We just got back from a short family vacation over the 3-day weekend and I’m reminded why we don’t all go anywhere overnight very often! {smile} The farm is hard to leave. And the work is hard to come back to!

We spent some refreshing time with family at the lake and the crew got to do all-things-water-sports for a couple days.

Kayaking, canoeing, boating, some fishing, swimming, even paddle boarding.

They got to stay up late and sleep in (a little bit!) and not have to do any chores.

But the farm is hard to leave overnight. Summer is the best time to sneak away for a few days because the daily chores are at the lowest point. All the animals are grazing and all you really need to do is keep an eye on them and make sure they have water. Having someone come by twice a day for about 30 minutes to fill water buckets and refresh the food and water in the chicken house and you’re good.

As a temporary measure.

The dogs make everything a little more complicated. They need to go out a few more times a day than that. Putting them in a boarding kennel is expensive, as well as stressful for the cattle dogs. Neither Coal nor Red could be described as a “people person.” They prefer their family and amicable tolerate a few well-known strangers. But they are not like Penny, who makes two-and-four-footed friends wherever she goes.

And I don’t really want them to be. I prefer to take them with me. But that’s not always possible.

So we were lucky to have Ms. Maya back in town who could farm and dog-sit for us for a few days!

So the animals were cared for while we were gone. They had their standard food, water, shelter, and exercise need met. The trouble comes about the other stuff with running the farm. The part where the garden is CRAZY from all the rain last week and I can barely find the pepper plants from the weeds that jumped up just while we were gone for 3 days.

The part where the garden is CRAZY from all the rain last week and I can barely find the pepper plants from the weeds that jumped up just while we were gone for 3 days.

The part where my daily vacuuming didn’t happen for 3 days and I was greeted by wisps of dog fluff floating across the floor when I got home.

The part where the weekly mowing didn’t happen so now we’re about to have 14 days of prime growth on the paths instead of 5. If you’re wondering why that matters, one word…TICKS.

It’s the opportunity cost of missing three days of time to work on stuff. The Dodge is still in pieces in the garage. I still have to change over everyone’s closets to summer clothes. I’ve got fresh eggs stacked up to my eyebrows, and my blinds are turning yellow from the pollen because they haven’t been cleaned yet.

Welcome home…right?

I think this brings up a good point–

The farm is always bigger than the farmer. You can’t let all the constant needs around the farmyard erode any sense of family enjoyment. Balance. Always balance.

Balance. Always balance.

Here’s another point–I’m framing that picture of our Speedracer right up there. Probably in black and white, but I’m not sure yet. And maybe the one of the Ladybug as well. Pictures like those only come along from moments like those. And moments like those sometimes only happen when you have down time. I want the pictures, but we need the moments.

Life is short, it shouldn’t all be spent scrubbing water buckets.

Although we’ll be doing that later this week too!