Farm Work Really Hurts!

Yesterday was scheduled to be another farm work day, normally we have one, on average once a quarter. It normally entails me repairing, building, or installing things on the part of the property where we board our horses. Plus, I often lend a helping hand to the farm owner. Yep, you are recalling correctly, we did a farm work day last weekend. This weekend was the continuation of what we did last weekend, where a bulldozer was on the property, cleaning and clearing the fence lines and other things that needed to be cleared. The property is generational family-owned, and the man that owns it currently, got it when his father passed, and the fencelines had been neglected over the years. I have to say they look amazing after being cleared.

I got a little late start this weekend, as I arrived around 9:30 a.m. I would have been there sooner, but I made the silly mistake of thinking that I could stop for breakfast somewhere. The local Dunkin’ was 8-10 cars deep at the drive-thru, so I thought I would outsmart all the lazy people and park and go into the store. That was stupid as there were about 10 people in line there as well. And if you have ever been in line at a Dunkin’ before, it does move fast as everyone has to order their designer coffee. I can hear one of those orders now, “I’ll have a 12-ounce hot, but not too hot, 130 degrees, caramel; chocolate; dark chocolate; white chocolate; pumpkin; Irish cream; caramel syrup; salted caramel; blue raspberry; banana; with one white, one dark, one ristretto; whip with matcha sprinkled on top of the whip, no foam, Americano, with coconut milk. Make sure and give me about 2 inches of that coconut milk! Oh, and no sleeve but with straws. I want a big straw, not small straws.“

Full disclosure, I’m not a coffee drinker, so that is why I find some of these orders just insanely silly. Alright, the Dunkin’ is scratched (I was going to order a box of munchkins and a bottle of Coke), I’ll run to McDonald’s for a .99¢ large Coke and some hot sandwich (I’m not a breakfast person, and most definitely, not a McDonald’s person. If it weren’t for their Coke, which has a great unique taste, and, their fries, which aren’t the same today. I wouldn’t have a need for them at all. Sure enough, their freaking drive-thru is like 12-14 cars deep. And I’m, adult enough to know that they aren’t a local McDonald’s that can knock out a dozen cars in a few minutes, that line is a good 15-minute wait at my neighborhood Micky D’s.

Alright, I will stop at Walgreens for a bottle of lukewarm Coke and something from their shelves to eat. I say lukewarm as Walgren’s, at least this store, is not known to keep their refrigerators much colder than around 45°F. But it will work, I went in, snagged a Coke and a Poptart, and off I went to the farm. Not exactly what I wanted for breakfast but I needed to eat something so I have the energy to work

I made Bandit the goat (Maya’s friend) a little wooden pallet shelter for Winter, as it appears she is in our field to stay, or at least for a while. I’m sure that Maya will quit her at some point, leaving the little goat feeling abandoned. I repaired the sunshade post that somehow managed to break. I know that a kiln-dried 2.4 is stronger than that, but whatever. I repaired 4 gates that needed some TLC and once the bulldozer started up, I helped him, by removing junk he found, and we unearthed some big pieces of steel. Then we started to go behind him, cutting branches and pulling roots. And once the dozer was done, it was time to repair the fences. We ended up repairing just under 100′ of fencing, with new cow panels.

Then it was time for the farrier appointment. No major drama there, until I took Maya back to her field. She was very calm on the walk and even entering her field. I undid her lead and halter turned my back to her and started to close the gate to the field. She suddenly and 100% out of character for her, ran me over narrowly missing trampling me, I don’t recall the exact events, but I ended up about 20′ away from the gate, laying on my back in the tall grass of the adjacent field. I know my wife collected Maya and she asked if the farrier would go check on me to “make sure Joe was still on my feet”.

The farrier found me conscious and alert on my back, as I tried to figure out what was broken if anything. Luckily, she didn’t step on me and nothing was broken, but I was hurting. After everything was done, I got home and had to take a good pain med as I was really hurting.

In the morning I was very sore but functional. Lesson learned, My horse gets crazy when you take her herd away.