Wash out
February’s visit was a wash out. Rain, rain and more rain. Temps were comfortable. So we had that going for us. Instead of pitching a tent at the plateau we planned ahead and opted for the truck bed and a tarp cover in the barn.
And, a good thing we did. The driveway was a muddy mess. So much for leveling the driveway this trip. I barely made it up the hill to the barn in 4WD. Yes, Maxx finally went mudding! It was a bit nerve racking but, kind of fun! The only vehicle that could make it to the plateau was Pokey, our new tractor. Al looked like he was meant to be driving a tractor. All he needed was his overalls!
The rain made it a bit more challenging to make a fire as well. Although we didn’t necessarily need one to keep warm, we did however, need to eat!
We managed to clean both sides of the loft in the barn. We scooped out, what felt like, 100 pounds of hay. This barn though. I love it. She has so much character but, she needs a lot of TLC.
We had a surprise guest on our first morning there. A farm dog we chose to call Honey.
Honey is a puppy and obviously small. Not sure if she belongs to the neighbors across the street or if she is a stray. (We tend to find out for sure on our next trip.) She was extremely timid and appeared to be very hungry. We had a small bag of dog food in the truck. She devoured it. Then, she had leftovers the rest of our stay. At one point I thought she had disappeared. I look inside a small stall in the barn and there she was all curled up in a ball on a pile of hay. I swear, I about lost it right there. From the start, I knew for me, the hardest part about transitioning from suburban life to rural life would be the animals. It’s different. I remember my grandmother in Mississippi having a slew of dogs and she literally fed them table scrapes. She threw them out the back door at the end of the day. It was survival of the fittest. Farm dogs don’t get a lot of cuddles, and in some cases, they are never even touched. They have a purpose, a job. They aren’t really pets. I cried my eyes out our last night at the property knowing we could not bring her home with us. But, she‘s a farm dog. I watched her lie in the sun (yes, we had a little) on Sunday. She appeared content. Then, out of nowhere, she would sense something, pop up and run several acres away on the prowl for something or guarding the perimeter. It’s what she knows. It’s all she knows. Freedom. To see her run free made me happy inside. The morning we departed I thought it would be so difficult but, she made it easy. I fed her and she hung out for bit and off she went to explore. It’s been difficult trying not to think about her. I wonder if she is safe or hungry or warm. But, I’ve realized I have to detach myself (or go crazy). She cannot be the way Herc and Teenie are to us. She’s not a house dog. That is not who she is. We will continue to feed and love on her (She loves belly rubs.) when we see her though. Al is going back in two weeks to level the driveway for when we bring Dog Tired up. He will take some more dog food and flea and tick treatments for her. Yeah, they don’t do vets out in the country either.
Oh, and another thing we’ve learned to decipher, a moo and the vibrating of a cell phone. Seriously, they sound just alike at feeding time. Who knew?