Spring Cleaning

The horses have given up on winter's arrival. As I let them into the pasture to nibble bits of greening grass, I notice the clumps of winter hair shedding from their rumps.

The sheep, too, are letting go of winter coats.

Sighing, I too shed my winter coat and begin the month-long task of barn cleaning. I alternate between removing the heavy, packed and wet sheep manure and hay in the sheep paddock and the lighter, horse manure. Within hours the manure spreader is full.

My work, though, is not done.

I have to remove many more buckets of manure that piled up during the winter that never really was.