Hay the Horses

Ranch chores continue here near Bridgeport, Nebraska.

The project:
Throw hay to the horses - all 53 of them.

Time:
15 minutes because actually only a dozen of the 53 horses here were in the corrals today. The rest were out on the range in their herd families, grazing at leisure.

Why bother?
In addition to raising cattle, our hosts raise horses for work and pleasure. The animals serve as working animals and pets, sources of income income and pleasure. All of them need care. It seems only right to help out while we're here - plus we've been riding the saddle horses daily, and enjoyed the pleasure of wagon rides during our visit.

Worth it?
Absolutely!

Chicken Tending

Ranch chores continue here near Bridgeport, Nebraska.
The project:
Replace water and feed the chickens, gather eggs, check on their well-being.

Time:
10 minutes (but it could have been done in 5)

Why bother?
These chickens provide ample eggs to our host, their family and friends. This is another mundane chore to our hostess, but fun and easy for us. The girls particularly enjoy checking for eggs throughout the day, washing them and putting them away.

Worth it?
Yes. Once again, it took another little load off our hostess, who seldom gets a break from daily chores. Plus the girls had a blast with it. Yep...we're easily entertained. Is that such a bad thing?!

Taming of the Kids

The project:
Spend time taming goat kids.

Time:
Two hours or so. (Repeat daily with sessions ranging from 20 minutes to two hours.)

Why bother?
Our hosts raise dairy goats for their own family use. They also sell share their milk with friends and family. But dairy goats beget baby goats, and if you plan to use them for anything other than feral lawnmowers or meat they need to be tamed which is merely a matter of time and patience. As visitors, we had plenty of both.

Worth it?
Yes. We all learned more about these goofy, inquisitive animals, and the girls were entertained for hours. Farm life = simple pleasures.

Ranch Chores - plenty of deeds to be done

We're in Nebraska this week on a ranch. There are PLENTY of opportunities to help out. While many are repeated daily, I'll detail them one at a time over the next few days.

The project:
Milk the goats.

Time:
Nearly an hour. (We're not particularly proficient.)

Why bother?
Our hostess has a host of medical problems, not the least of those which cause her constant back pain. She does a lot of chores every day, and milking isn't exactly spine-friendly. The girls enjoy this chore, and we all benefit from the product.

Worth it?
Absolutely! The girls love the chore, and our hostess is always amused at how quickly our family jumps in to help with what has become mundane to her. Plus, there's really nothing like fresh goat's milk. (If you've had goat's milk from the store, don't give up! There IS better milk out there! Find your local goat herd and give it a try!)

Giving Away Flowers to Random Stranger

The project:
Give a bouquet of flowers to a random stranger - in this case, the gas station attendant locked away in a dreary box on a beautiful day.

Time:
Moments.

Why bother?
At Peach Days, the girls and I each made our own flower arrangements at the garden club's activity. As we prepared to depart Utah today, E and I left our arrangements with our host and hostess to help brighten their day. V opted to give hers to the attendant. When 6-year-old V presented the gift, the attendant was confused. "For me," she asked with a smile. "Why," she continued. "Because you looked like you needed it. You're stuck in that box," V said.

Worth it?
Absolutely - particularly since it was my daughter who did the giving and got the direct feedback.

Dog Days of Summer

Yes - we're still on the road (in Utah). Here's today's secret deed for our host family.

The project:
Clean out the dog's splash pool and refill it during the irrigation turn.

Time:
15 minutes.

Why bother?
It was hot, the kids were busily playing on the flooded lawn and floating things down the irrigation channel, and the dog's pool was in need of some elbow grease. I dumped it, scrubbed it, then waded in the channel while filling the pitcher (over and over again) to deliver for pool refill.

Worth it?
Yes! Chore done. Happy dog. Thankful hosts. And refreshingly cool.