Feeding the Beasts

February 13, 2024 ShirleyjdietzLeave a comment

A righteous man has kind regard for the life of his animal… Prov. 12:10 AMP

My recent experience tending the animals on Julia’s farm while she and Kevin were in the hospital with Gwennie brought a lot of things to mind. I did manage to keep them all alive and well. (Click here for list of chores)

People who work with the land, with animals, and with plants have an important connection to some basics of life. Doing chores regularly, faithfully, with a watchful eye to the welfare of other living things is all about character development. Having access to the outdoors, specifically to a farm is a blessing. I worry about generations of children who have no idea what I’m writing about.

I can quickly give some of the complaints that people have about this kind of work. It’s too hot. It’s too cold. There’s too much dirt. I’m tired. I hurt. It’s inconvenient to do it now. There you have it, and it’s all true.

However, what I find every time I’m given animals to feed, is that I like it. Animals are glad to get their food. They don’t actually say “thank you” but they act grateful and make me feel like I’ve done them good. They get used to the times they are fed, and act calmer when on a schedule they can depend upon. (I know how I feel when I’m hungry and there’s no food – it’s stressful!)

A couple days of doing farm chores gets me into a comfortable rhythm too. I get more familiar with my charges. They become more interesting to me and I start noticing small behaviors that I missed before. I get satisfaction from faithfully showing up with life sustaining food for them. Most everyone who has had a dog or a cat knows that people bond with their animals, and that goes for any animal, really.

I learned a lot of my large animal care from my friend Carroll Barnhill, in Florida, on his horse farm. Animal food can be expensive, but his animals always had plenty even when he had trouble making ends meet. He was out at the barn every morning early, turning on his coffee pot in the feed room, and getting busy. Every animal got fed, their water buckets washed out and filled, their stalls cleaned, and fresh hay put in the feed box for them to graze on during the day. The finishing touch was to clean the corridor with the blower so everything looked neat and tended. The stable wasn’t fancy, but it all made sense for the needs of the animals. And it was satisfying.

When it’s hot, I like to do chores early in the morning when it’s cool, and in the evening when the sun is lower. When it’s cold, I put on a coat and gloves. Dirt washes off almost everything. I can work tired, and I rest better when my work is done. I find ways to deal with pain, and actually hurt less when I stay active. And life is inconvenient in so many different ways, how could we expect chores to be different? Being faithful, regular and vigilant leads to fewer inconveniences. It’s a rule, I think.

Adventures: Minding the Farm

February 3, 2024February 3, 2024 Shirleyjdietz1 Comment

My 6 month old granddaughter’s surgery is this coming Thursday. Both parents are taking time off to stay with her in the hospital for the expected 3 – 5 days in ICU and step down units. I am staying home to mind the farm. My goal is that all animals be alive and where they are supposed to be when Julia and Kevin return.

You’ve heard enough about the dogs. Of course, they get fed every morning and evening (and anything they can get in between).

I’m writing this to see if I remember all the instructions I’ve been given.

MORNING CHORES

In the barn:

1. Feed Rosie the horse, 3 handfuls of horse feed (1 from her previous kind, 2 from the one she’s transitioning to) plus a squirt of some kind of goop

2. Feed Kita the horse, 3 cups of her feed, 2 doses of supplement, 2 scoops of diatomaceous earth, wetted down with a little bit of water. Hay for the day, and check water.

3. Feed Heidi the goat. Small scoop of goat feed, water, hay as needed.

4. Prepare feed for field animals. 2 buckets with 2 large scoops each of horse feed for horses, fill with water and let soak. Also a bucket of all stock feed for sheep – 1 large scoop.

5. Put halter on Rosie and lead her to pasture for the day. Leave halter on gate. Clean her stall.

6. Put buckets and bales of hay in Mule

In the field:

1. For ponies, goats, rams – throw hay in two or three spots, at least half a bale

2. For horses – dump the two buckets in separate feed tubs, make sure donkey gets a little from the sheep bucket. Hay in hay box, about 3/4 bale. Check water.

3. For sheep (ewes) – dump their feed in feed tub. Put hay in for sheep and Rosie (they share a pasture). Check water. (Question: how do I keep Rosie from eating the sheep feed?)

Field horses and Carlos the donkey, finishing their morning hay

EVENING CHORES

In the barn:

1. Feed Kita, same as in morning, more hay if it’s really cold. Check water.

2. Feed Heidi. Check hay and water

3. Go get Rosie from field, feed her medicine with a handful of her food. Put rest of her food in the stall with her. Hay, couple flakes, and water.

4. Prepare feed for field animals as in the morning.

5. Buckets for horses and sheep in the Mule, along with hay for all in the field

In the field:

1. Toss hay to ponies, donkey and goats, at least half a bale. Check water.

2. Feed horses their buckets as in the morning. Hay again, 3/4 bale. Water should be good if checked in the morning.

3. Feed sheep their bucket and some hay, check water.

A Different Kind of Whitewater

December 28, 2018December 28, 2018 Shirleyjdietz1 Comment

S N O W

So Now Over Winter (just kidding, I love it…)

We got more snow last night.

I was awake at 3:30 am listening to the plow over in the Walmart parking lot. There are fences and tree borders between our condo and Wally World so we don’t see it, but we do hear most everything. That’s how I knew there was more snow.

I didn’t actually get up until 5 and since it was still super dark, and I think it’s a little ridiculous to shovel snow in the super dark, I waited another hour to go out. It was simple dark then, and my brother was out with his Bobcat, clearing the parking area for his employees to arrive.

In case you are wondering, this is simple dark, and my footprints.

It was a whole different kind of shoveling today. The shovel no longer slid easily over the cement. I had to kick it every few inches because there was an immovable layer in there somewhere. If you’ve ever had a pan with food burned on it, that’s what it was like. It was also quite slippery – made it hazardous to get in a good kick when the leg I was standing on was slipping out from under me.

This is all I do – walkways and a few feet in front of garage doors. My brother takes over from here, with the machine.

Frequent rest periods were the answer. Every time I would stop and look around I was amazed all over again at how beautiful the world is when covered with snow. And to be out in it is an experience so different from looking at it.

My snowman looked a little stressed this morning, just sayin’…

I didn’t make him bending over like that. He did it himself.

Mealtime Meltdown

December 3, 2018December 3, 2018 ShirleyjdietzLeave a comment

I have been fighting with my computer all afternoon and it has left me in a poor mood. At least that is what I’m going to blame it on.

Mealtime meltdown, and I’m not referring to some three-year-old who doesn’t want to eat his broccoli. It’s me. I’m at war with the idea of fixing food to eat. Although I like eating as a rule, and probably eat more than a lot of other people I’m starting to harbor a great dislike for planning meals and cooking them. It’s work. Repetitive work. Often unrewarding work.

I suppose it’s like anything else – if I would view it as my job and not an interruption, I would approach it more reasonably. In fact, I must have approached it differently for the past 40 years or my family would have starved to death, hired a live-in chef, or spent way too much money eating out. I must have liked cooking back then, but everything has gotten so complicated lately.

These days, almost all food is suspect. It either causes cancer, or kills off our beneficial bacteria, or is loaded with hormones or environmental poisons. We have to eat keto, organic, gluten free, free range everything. We have to eat our food in a 6 hour time window, drink enough water to float a boat, and avoid comfort food in general (and bread in specific). We are bombarded with messages like “food is medicine” and at the same time we are sold a zillion supplements and told to ask our doctors for prescription meds for everything from depression to skin problems. I’m confused and I kind of want to stop eating, kind of…

The husband came to me this afternoon around 3 pm. “What did you have for lunch?”

What he really meant was “what can I have for lunch?”

It’s evidently less demanding if he asks it that way, which he often does. I had just started in on a blog post for the business site and my creative energy, which was already faltering, disappeared completely with the interruption. There was soup in the refrigerator. Mom made it yesterday. After leading him to it, we discussed what I thought was an explanation and a plan. At least it was my plan. We had a late breakfast and we would have an early dinner in about 2 hours. But he was hungry so I dished up a bowl of soup to hold his hunger at bay until then.

You might think that I moved in with Mom to help her with her meals, but that is not the case. She has pretty much given up on the way the husband and I try to eat (or not eat). She eats when she is hungry. The timing might be 4 am, it might be every 4 hours, and the deciding factor on what to eat might be whatever is about to spoil in the fridge. She likes to hide in her room and eat. We do intersect at the table, for a meal, a few times a week but we are most often like ships passing in the night, SYSCO trucks passing on the freeway…

After giving up on my computer problem, and aware that the fated dinner hour was closing in on me, I went in to see if Mom wanted to eat dinner. The process of figuring out WHO wants to eat sometimes gives me time to think of WHAT to eat. She had stuffed herself, her words, with a taco salad not too long before and wasn’t really in the mood. She must have figured I was frustrated with “food think” because she came out to the kitchen and got her leftovers out for me to fix for myself and the husband. Why not, I thought?

So, I warmed, chopped, sprinkled, arranged – all those annoying little activities – to produce our salads and called the husband to eat.

“I’ll take about a third of that” he said. “You can put the rest of it away for later. I just ate soup and a sandwich.”

Okay, just put me in a straight jacket and lock me up. I could have been reading a book or something fun instead of standing in the kitchen FIXING FOOD for someone who doesn’t want it. I am constantly vacillating between guilt (what? There’s nothing to eat?) and frustration (you made food – I don’t want any).

I will admit, it’s not easy living with me in charge of food. I am prone to disregard my stomach. I can tolerate the same menu day after day. I can eat water for food, or take a walk and skip the meal altogether. I love doing so many other things more than worrying about what to eat. When it comes to food, there is one thing I can say I love. I love friends who love to cook and invite me to eat, and you know who you are. Just sayin’…

Container Queen

August 6, 2014 Shirleyjdietz5 Comments

I am in the middle of a revelation. I am the Container Queen.

I have been paring down, cleaning, throwing away as I go through the various rooms in my house.

Someday, someone will be glad I did this.

Today, going through my gardening supplies and equipment it was suddenly, glaringly obvious that there were containers everywhere. Boxes, tubs, baskets, carry-alls, jars, vases – all sizes, made of many different materials, some full, some empty but waiting for just the right thing to go in them. I have to acknowledge this “thing” I have for containers and maybe (???) do something about it.

Yesterday I spent about an hour breaking down cardboard boxes that I had saved for someday when we move. Some of the boxes had come from FedEx or USPS, from Mary Kay, and some I even hauled home from work because they were a handy size. My garage shelves are stacked with boxes of canning jars,Tupperware that I can’t bear to throw away and plastic containers to hold … other containers, yes. I have baskets and bowls that I couldn’t resist, but at least they are decorative. I even pick interesting containers out of other people’s garbage (painful confession). My employer buys expensive almond soap in these really cute boxes which she thinks she throws away, but they are containing my button collection now.

Almost anytime there is something to be contained, I can think of something I have that is just right for the job – because at least half my containers are empty and waiting. Do I have a problem? I don’t know. But I have to say it does feel kind of good to finally be queen of something.

i will need this, probably, someday... — i will need this, probably, someday…

containers under other containers (I really did find the top one in the garbage)

these are TOO cute! I could go on and on… hmmm, guess I did.

The Way Things Are

July 17, 2014 Shirleyjdietz1 Comment

I have no control, not really. I may make appointments and think I know where I’m going to be, but it’s never really the case. It’s such a true saying “wherever I go, there I am” and that’s about all I can count on. It’s okay. It relieves me of a lot of responsibility. I didn’t even get upset last night when the post I’d spent a couple hours thinking through and writing down disappeared when I inadvertently moved my hand in front of the touch screen. I guess WordPress doesn’t have automatic update/save. That’s the way things are.

Today I am put in charge of a situation to solve for someone else, if I can. I have total compassion for people who by some strength of body and mind have managed to live to be old, like over 90, and still are taking care of themselves. But things get difficult and maybe it’s hard to remember how you used to take care of difficulties with contracts and bills and harassing phone calls. So you are happy to let someone help you. I was volunteered for this job.

My friend C. who is younger, only a year or so past 80, has taken to looking after a neighbor, the above mentioned person. A while back she fell in the driveway on her way to the mailbox and couldn’t get up. Someone noticed and came to her aid. Later when C. was with her he suggested she get some kind of device she could use to summon help. She had one – it was in the house, when she was in the driveway. He found out she was a bit disturbed with a bill she had gotten from the security company. She had an experience with a rather sharp tongued customer service rep when she called to ask about it. She didn’t understand and C. couldn’t explain it to her but he told her Shirley would take care of it, not to worry. Right.

After half a dozen calls I finally get to someone who might have info on this account and, as usual, I have to have a password or they won’t address the issue with me. That’s the way things are. What are the chances our 90 year old friend will remember a password she chose three months ago? I don’t remember passwords I chose last week.

It’s a strange day outside. It is bright and sunny except for the three or four times (about every hour) when a cloud has coasted overhead and dumped torrential rain for 10 minutes or so. We are in Florida and that also is just the way things are.

Spring Up North

May 28, 2014May 28, 2014 Shirleyjdietz1 Comment

NOTHING compares to a fully loaded lilac bush

flowers seem more exciting and glorious after 6 months of winter

I’ve been “up north” waiting to see spring come, hoping I had my timing right. I think it’s here. The children have lessening interest in their schoolwork, rain has made greenness appear everywhere and swollen the ponds and marshes. The woods are full of trilliums and fiddle head ferns. Mosquitoes follow us in clouds and dandelion seeds float in the air like snow. The garden is 80% planted and the reliable onions and radishes are already making their rows visible. Tulips and petunias are in place. And the lilacs have purple buds almost to the point of opening up – one of the things I wanted most to experience. The sun brightens up the horizon at 4:30 am and it’s still light at 9 pm, reminding me that the longest day of the year is less than a month away. It’s spring, but only for a little while.

There are no days to waste, no extra hours in the spring. Last night the weather cleared after an all day rain. My brother had bought seed corn and potatoes and was not willing to wait until today to plant – after all, he had to work at his “other business” during the day and there was no guarantee that it would not rain again. Best to get at it. He could hardly sit still through supper. We planted 12 rows of corn and put up the electric fence to keep the deer from eating the tomato and squash plants. I know it works because I tested it accidentally. The gardens have a good start this year, almost two weeks ahead of last year’s schedule. Hopes are high. It’s hard to realize that it still could freeze and one cold night could set everything back.

But today is beautiful and sunny, alive with birds (and mosquitoes) and plant life. Spring up north, how I have missed it and how wonderful it is. Just sayin’…

garden, with precautions for possible freezing weather (No, no, no!)

A to Z Challenge: V for Vet’nary

April 24, 2014April 24, 2014 Shirleyjdietz3 Comments

The equine veterinarian practices bedside manner

One of my all time favorite tv series is James Herriot’s “All Creatures Great and Small”. How interesting and fun it is to now be watching my daughter live out her own version of that story. Real doctors treat more than one species, or so it says on the back of her t-shirt. Doctor J is a vet’nary specializing in large animals, mainly horses but also cows, pigs, sheep, goats and other farm creatures.

Although this is a long standing dream of hers, to be a vet, and she finds it meaningful and satisfying, it is not always pleasant, convenient or easy. In fact, it is often unpleasant, inconvenient and hard. She has a mobile practice and travels from farm to farm with her truck full of supplies and equipment. At present, the area she covers is wide and she spends much time on the road. Many nights she is not home until 9 or 10 and still has her own animals to care for, oh, and herself to feed and put to bed. …

Sometimes when I visit, I ride with her and pretend I’m part of her team (after all, I am a nurse – I know how to fetch a scalpel or a suture, or the lubricant…). From my daughter I learned how to hold a sheep and how to pull a horse’s tongue out of the way while his teeth are getting filed (floated). She has saved a choking horse and set a lamb’s broken leg. She does ultrasounds and x-rays on her patients lugging heavy equipment cases to the field or the barn. She endures the most awkward positions for hours while sewing up a bad laceration or bandaging a difficult area. And she is often called upon when owners decide that their animal needs that last compassionate act.

And who would have thought that someone with sensitivities to organization (sock drawer perfection) and cleanliness (professional house cleaner) would develop such a high tolerance for dirt, manure and horse spit? It’s all part of the job for Dr. J., Equine Vet’nary.

how to hold a sheep getting it's leg x-rayed — how to hold a sheep getting it’s leg x-rayed

A to Z Challenge: E for Eh?… Ecology?

April 4, 2014April 4, 2014 Shirleyjdietz8 Comments

This would have to be ecology of the yard, not the university classroom or workplace. And although this subject would seem to have nothing to do with my evolving theme of “family”, it does. It’s really meant to be a ~~torture~~ diversion for my family up north as they savor their 10 inches of new snow. (he he he, you could have stayed down here longer.)

Ecology defined: the scientific study of interactions among organisms and their environment, such as the interactions organisms have with each other and with their abiotic environment. Topics of interest to ecologists include the diversity, distribution, amount (biomass), number (population) of organisms, as well as competition between them within and among ecosystems.

In other words, looking at the yard to see what grows well and what doesn’t, and taking care of it so it doesn’t completely bury you in vegetation. I’ve been working on this for years in the oneacrewoods. And this is the time of year where I stage for the growing season to come. Plants aren’t mean on purpose but they are. Mean.

This morning I spent four hours and got about 1/8 of the way around the house, cleaning gutters of leaves and flowers from the oaks, raking, pruning, and washing dirt and pollen off everything. Everywhere I look there is a plant needing attention and I could just keep at it for days but for the sake of a more balanced life, I’m breaking it down into sections.

As I’ve said before, we do have fall in Florida – we have it in the spring. My oak forest drops tons of leaves on the lawn, house, driveway, and garden beds. Some people like to rake, bag and send their leaves to the landfill. And then they buy mulch to keep their soil moist and protect their plantings. I’m just not going to do that 1) because I don’t have that kind of money for labor, bags and mulch and 2) ecology tells me that there has to be something good about leaves falling on the ground around trees or the trees would all be dead by now. I use the leaves as mulch and most of the time it works.

Another ecological move on my part is to quit fighting nature and grow only things that like living in my yard. Ferns love my yard. Flowers, most of them, do not. They are slug food and it’s pitiful to see them disappear one bite at a time. I also have bromeliads everywhere because they multiply like rabbits and like to grow around trees where it’s hard for me to mow anyway.

Okay, northern friends, come in and have a look at my green, growing, sunny, warm Florida yard.

Bromeliads move from here... — Bromeliads move from here…

Ode to WH

February 12, 2014February 12, 2014 Shirleyjdietz7 Comments

This is to commemorate the death of WH (water heater) who died last night after 35 years of faithful service. In this day and age lasting in a useful fashion for that long is truly remarkable. The only other thing that approaches such a record these days is a package of hot dog buns which will last forever with no trace of mold.

WH was preceded in death by his brother WH2 who died late last year in the house next door. He had been suffering for several months from old age clicking, moaning and pinging and as some who knew both he and his brother remarked, “same equipment, same age, same water”. His death was not a surprise, but the family had hoped for a few more years.

His absence was first noted during what was supposed to be a hot water load of laundry. Following that he was found in the foyer closet where his “water spirit” had been set free. The papers, books and clothing that were with him when he died will never be the same. He was quite a water heater.

Fondly remembered for the many hot showers, clean dishes, and his warmth and faithfulness. Rest in peace WH. You will be missed.

I Just Have to Say…

and I'm sayin' it here.

Category: chores

Feeding the Beasts

Adventures: Minding the Farm

A Different Kind of Whitewater

Mealtime Meltdown

Container Queen

The Way Things Are

Spring Up North

A to Z Challenge: V for Vet’nary

A to Z Challenge: E for Eh?… Ecology?

Ode to WH

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