In earlier American rural life, communities raised barns because many hands were required. These events occured in a social framework with a good deal of interdependence. Members of rural communities often shared family bonds going back generations. They traded with each other, worshipped with each other and celebrated with each other. Barn raisings were an integral part of life and socializing.

In our modern American life, communities don't mean nearly as much as they did back then. It is our family's goal to bring a sense of community back to our lives and those lives that touch ours.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Feeding Time

I start my day feeding all of our beautiful barn animals. There is a special feeling that comes when you are solely responsible for the health and well-being of animals. And it makes it even more special when those animals show how excited they are to see you. Just getting into the barn means I have three dogs to scratch and praise. The goats hear me and they start to bleat. All of this wakes up the cats who yawn and stretch and try to look equally bored by and annoyed at the noise. The chickies are already cheeping, because really, they never quite stop. I feed the dogs first, all separately from different bowls, although it still doesn't stop Mollie from trying to steal bites out of Jessie's bowl. I lock them in their stall and move on to the chicks. I water them and check their feed, scooping a few up for a little lovin' cause they are too darn irresistable. I make sure they are safely covered up again and go to the goats. I give them fresh hay and grain and make sure they have fresh, clean water. Then I sit on the cinderblock in their stall and let them rubbings commence. Roxy loves to be scratched all over. Luna and Nelly avoid me until they think I am not looking and then they try to climb my back. Luna will eventually climb in my lap and let me squeeze her a bit. Nelly takes a bit more coercion. But once she is in my lap she settles in for a scratch of her own. After a bit, I come to realize that my children might actually need me and after a quick goodbye and another scratch I head over to the cats. They are easy due to their almost complete disdain for me. I can generally get a swift scratch down Adams' back before he has too much, but Liza would scratch back if I even dared touch her. A little kibble in their bowl and they are set. Although, maybe the cats like me just a little since I got an oh-so-special kitty present today of half a dead mouse. After releasing the dogs to roam once more, I head upstairs to feed the rest of the animals, oops, I mean my children.
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