A new low

Tonite, just now, I did something I have never done and if I never do it again, it will be too soon.

I feed Strategy to most of my horses, and my elevator delivers it to me in bulk. I get about three tons at a time, and they shoot it into a gravity wagon that is in the front barn at the farm. When I need feed, I dial up the door, and Strategy falls out into this big rubbermaid container where I have put some buckets to catch it. I put my buckets in my wagon and away I go, delivering feed all around like the feed fairy.

Sometimes we do not time it just right, and run out of feed before the bulk delivery man gets here from the Purina plant. In that case, I buy bags to get me through. You have to schedule a week in advance and they only come in Fridays, and when you are dealing with that much volume, you cannot always tell how much you have, how long it will last, etc.

Anyway- the come tomorrow. Since Barry is not here, and Madison and her little spider self is AWOL, I had to be the one to make sure the gravity wagon was cleaned out. Sometimes, the Strategy dust will build up and you get what I call Strategy sludge on the sides of the wagon. I had to clean it out tonight.

I worked until 7:30, and it has POURED all day so there is water standing everywhere. By the time I fed and got ready to clean it out, my yoga pants had mud all over and my feet were muddy in my flip flops. Despite all that, I had to climb up the sides of the wagon, and take the canvas off the top to clean it out. It sounds easy, but believe me it is not. I tried both ends, and using all kinds of implements to knock off the crusty sides so it would fall down and I could throw it away.

It was a bust. I finally gave up and just got in there.

Now that is just nasty nasty nasty. Since I did not intend to go in there, I did not take any tools with me--and as clumsy as I am, I had no intention of getting back out to get something to help. I had to scrape away the sludge with my HANDS. I swear to you, it was the foulest thing I have done in so long. And I do not mind foul--I will turn a foal still in the birth canal, and I will stand in a necropsy with one of mine, I will eat lunch over autopsy pics three times a week, but do not make me get back in the grain bin and scrape that sludge by hand ever again.

Ugh

Anyway, I got home, stripped off at the back door because it was cleaning lady day and I did not want to sludge up the floor. Taking off my shoes did not help because that sludge was all up in my toes even. I got a shower down there, then let the dogs in, moved my computer, got some cheese (I discovered a new twisty cheese from CowPals that may be the death of me, I am addicted to it), and got settled here in my big chair straight away. I have all my stuff--my water, my cheese, computer, remote control, book--all the things I need.

That is when I heard the garage door open. Barry is not here, and my parents are in Houston and no one else just walks in my house--at least not more than once, since they likely have caught me naked having done so--so I HAD to get up to see what the hell was going on.

It was pig. He does not like the rain either.

I need this day to be over, but even after the shower, I can smell wet Strategy. Gross gross gross

Meanwhile, it is Sam's sixth birthday, and HaidaGirl has teeny tiny beads of wax on both sides. Any time now.