chores, so I thought many of you could identify with this thought and image.
Why does it feel endless—because it is endless. In my life right now I have lots of mouths to feed every few hours. In addition to the usual horse and kid feedings, for the last 6 weeks the big time consumer has been the “birds” as we call them.
The Cornish Cross broiler chicks to be exact. This year we chose to re vamp our systems and build new hoop style coops to be used on pasture. So, when I wasn’t feeding or watering them, we’ve(Eden and I and sometimes Levi) been working on the coops (trying not to tie up the real builder in the family farmer Ben-who did help with the basic structure).
The coop building process has been interesting. Tedious is an understatement when it comes to installing hardware cloth and tarps to a hoop style coop. Then we then had to install the doors, the pull ropes—feeders and waterers—“it is going to be worth it” I keep telling myself.
When the coops were done we had to move the birds over, which again took patience, but the outcome was great!
Check out this video of us moving the meat birds from the “old”A frame on wheels to the new mobile hoop coops we just constructed so that they can have fresh air, sunshine and grass to eat while being protected.
Even in fast forward this video seems slow, but life is kind of slow isn’t it—totally fast, but totally slow. Just thought I would share, hopefully will get a laugh…
Enjoy this beautiful splendor nature is giving us, it rocks!
