Split Shift

I am now working a split shift.  I am following my animals lead.

I get up between 6 and 7 A.M.  The veggie garden is still in the shade at that time, the animals are out and about and we can work on halter training, and the shed is cool from having the windows open at night.  Then, depending on what the sun is doing, it can start to get warm around 10 or so.  Still nice in the shade, later in the day, but that is not where the work is.  The animals hang out in the barn or in the trees behind the barn and sleep on and off through the heat of the day and I hang out in the house or the shed with a breeze or the fan, depending on what needs to be done.

Fortunately, we have had a cool spring and I have been loving it, but we have had a few HOT days.  The ceiling fans have kept the house comfortable, when the overnight coolness wears off, but I know we will have the air conditioning on soon.  I love living in a log house- great insulation.

We used to try to keep working through the day but now we let ourselves slack off mid day and work in the evening.  Last night, we went out after dinner and I hung out with the animals and cleaned the barn and barnyard.  Then I loaded and moved a whole trailer of stuff that came off the area that is going to be a pumpkin and melon patch again.  Next year John is going to grow peanuts there too.  John was doing his things and then when it started to get dark we went in and found it was 9 P.M.

Not being farmers, in earlier years, it is taking us a bit to figure out a schedule but I think we are getting there.  It still feels funny taking off in the middle of the day but sometimes we have to go get things so I guess that is still sort of work.

Soon I will have three weeks of fiber camp and we will probably have to move from shed to shade throughout the day ( another kind of split shift) but I am sure we will figure out how to stay cool and happy.