I drank my coffee in the morning and asked the kids if they wanted to help mommy out in the barn today. Of course they were very excited for the invitation.
After a homemade pancake breakfast, we got dressed and headed out to see the horses. The kids helped me feed the horses hay and I gathered my tools. I had decided I was going to hand clean the stalls and paddocks. A good old fashion wheel barrel and pitchfork kind of red-neck-workout day of chores. Scoop after humbling scoop, wheel barrel after wheel barrel back and forth again and again to the manure pile. Good soul searching, mind clearing, instant therapy kind of work. The sun on your back, cool winter breeze in the air.
While I scooped, the kids scampered and chattered about horses and school and life. They climbed on the fence and we talked about Christmas and Thomas and what they thought Santa Clause was going to bring them.
After the stalls and runs were clean before I headed out to the paddock area, I looked back and remembered something I used to love. The sight of fresh raked dirt, picked clean of apples and groomed to perfection.
It's so weird, but this really does make me happy and clam like a breath of fresh air. I can't explain it. It's a horse thing. But anyone who owns horses "knows" what I am talking about. It could be the perfect rake lines in the dirt... or the smell and sight of fresh wood chips spread in a stall. Gets me every time!
Pretty soon, the kids weren't just content with climbing fences and holding my rake in between unloading trips. They both wanted to "help" mommy.
Ask and you shall receive my little barn buddies!
This kid can work a pitch fork!
I will admit that for the most part he just scooped and replied the same scoop a foot away.
But he was having a blast. He smiled and worked hard and felt important and accomplished. He said more than once, "Mommy, I am big!" and, "Mommy, I am soooo strong."
And he is big and strong and handsome and my new Barn Buddy.
And my beautiful Brown Eyed Girl is a master raking machine. Wielding the skills she learned this fall, she paced ahead of me rounding up the stray apples and making little piles for me around the paddock.
And she smiled and worked hard and felt important and accomplished. A Cowgirl in the making.
She is radiant and kind and strong and my new Barn Buddy.
I didn't really expect the kids to help me for very long. But they surprised me! They both helped clean manure for over an hour. Over and hour raking and scooping and chatting. It was amazing!
When we finally decided to call it a day and head in for lunch we were walking back to the barn and my Brown Eyed Girl screeched has Skip went and "did his business" after getting a drink to wash down his hay breakfast.
"Oh My gosh Mommy! Doesn't he know we JUST cleaned this place up? It's like he just walked right over there and made a mess again after we worked so hard to clean it up. That is so annoying!"
Oh my dear... if you only knew!
No comments:
Post a Comment