Recently, CAS hosted a farm chores work party for volunteers, and I convinced a bunch of my city mice friends and vegan acquaintances to road trip up to the farm for the day and roll up their sleeves and get dirty. We were also fortunate to be joined by a couple of long-time members and supporters of CAS.
Our marching orders consisted of demolishing the old dilapidated chicken house, painting portions of the main barn and the newly finished pig barn, and clearing out invasive rose bushes and other vegetation that were strangling the fences around one of the horse pastures. Armed with our pitchforks, paint brushes, weed whips, anvil loppers, ladders, and sledgehammers, we were a lean and mean army on a mission.
The day was truly stunning! It was 70 degrees and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. The leaves hadn’t started to turn yet as we had hoped, but we happily soaked up the sun, and the fresh, quiet air was a welcome respite from the concrete and congestion of NYC. After lunch, Kathy Stevens gave the volunteer crew a wonderful tour of the barn, and folks got to hug and kiss many of the animals and hear about their heart-wrenching stories of suffering and abuse, and triumphant healing and recovery. Rambo and Hannah the sheep, and Wilbur the pig, were our special escorts.
Several hours later, most of the barn walls and doors were a polished and hearty forest green, the rickety chicken house was razed, and a significant portion of fence line was nicely groomed. I keep telling my gym friends, who I kick box and study samurai sword fighting with, that farm chores are the ultimate test in endurance and strength, and that there are few things more physically satisfying than working in the barn and out in the fields, and I think I have a few believers now.
The day was not without its funny mishaps. Some folks are still a bit itchy from close encounters with poison ivy, despite Troy’s (our operations manager) lecture on how to identify and avoid it. Then, Jen managed to get whipped in the face with a few rose bush branches that Shelli was cutting, and got thorns stuck in her tongue. Also, Daisy, while scrubbing an exterior barn wall with a broom to prepare it for painting, got a fist full of debris in the eyes, and managed to coax a spider to crawl down her shirt. Even as a seasoned weed whipper, I managed to break open a few giant blisters on my hands. But hey, it’s all in a hard day’s work.
I think the city mice did a pretty good job that day, and we’re so grateful for their energy and enthusiasm. I hope the animals approve!
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