A Very Busy Day

Our neighbor came over this afternoon to load our beautifully composted cow/chicken poo into his manure spreader, the contents of which were then shot over the area to be plowed under in a couple of weeks for the soon-to-be garden space. We are so grateful for neighbors who are willing to take the time to lend a hand, and we try to reciprocate in kind. We were also glad that Andy was able to return home with a bucket of compost for his wife's planter box.

Speaking of compost, this is some good stuff:

And seeds started in it simply burst into life (here comes the eggplant!):

Poo is a actually a blessing, when it isn't siphoned off into great lagoons and mixed with toxic sludge and chemicals/pharmaceuticals that make it unusable, hazardous to human health and offensive to anyone who may catch a whiff downwind of it.

Allowed to compost with hay, straw and other organic materials, it breaks down into nutrient-rich, black soil that may then be tilled back into the earth to amend it for crops that sustain both human beings and animals. This process also provides the animals an important role to play as team members; they help to close the nutrient cycle.

Paul, a very dear friend who has been a tremendous blessing over the last several months, installed an additional two new sets of motion lights around the barn today, working well into the evening. The barn looks amazing.

We also cleaned stalls, tidied the chicken coop, fed and watered every animal that calls our home their home, DH and Paul helped Andy load and unload a piano, and we entertained (after a fashion) some dear friends from church this evening. They were so gracious to allow us some extra time to finish up outside before we hurried in, washed up, made a pot of coffee and arranged dessert on a tray to be enjoyed in front of the fireplace.

I am beyond exhausted, tonight we move the clocks forward an hour (losing a bit of sleep), but we had a fantastic day.

ETA: Happy girls on pasture (or wherever they choose to range. Sometimes it's on/under straw):