Smells Like Love To Me

This workhorse gal was at it today BIG TIME. With all the goats and llamas being inside their barns for the last three days you can imagine the number of raisins that cover the ground.  Yes, I am a clean freak but also it is not healthy for them to sit on that, breath that or in some cases get that into their food.  Today the mind numbing temps at least did not have the winds with it so out the door I went with shovels, rakes and head phone buds in my ears.  Do this with 4 layers on is like walking in space.  Remember when you were a kid and all bundled up and could hardly walk - Yep that was I....  Just getting you hands around the rake handle is a task with my heavy skiing gloves on but I can not risk my hands to the elements when it is this cold.  Already took  skin off my right index finger the other day when I took my glove off to turn the key to start my truck.  Now I have this bandage on it hoping to quickly heal so I can spin - I have learned how to spin left handed over the many hand injuries but it is not my favorite way to create.

So I started with the girls because it was the most snow to wade through and they seem to poop so much more then they boys.  They sure gave me looks and called me all sorts of names because I made them get out of the barn, stretch their legs and get some sunshine.  Not that is was warm sunshine but still breathing the air, running around and blowing off some steam is needed for all of us. Layer after layer was raked up, shovel up and moved out.  Food containers were cleaned out and placed back.  Then I went to breaking all the ice filled water containers and filling only a few.  Food was put down and then I went outside to get a good look at all and also to snuggle and hug... Yep, that to them and myself can be more important then food, water or air.  Oh the eyelash licking I got, then rubbing on the legs and stories they shared with me about how things have been..  Can't get lost in the loving because  I still had three more places to clean.

Next stop is the small barn that houses Llama Boy, Sherlock, Max, Gilbert, Sly and Cash.  I just want to again clear up the rumors that Llama's DON"T poop in their house WRONG....  All of the llama were able to leave the barns and still they poop in the barn.  In 17 years I can say that the party line of llamas and alpacas not pooping in their barns is just plain a fib....  So I got all the rakes, shovels and such ready and in I went.  Oh My Gosh those boys have missed their daily loving.  I admit with the round the clock schedule I have kept just trying to keep folks alive in this weather there is no time for loving and snuggling.  So before I could do anything I had to let all of them rub on me, lick me, hug me with their huge horns and just get all that out of their system before I began the work.  I have learned it is better to let them do that because otherwise I will be in the middle of a huge fight.  Even Llama Boy had to come up and rub on me and blow in my face.    Don't get me wrong I LIVE FOR THIS but also my energy and body temp was dropping quickly.  Lucky for me it is a small barn and like I said the boys don't poop as much.  The only difference is the boys like to HELP - you know stand on my feet, grab the rake, run in the pile of raisins as I was just getting ready to scoop and last but not least pee on me to show their love while my back is turned.  YIPPEE!!!!

Last is the loafing shed and I admit it I did not get it raked.  The powder and poop was going to give them some extra warmth from the bone chilling ground and so the Big guys and I voted and said it was not necessary.  However, food containers were cleaned, ice broke and all checked.  Now I could go inside and this gal was thrilled about that.  As I finally got my snow boots off and sat on the chair just worn to the bone I decided it would be best to just cool down a bit because I would never be able to peel these sweaty clothes off.  I sipped a little water and just sat - running through my head to make sure I had not forgotten anything before I got out of my chore clothes.  All of a sudden I could smell me - OH MY OH MY - Yep GRACE smells just Lovely.  Between the poop, barn dust, wet dogs and Billie Loving I was one ripe gal.  As I sat there still just trying to get my jelly legs to regain some strength I started to giggle.  How I had missed not having the time to cuddle my charges, how I really do seem to get energy from the sounds and smells of the work I do.  How I still love the smell of my big guys who are so strong and so gentle all in the same body.  How the smell of Llama's are like corn chips and it still amazes me after all these years.  Even weirder I guess is how this gal never really sees my chores as work but rather like playtime.  I remember begging my neighbor to do the animal chores at his house - cleaning the hen house, mucking the stalls and grooming the horses.  I gladly did all of that just to be able to spend time with their animals.  I guess looking back at it the neighbors must have thought what a sucker I was but to me they were the suckers - I got to care and love on animals for as long and as often as I wanted and it did not even cost me a cent. 

As I peeled off my layers I gave thanks for the smells that remind me I had a PERFECT day - SMELLS LIKE LOVE TO ME