Not To Be Baaah-ssy, But

(I'm going to give ewe some life advice)

The hard things in life—the burrs in your furs, the rain dampening your spirits, the cows headbutting you away from the good grass—these things do not define you. You are full of love and wonder and kindness. Let that goodness shine. —Julie, who has never, not even for a moment, let the bad sh*t keep her down

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Here’s What’s Happening At Good Spirits Farm

After a delightfully warm fall, the cold came rushing in this week on a western wind. I’m having to relearn all my cold-weather routines. While all the permanent waterlines are buried out in the fields, I use a lot of hoses (several hundred feet all screwed together) to move water from scattered spigots to where my critters are grazing. I always disconnect the hose from the waterline to keep the spigot from bursting, but unless all several hundred feet (which weighs a surprising amount!) is pointed downhill, remnant water will freeze inside the hose, blocking and rendering the whole system useless. Last year, I got into the habit of unscrewing each section before frigid nights, which made it much easier to drain all the water out. This year, of course, I forgot that trick. On the first day it stayed well under freezing, guess who was hauling water from the house?

Mostly the animals seem to be handling the frosty temps well. The chickens get an extra handful of corn—its high starch content is like adding fuel to a furnace. The horses get extra rich alfalfa hay. Veli gets a coat plus a heating pad we bought years ago for our very arthritic hound dog.

In other news, Mr. Cat E. Wumpus, the farm cat, had a life-or-death veterinary emergency this week. Chris took Wumpy when he moved out, so he’s no longer really the farm cat, but I thought you all would want to know, since you watched him grow up here. Poor Wumpy had bladder stones that ruptured his bladder. An emergency surgery and $$$$ later, he’s going to be ok. I’m glad we were able to save the buddy that has been Chris’ companion during a very tough time. But damn, we spent a shocking amount of money on that. If life could simmer down with the drama for a bit, that would be lovely.

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Here’s What I Loved This Week

All of you who encouraged me to embrace my too much/over-the-top self in my cyclocross race last weekend - thank you! The tutu delivered some sort of magic and I ended up as the state champion for my division. (Also, it was very silly and fun, which was totally what I needed!)