A Day Worth Spending Outside

I am writing this from Ocoee Farm, where we’ve spent the last few hours selling some sheep and letting the rest out into the pasture for the first time in three months. They’ve been in our smaller, fenced in pasture for the winter, eating hay and drinking from the small pond PJ made. As of today, though, they are officially in the pasture again and free to come and go as they please.

They are so happy! So much fresh, green grass for them to eat. It’s also the first time the new lambs have left their little pasture, so now they have so much more space to roam and jump and explore.

While we were selling some of the male sheep, I saw I tall, slender figure walk across the field. PJ’s younger sister and mom came to visit unexpectedly! This is her second time out at the farm this week. She thinks it’s the most wonderful place ever, and I have to say, I agree with her.

And back in town, we went to the park for a playdate with all the other downtown families from school and let the kids run around for an hour. We’re on spring break this week, so this was a nice little respite for them and a chance to see their friends. And for me, it was nice to catch up with the moms around the neighborhood. We’re tentatively planning a sort of neighborhood porch party for this summer. Doesn’t that sound so fun?

In other news, PJ got a pretty gnarly scratch while wrangling the sheep together this evening. He has a tendency of getting hurt a lot, and he always just brushes it off. I would have been a huge baby about this, but not my guy.

PS: new issue of Okay McKay is out now.

PPS: yesterday would have been my dad’s 69th birthday. When he died last year, I wondered what his next birthday would feel like. In truth, it felt like any other day to me, and I can’t tell if that is better or worse than feeling sad. It’s funny, I can’t fathom either of my parents turning 70, I suppose because it is just such a milestone birthday, and now, I won’t have to fathom it (for my dad, at least). He never made it to 70, and that is what I feel sad about. May we all be lucky enough to make it to milestone birthdays.