My Personal Trainers

This morning I spoke to a friend about the possibility of his oldest son coming to work here on the farm for the summer.  (Ya'll know who you are!) When I asked what the young man's plans were for the summer, his dad told me that he was planning on working out with a personal trainer five days a week, all summer.  The kid is very good at athletics, but wants get into better shape.  They do live in Texas after all and football is everything! 

I smiled at the thought of a personal trainer.... hehe.  "Welllll", I said. "I think he'd get just as fit working his butt off on a ranch! You should see how ripped I'm getting!" 

This is actually a very true story.  Every single day, twice a day, I am getting a one hour aerobic workout.  At each feeding of the calves I am running around the barn and the corral.  Chasing them from their pen to the feeding room.  Chasing them out the door into the corral.  Chasing them back into the barn and into their pen.  Hustling to switch the bottles out when they empty and run in a new batch of calves.  (Feeding three to four at a time.) Having to keep my balance against getting mauled and butted constantly.  It is insane!  I just keep telling myself, in 60 days when they are weaned, I will be very glad to have ten healthy steers! But for now, they are my personal trainers! At the end of each feeding I am sweating like a pig.

This is "Batman".  He and his brothers are getting me into shape!

The calves are only a small part of my fitness regime.  Add in the daily raking and shoveling that is just part of farm life.  Walking out to bring in the alpacas every night to keep them safe from the dang coyotes.   Add in trying to keep both my horses ridden regularly, especially Fancy who needs a lot more saddle time..... Plus hoeing and planting the massive garden and dragging hoses all over.  And rock picking.... Oh, I can't forget hauling hay a couple of times per week.  Loading and unloading 80 pound bales onto a pickup to unload and re-stack around the farm.  After the garden is in I will be starting on the many fences that need to be built around here.

All this is why my "old" jeans are starting to fit again.  I am now also a proud bearer of the official "Farmer Tan".  So, by the end of summer I am confident I will be looking a whole lot like I did before I had the twins.  And I will have all of my "personal trainers" to thank!



 



Bye for now,

B