Snake In The Manure Pile

Every day I’ve been taking a wheelbarrow full of manure from the pile that’s accumulated over the past year and have been spreading it out in the pastures.

The pile, which was pretty high and wide, is nearly gone and the pastures are sprinkled with manure which is slowly fertilizing the grass for the sheep and donkeys to graze on.

It’s a slow, purposeful and satisfying chore.

In the past we’ve had our neighbor and construction worker, Vince, come with his tractor to move some of the manure into a truck for a friend’s garden, then spreads the rest down the hill behind the pile.

But this spring the grass was a little thin in the pastures and common sense kicked in.  The pasture needs fertilizing and we have a pile of donkey poop.

Like stacking the winters wood, it took much less time than I would have thought to knock down the pile of manure.  Our world has become such a fast place.  Every thing needing to be done immediately, then often, forgotten in the next moment as we move on to the next thing.

I like the idea of taking time, of spreading the work our over days and weeks when I can.  It forces me to slow down. To experience a different kind of time, closer to the natural rhythms of the earth.

A time we humans used to be more familiar with but we seem to have forgotten.

(This snake was in the manure pile this morning so I only bothered her to take a video.  I’ll spread my daily wheelbarrow of manure this afternoon, after she’s moved on).

7 thoughts on “Snake In The Manure Pile

  1. The only living thing I found in my 4-ton pile of gravel was an enormous tree root from a nearby honey locust. That tells you how long that pile was sitting there. I am trying to figure out how to do the least amount of damage.

    1. Oh Wow, better then a giant snake I suppose Jill! I’m smelling the beautiful flower you get on your honey locust in the spring. Good luck with the gravel!

  2. All the gravel has been moved and I am just finishing up raking it smooth. I *am* enough! Thanks for the inspiration, Maria.

    1. I thought it was a garter snake Pam, I assumed it was camouflaging itself, turning from green to a tan color, but now I’m not so sure.

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