No not my tail. I wagged work. I played hookey.
I was a truant. Look at that calm shot. The wind was so terrible I had to rest the camera on a fence post to keep it still but you cannot see that wind!
It was so windy and so cold that I regressed. I lit the fire. I put the yesterday’s dinner party chicken bones on to make stock. I left the dishes unwashed. I ignored the stalls, the unfinished pigsty and the weeding in Donna’s garden. I could not hang the laundry out on the line in a gale so I did not even wash it. And with small breaks to feed animals, move animals and birds (Kupa was once again found on the top of the convertible). Chase buckets and baskets blown across the fields. Watering the plants in pots and moving the seedlings where they were not blown to death. And checking Mama. In between all that and a few other things I just sat on the red couch in front of the fire and I read a book. A whole book.
The wind was fierce all day. Worse than usual. The fields are dry and bare so the wind carries dust and dirt. Every time I ventured forth my face was sandblasted and my eyes were gritty. Mama kept low to the ground and the chickens never even left the barn. So when I took the camera and the dogs for a walk I took that one shot, then I scurried back inside.
I can take the wind for days. There are many of us who work in the wind. I am not the only one. But some days I cannot do it anymore. The bendy tree defeats me. So I sat in front of the fire and read my book. The book is called Behind the Beautiful Forevers. By Katherine Boo. And I read it all. It was worth taking a day off to read. An extraordinary book. Then I drained the chicken stock, added the chicken back in, a few vegetables and a few noodles, sat it back on the woodstove, and myself back on the couch and did some writing. Nice.
So there you are. Some days I am lazy! I am the lazy dog that the quick brown fox jumped over.
Good morning. There is no gale in the forecast today, just a warm breeze with abundant sunshine (weather man words) and I am rested and ready to deal with things again.
The trouble with wagging a day is that a little fairy does not come out in the night and do all my work for me while I sleep. The work is all still there. Waiting for me with big smiles. No problem. Without wind howling about my head I feel like I can do almost anything. And TonTon and I need to get busy on a pen for piglets because the meat piglets are ready for pick up and feeding up. Sheila the Babe (the Hereford pig we will train) is not until May.
Right off to work I go. I always feel like picking up my little pail and singing Hi Ho Hi Ho when I write that!!
Good Morning
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
83 responses to “I wagged yesterday”
It seems that when you “wag” work, you just do less not absolutely nothing, like me 🙂
One day i will do absolutely nothing, but not until everyone is on grass! then all i do is open and shut gates and laze about in the warm!! Morning rosemary! c
You scallywag Celi! But if anyone deserves to play hookey it’s probably you, and it sounds like you got on with plenty of things yesterday anyway.
Oh I LOVE that word .. scallywag, bet your mum used to call you a scallyway when you were a kid! c
A day off to recharge your batteries…capital idea!
The wind has been so…wearying…its howling sets my nerves on edge. Hopefully, we’re all in the clear for the next few days…
OH YES a few days off from the wind would be great..c
I cannot think of a better way to spend a day than reading a book. And in front of a fire, too. I believe you earned this day off.
BTW we drove through bendy winds, too, on our drive home from eastern Wisconsin to southeastern Minnesota on Easter. Honestly, in potato land the wind erosion was so bad that I felt we were in a mild version of the Dust Bowl. Near Tomah, small branches were flinging from trees along the interstate and striking our van. The clouds hung low and dark with pointy tips. My son assured me they were not “tornado clouds” because they were not swirling. Still, I kept my eyes on the foreboding sky.
There is something deeply alarming about being OUT when the weather is heaving at you like that!! I was driving with my sone once and up ahead a big gumtree fell with no sound (radio blaring) across the road. It was eerie, as car after car skidded into the ditch and up the other side then back on the road and on their way! c
It sounds to me like you made excellent use of a windy day. Sometimes the weather needs to be surrendered to. Too bad about those fairies, though. They never show up when you need them.
(I think I’ll be singing hi ho hi ho all day now, thanks to you!)
Oh I am SO sorry! that is terrible, i have seeded DISNEY into your brain.. turn the radio up loud or sing the nation anthem, or sing gospel, that sometimes helps! .. c
Thank the Lord! I feel so much better that you have the occasional ‘lazy’ day! Good for you, I’m sure it’s put you in good stead for all those impending new arrivals and the extra work they’ll entail!
Christine
Well lets hope they all don’t tun up on the same day, But i cannot be waiting for these lambs forever! c
We all need days like that every so often and it sounds like you were still busy. I find windy days like that hard to deal with and we often get them here too 😦 I am now off to look up the book you mentioned.
I hope you find it tanya, it is gritty but I think it is a book we all should read.. c
Beautiful shot. I love the parallel lines at the bottom of the shot and the geometrical shapes of barn and house whilst the trees do the nature bit. Excellent.
Thank you Roger. and good morning! c
A day off like you took is good for the soul C! Glad you were able to enjoy it with a book.
Good morning.
🙂 Mandy
Morning mandy, It is good for the soul, you are right, i feel good to go this morning.. c
On the other hand, reading a book is a very productive thing to do for your mind and soul! I’m glad you gave yourself permission to take a well-deserved break. Now you are nice and ready to take up your tasks with a renewed energy. Call it a mini-vacation of the mind!
I read every day, usually at night though, In my hand bag i carry a book and a camera always, i might forget my wallet but never my book and camera! It was lovely to have a mini vacation.. how was your vacation by the way! You must be winding up to being pretty busy now.. c
An excellent way to spend a day that might otherwise have flattened you into the ground. By the way, today I back-linked to your blog as part of an assignment for Platform Building. Your url was posted by me on Twitter as one of my favourite examples of a blog. If you’re interested in what Platform Building is, here’s today assignment. http://robertleebrewer.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/april-platform-challenge-day-11.html
Well thank you for linking me there. That is wonderful. i would like to join his site too now, but my google sign up thing has NEVER worked. Is platform building like building a network? c
A Googglie-boogglie isn’t necessary. When I comment on Blogger pages I use the Name/URL option. Start with the post that tells what it’s all about at : http://robertleebrewer.blogspot.com/2012/03/april-platform-challenge.html
, then start going through the days of assignments. It’suppedd my blog hits like you wouldn’t believe, particularly my poetry blog.
This exercise is all about figuring out what, who, and why you’re blogging so that you can drill-down and focus on what matters, and then publishers and the like will find you. Robert is associated with Writer’s Digest, which also publishes. I’ve already been approached by an online publisher for a few of my poems. Woo!
Misky that is fantastic.. to be published because i really do love your poetry! c
No money, Celi, just self-satisfaction. 🙂
Here’s a new job for you: Book Reviewer. I am not familiar with Katherine Boo and would like to know more about her. I am on the final chapter of the biography of Steve Jobs: a monumental work of 600 pages. Fascinating man, but maybe he and I would not have liked each other very much, as much as I admire his work.
Perhaps no angels did yesterday’s work for you, but they didn’t add to it either. So as I see it, you are ahead!
Katherine boo is a journalist really. A very accomplished award winning journalist. This book is about a story she followed in india. It is real, horribly honest but reads like a novel. Extraordinary writing really. AND does not have 600 pages or I would still be wagging today.. c
that sounds remarkably like one of my favourite books: Third Class Ticke by Heather somebody (sorry, it’s upstairs and I am manacled to the sofa.) Belay that, I’ve Googled and it is Heather Wood. One of the best books I have ever reaad.
You are a brave girl, but I’m glad you didn’t go out in that ‘orrible wind. I am having a wag time force majeure, and I don’t like it!
Poor darling, but you can catch up on your reading? c
I hate windy days. I would rather have rain, snow, anything other than wind!
I agree debra, wind carries a seed of madness! c
Good for you! Can’t have the wind blowing you off the farmy, we need our fix everyday. Looking forward to the little piggies, Mama and Daisy may have a birthing pact – have you asked them? Of course their babies will all come as soon as they spy the new piglets:)
In fact if I had planned it better i would have had daisy and mama at the same time. (Though Mama refuses to be organised evidently) but then I could feed any extra lambs the fresh cows milk and it would be free.. I will try for next year though! c
Everyone needs a rest now and then, you’ve certainly earned it! We have been very windy as well.
Enjoy your day! Hope the wind stays away for a while ~ April