Yesterday was not my best day.
I wrenched my back opening the kitchen window.
It rained all the way up to the farm.
It was the last day I’d see this semester’s interns, and I’m really going to miss them. The problem with getting the best of something the first time around is nothing else can ever compare.
Your first sweater should never be cashmere, your first car should never be a Mercedes, your first kiss should be his/her first kiss as well.
The farm at Green Chimney’s gave me cashmere.
Herding the goats to drier ground, I fell face down, in the muck, mire and poop of the goat pasture. Waiting for the pain of a sprained ankle to pass, a small black pygmy goat named Otis climbed on top of me and stared me down. He bleated at me a few times. He was either gloating, telling me he never falls off the rocks no matter how slippery, or he was annoyed because until we got moving again, and I was the one holding things up, he wasn’t getting the treats he expected at the end of our little goat trip. My guess is it was a little bit of both.
On the other hand…..
Cleaning the stalls & laying new bedding for the bunnies worked all the ache out of my back.
The overcast skies kept the day cool enough to work comfortably.
It was this semester’s interns last day, so we had a little pizza party and I got a card that made me cry, in that good way.
We got two little babydoll lambs that look exactly like that, like baby dolls.
Dunkin’ Donuts has drive through service on the highway on the way home.
If you don’t have animals in your life, get some. If you’ve never stood in the middle of a barn and listened to chickens, sheep, goats. Do it. It’s music for your soul.
If you don’t have service in your life, do some. The way to an open heart is to get out of your own way, out of your own head and help someone, something, somewhere, just because you can.
Either one will open your heart in ways you cannot even imagine.
Copper’s birthday is coming, we took pictures for his birthday announcements.
Yesterday was one of my best days. I got cashmere.
Armloads of cashmere….
What’s Green Chimneys? And how’d you get on a farm?
Green Chimneys is a residential school in Brewster NY for kids with behavioral issues. It’s also a farm & wildlife sanctuary. I’ve been going up there every Friday since the end of May and helping to care for the barn animals. Chickens, goats, sheeps, cows, bunnies, ducks and a emu. It’s changed my life in a really good way. Check out the other posts under the category Green Chimneys.