I was doing well this morning.  I moved a “chair”, an old generator cover and an unused dog house into the donkey pen with tools, hog panels and fence posts and made a new pen for my bucks.  I have been thinking about this for a while; that the bucks would benefit from more room and fresh air, there would be less work cleaning out the buck pen in the barn, and there would be less buck odor too.  So a win-win for all.  While I was working on it I was thinking about how much I enjoy working on these kinds of projects (that are for our animals rather than the Department of Ecology).  I get exercise, fresh air and an enjoyment of the seasons.  I get instant gratification seeing something accomplished.  I am not the type that could go to a gym for exercise, not enough motivation.  But here I get exercise, not so much aerobic (except when I am chasing uncooperative animals), but more strength.  I know I am stronger and healthier for it.  Although I am not thin (I like to eat!), I am certainly thinner than I would be without all of this work.  So I was feeling a little proud of myself and finishing this project by 11:30.  Here’s Marty checking out his new pen-mates.

Then I noticed that our guard llama Fancy’s eye seems to be getting worse.  I have noticed it tearing for a little bit but hoped it would pass.  But now her eye lids seems swollen, and she’s blinking a lot like it hurts.  So I did manage to catch her, halter her and put her in the llama stanchion.  I gave her some antibiotics shots.  In this process she managed to get her head out of the holder and spit quite a bit.  She got a little on my coat but not on my skin so I consider it a success.  The shots went in, and no one was hurt.

Then a heard a loud-pitched scream from the end of the barn.  I found my white Satin Angora rabbit Susan huddled in a corner.  I caught her and noticed her behind covered with gouges and scratches.  So I moved her into a separate hutch.  None of her wounds seem too serious or infected but will bear watching.

In walking back to the house to get breakfast/lunch I noticed this:

More branches have fallen from our trees in the wind!  You can see from the photo we still haven’t finished cleaning up from the last falling tree.  We still have to put up the fence and the white roof rafter support.  So now even more work.

So then I started thinking about how humbling or humiliating (depending on your perspective) this farming thing is.  Every time I get a little pride in accomplishing a farm chore or feeling like I have a handle on this animal husbandry thing, something else happens.  More chores are added to the list, and more illness/injury happens.  I am thinking that I will never get to the end of this list of chores and that I will die an old lady doing some damn farm chore.  I should be so lucky!

Addendum: I did contribute online to the relief efforts in Haiti.  I do not know what else I can do from here.  I cry every time I hear more from there.