Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Simplifying ain't easy

The horses are no longer here. The sheep will be gone by the end of the week. Gone, to good homes. We can no longer take care of them.

It's a huge admission to make. The Hermit was always more the animal caregiver than I was. I do not have the will, nor the energy and time, to take over bringing water and hay and feed across the creek, not to mention to the small pasture on this side of the creek. The sheep are easier, but the effort we put into caring for them is still too much at this point. We need to get down to the basics, and build from there as we are ready. Which is maybe what we should have done from the start. I think we got into too many animals too soon, and it distracted from our main goals.

I asked The Hermit about the horses tonight, and he didn't even want to talk about it. The horses were his thing. I respect that.

We still have chickens and geese and rabbits and dogs and cats. That is more than enough.

I am relieved.

6 comments:

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

Paring down can be liberating, but I'm sorry it's so tough for Hermit to give up his horses. You do what you have to do. Maybe with time he can rebuild his horses. Hang in there Deb.

Anonymous said...

Of course there are those little humans you have around the place too. I imagine they take up some of your time. Mine certainly did (and still do).

This is probably the right season to simplify. Just staying warm seems like a full time job up thataway.

Pablo
http://www.roundrockjournal.com

Jim said...

"Life is what happens while you're busy making plans".

These words from John Lennon's song 'Beautiful Boy' have been ringing in my ears since the day he was shot down 27 years ago.

And now, at age 62, I deeply understand the profound simplicity in that phrase.

It is very difficult to part with animals you care for, but when life throws you a curve, you just have to run with it.

Maybe you did take on the animals too soon, but when I make mistakes, I often remember this little bit of wisdom, which always brings a knowing smile to my face.



A student approached his spiritual teacher, bowed in respect and asked:

"What is the secret of life?"

The teacher replied,

"Good judgement."

The student bowed again and asked,

"How do you get good judgement?"

The teacher said,

"Experience."

The student bowed one more time and queried,

"And how does one get experience?"

The teacher replied,

"Bad judgement!"

;~)

Hang in there Deb, "This too shall pass".

Elise said...

Growing up we had horses, cows, chickens, ducks, cats and other small animals. It ended up being A LOT of work and although I try to let my kids have some pets I would definitely stop short of getting large animals for them. One dog, three cats, fish, two hermit crabs and now two mice that will be given as christmas gifts are enough for me! When the work outways the joy you need to cut back! I'm sure that giving up the horses just intensifies your husbands feelings that he just wants things to be the way they used to be. Best wishes.

arcolaura said...

Sounds rough, Deb. Of course you had to do the right thing for the animals, but it must be hard for the Hermit to see them go.

Wishing you closeness around the hearth, and happy dreams of what you will be building in the summers to come.

Deb said...

Lynne- This is just such a mixed thing for me because I've known from the start the horses weren't the best idea, but I gotta let my hubby have his thing.

Pablo- Those human creatures take up more time than anything. But getting rid of them isn't an option!

Jim- I should be the wisest person in the world by now. :)

Elise- The work has outweighed the benefits for a long time. I'm sure he misses the horses, and I empathize with him,but it took something like this to realize that.

Arcolaura- Thanks for the warm wishes. Having horses has always gone against my inner logic, but I rarely,if ever, questioned or complained about them.