A new Olympic Event?

A local senior organization paid for Mom's stay at a facility so I could have a weekend off. I had been in contact with them for three years, but they've never been able to help. None of their volunteers was willing to do the drive, and they couldn't find a volunteer closer to me. They got a grant or something, and are focusing a bit of it on caregiver support. Yay!

So I spent the weekend working around here, doing stuff that I can't do with Mom here, or is really difficult to do with Mom here.

I cleaned out the chicken coop, finished the cellar door, including stuffing it with straw, put plastic and some scrap wood over the north wall of the llama barn, because it had a lot of holes and that north wind is a bitch in the winter. Getting that first furring strip up while holding the plastic, the screw and the drill was an adventure. After that it wasn't so bad.

I also shoveled most of the manure out of the llama barn, and put down 6" x 12" cement pavers over the place they poop the most. It is about a 3' x 4' area. The barn just has a dirt floor, so trying to decide when I am scooping manure and when I am scooping floor is difficult. My hope is they will go on the pavers, and that will make cleaning up after them easier. My goal is to have the whole floor made of the pavers, but that will have to wait until I can afford to buy that many pavers. I'll just keep adding pavers as I can afford them.

Cleaning out the llama barn entails the use of a shovel, a yard cart, some muscles, and a few choice expletives. It has really low rafters on one section, so that precludes the use of a tractor, which I don't have anyway. I banged my head a couple of times on those rafters because I was looking down at where I was shoveling instead of where the rafters are.

My yard cart is a wonderful tool, and has dumping capability. The stuff I am cleaning out though is wet, heavy and sticky, imagine a wet clay. If I just tip the cart, most of it stays in the cart and I have to shovel it out.

Here's where the new Olympic event comes in. I have discovered a fun new sport called the llama poo catapault. I take a running start with the cart, building up as much speed as I can, then at the right spot, I hurl upwards on the cart handle with all my might, the front end goes down, and the llama poo gets flung out of the cart onto the pile. If I've done it right, 3/4 of the poo is on the pile, and I only have to shovel a little out. It's great fun, you should all come play it with me!

Since most of my weekend involved poo (chicken and llama), I won't offer any pictures of that. However, here's a couple of the corn field across the road. I'm still fascinated with the row thing, and they've taken down one swipe across the front to hasten drying.

Doesn't it almost dare you to venture down the row?