the creek and a new favorite

Phil removed a ton of blackberry brambles so the kids could have access to the creek. A few weeks ago we finished reading On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder, so my kids decided to name our little creek Blackberry Creek, or Berry Creek, for short. I love watching them splash and wade around in the water.

I think I've discovered a new favorite. It's up there with reading to my kids and baking. Are you ready for this? It's spreading fresh, clean straw in the sheep's newly-cleaned stall. The work is gruesome - the pitchfork, the stench of manure and urine. That part is not so fun. But I love the sweet smell of fresh straw and its crackly sound underfoot. Spreading it around a clean stall for the sheep gives me the same kind of feeling that I get when I tuck my kids into bed after they've had a nice, warm bath. I love it that much. I didn't at first. I remember muttering words to the pitchfork like, "This isn't me. This just isn't me." But it is. It's becoming me.