So this year, I am doing my own weekend chores. I actually enjoy doing the chores, but the reason I hire that task out during the week is my confession today. And here it is:
I AM THE WORLD'S SLOWEST STALL CLEANER
There. I said it. And it's true. In my defense, I've never had to be quick. My horses have their turnout time during morning chores. While yes, I wish my horses could be out 12 hours (or 24 even, but Eros would probably petition for a new home), I just am not able to provide that. Shiny has her own paddock in the back, but the boys turn out individually in the ring. I just, sadly, don't have the land to have paddocks for each of them nor shelters. So we do the best we can.
All of that rambling to say that I have three hours AT LEAST to do the morning chores. So it's always been a leisurely activity. Which isn't a problem or anything. I manage to fill that three hours by cleaning the three stalls, doing some laundry, and scrubbing all the buckets. But somehow, by the time I've done those things, turned the horses both out and in, and dumped all the manure buckets, it's usually a four hour job. Also fine, and nice even if they get extra turnout time (though, as mentioned, Eros may disagree because there are BUGS outside, the horror). The only trouble with the four hours, is that I then have to work all three of the horses. And now that it's summer that probably means also rinsing them off and getting them at least partially dry before tucking back in their stalls. And that's another like six hours. Plus the cleaning up after. I have a bit of a compulsion about my barn floor being clean. I sweep it constantly while doing chores, each time a horse comes out of its stall, and then at the end of the day it gets swept once more and then blown. I have rubber pavers so you really have to do both to get all the shavings and hay out of the cracks.
So I get out there around 7, and next I know it's somehow like 6 pm and where did the time go? I mean, I probably took a few minutes to pee once or twice... And while they were drying I get some sit down time... But still. It's a long couple of days in the barn. Thank goodness it's my favorite place in the world to be!
