Another Day on The Farm

One day is never like the next here on our farm. My day generally starts at 6:00 in the morning, when I get up. Once I am awake, I read my Bible, then do my inside chores. 

Next comes my outside chores, in which I feed, water, and care for the sheep. After that comes my four hours of educational work, in which I eat breakfast, then do some math, typing, journaling, reading, piano and guitar practicing, and some writing. 

Once that is done for the day, learning is not over, because I go outside exercising in the fresh air as I walk around looking at the animals at Critter Corner, playing with the kittens, discovering and catching snakes, investigating along the creek, or walking our many trails.

At 11:30am we all gather around the living room to hear Mom read an exciting chapter of The Three Musketeers! While Mom reads, we all quietly work on small projects, color in coloring books, draw pictures, build things with Legos, play Solitaire, or sometimes just sit there imagining what we would do if we were in a character’s place.

Our thrilling chapter is normally over at noon when Dad gets up and he and Mom go on their daily jog. At that time, while my sisters are preparing dinner, I either: practice roping, care for my snakes on Critter Corner, split some wood, play with the dogs or cats, check my traps, or help with dinner preparations.

When Mom and Dad return from their jog, dinner is served. We all gather around the table and eat, while we talk of some interesting things that have happened that morning or Dad shares news of what is happening in the world. After dinner is cleaned up, it’s time to work outside!

We each are sometimes sent on smaller jobs such as mowing the yards, watering newly planted trees, splitting wood, weed eating along fences, repairing fences, gathering herbs from the garden, trail maintenance, etc. Other times we do bigger jobs in pairs, or altogether like cutting wood for the winter, moving the cows, sheep, or mules, working on farm equipment, sorting cows, and other things of that sort.

We stop working around 6:00 pm, and the girls begin preparing supper while my brothers and I make a final check of the animals, closing the chickens and making sure electric fences are turned on. Since it’s summer, it’s nearly 7:00 pm when we sit down for supper, and after we’ve prayed, we begin dipping our food, eating, and talking of the jobs accomplished for the day. Once supper is over, we begin the kitchen cleanup. Someone wipes the table, while another sweeps the floor, two people dry the dishes, while someone washes them, and someone wipes the counters. The first one done, begins packing Dad’s lunch.

It’s now 8:30 pm and we prepare for bed. Dad gets his work clothes on, while we all brush our teeth. At 8: 45pm Dad heads off for work, and we head off to bed. It has been another long, fun, and perfect day. I am generally asleep by 9:30pm, but eight and a half hours later, I am wide awake, living another day on the farm.

~Samuel