Little Things and a Thank You ...

Sometimes it's the little things on the farm that amaze me. Or more specifically the little things that have become routine parts of my life since taking on the farm. Here are just a few mundane and not so mundane things that have become part of my farming life. For someone who grew up on the farm these things are just things that happen in the course of the life of a farm ... for me ... well, let's just say I didn't grow up on the farm!

• I am working on perfecting the art of the hose drain. After stretching out the 300 feet of hose to water the hogs/cattle/sheep I need to drain all of the water out in order to keep the hose from freezing shut. I've worked out a great system ... I hold the hose above my head and count to fifteen (my unscientific research tells me that 15 is the perfect number). After my fifteen count I reach ahead a couple of feet and repeat the process. I do this every day ...
• In the past week I've had to lance an infection on a baby pig not once, but twice. Many people that have known me my whole life might be surprised that I just take this as part of the farm and that I can do it without losing my cookies. Let's just say that most of the time I don't have a stomach for most things, but for some reason when it comes to the farm I can just dig in and do it. Even when there was that rectal prolapse that one time ...
• Circumstances that I have had no control over this winter have led to my arms being completely submerged in water ... while the temperature is hovering around zero and the water temperature was struggling to stay above freezing. It's just one of those things that you have to do on the farm.
• A few weeks ago I spent an hour laying in deep bedding in the pig shed trying to introduce some baby pigs back to their mother who had decided to have them in the alleyway instead of in the hut. Of course prior to me laying in the deep bedding I was in the house feeding the little pigs some electrolytes and warming them up while their mother was trying to tear apart the hut I had put her in ... in the end things kinda worked out.

Those things may seem simple or common place for those with more experience than me, but at the end of the day I'm proud that I can accomplish something! Sometimes it's just important to find comfort and strength in the simple things of the farm ... even if they are a little out of the ordinary.

There is one more thing though. I just want to send out a big thank You for the surprise gift that I received this week. Let's just say someone really knows me and I'm thankful to have them in my life. I can't even begin to express my gratitude and I hope this gets to You! Thank You ...