THE WRIGGLE
I am writing this with Poo Piglet Whose Name is Jude on my lap and he is such a wriggle!
Today two of Molly’s Eight will be sold to a friend to be grown on his developing homestead. Two fat gilts. And we are not short of fat little piggies to choose from – these pigs are doing exceptionally well. Which is good as they will all be growing through the winter. 
They follow the same track to their toilet every morning. I have long been fascinated by the tracks we make. If allowed the time. If we cease to rush. When we are in a hurry we cut corners and sometimes even leave our pathway.
But when we are following our routine. As though the routine is leading us. We also follow pathways. Like the cows. There is a comfort in thinking like a cow – when travelling from barn to field they always walk this path. Plodding along – hooves follow head. Maybe it is their thinking time.
Like us people when we drive ( or walk) our worn pathways to work every morning. There is a certain comfort in it.
That disabling of choices for a few minutes. Just following the path.
Shortly I will get out a metal bowl – use it to scoop up some cat food- carry my bowl out the door, across the verandah, down the steps and along the path to the shed, to the cats feeding table. After I empty my bowl into their bowls I will use this metal bowl to scoop out duck feed, empty that into the old wheelbarrow wheel that is the ducks bowl, then scoop some dry pig food up and carry that to the barn and feed Molly’s Eight. Then using the now again empty bowl I will hunt for and collect the duck eggs and carry them back past the shed, past the eating ducks, past the cleaning cats, up the garden path, up the steps across the verandah and back into the kitchen to clean the duck eggs and refrigerate them.
My first pathway of the day.
Then I get the inside bucket filled with soaking feed and sprouts from the kitchen floor and opening the door go back across the verandah and down the steps. I follow my path back out to the big pigs( does the path lead me like my routine does?) and so on and so forth – following my thinking paths. My songlines. On track
Did you ever read that book called Songlines – I think it was written by someone Chatwin. I will look it up for you and put it in our library page. He discusses the songlines the aboriginal peoples of Australia used to navigate the desert when they went ‘walkabout’. It made a great impression on me when I was young. Stand by.
Bruce Chatwin. I might buy it again – it is pretty cheap second hand, my old copy will be in one of my early libraries in another country. I look forward to reading it again and adding it to my American collection.
Time for me to begin my housework hour (forced labor) before I take to my pathways.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Celi
28 Comments on “THE WRIGGLE”
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I enjoy your descriptions so I can be with you a few moments and accompany on your pathways.
My pathways are wet with rain this morning. A barn day I think!
Will the barn be toasty, warm and dry?
Not warm but dry! Most of it anyway!
Snow on the ground for us this morning 🙂
Oh no! I often imagine your bread oven fire blazing hot in the snow. It is on your porch if I remember rightly?
I like this idea of pathways very much. It is so easy to think “routine” but perhaps there is really more to the lines we follow each day. I am going to check on that book. Thanks C!
Following our paths for a little every day is kind of restful.
Song Lines is a beautiful book and it has been years since I read it also.
Its something that is done automatically..following the same path to do different deeds. Your story made me think about this and I realized that when I get out of bed everyday I do exactly the same thing and walk the same places..even down to having breakfast. These are my walking paths! Animals are really clever at doing that..one after another they follow on…nature is a wonderful thing. Shame about breaking up Miss Molly’s family but I suppose one cannot be sentimental about farm animals…so Mollys Eight will soon be Molly’s six I did remember that Jude’s name was Jude, but Poo Piglet reminds me of Winnie the Pooh A A Milne… and that is such a cute story…. love to all
I have been told I need to lengthen my paths and broaden my horizons. I can’t help think how much more fun that would be on the farmy.. Laura
I suppose, when you walk upon what you also eat, staying to the path saves feed; )
You had me thinking Bruce Chatwin as I read down the page – I was thinking I should tell you about it! I really enjoyed that book. Perhaps the animals have song lines too.
Boo looks so cute with his piglet. I’d buy those two plonkers – they are nearly as adorable as Jude.
I got a jolt when you wrote ‘songlines’ and remembered Bruce Chatwin’s book, which immediately took me back to a small library in Ohio where I borrowed and read all of his books that were available at the time (1980’s). His last book, ‘What Am I Doing Here’ was the best.
I loved Songlines also, and I remember being fascinated by Bruce Chatwin and like liffster reading as many of his books as I could. Thanks for your musings.
Songlines….hmmm I wonder if we have that book in our little Weed California library? If not I will have to find a copy and donate it. Have a lovely path filled day!
Boo and Jude. My favorite pair!
I loved reading the lyrical path of this post. The photo of Boo and Jude warms the heart. Routine is gentle on the soul though there are times we must venture from it just to keep the vibration stimulated. My father-in-law. long deceased used to travel a great deal for his living. But he was adamant that you never take the same route in and out of home and varied that route as often as possible to places you frequented. I live in a community with basically one way in and out but I always take in a side street or extra loop to vary my way back. I see something new and keep my mind alert that way. “Songlines” sounds interesting and I’ll look for it. Haven’t met many books I didn’t like. 🙂 Have a wonderfilled day with hopefully wonderful new guests.
Love the specificity of your walk. I can better imagine exactly what you do step by step. I enjoyed your routine when you were milking Daisy too—remember how she would literally gallop to you/at you—and you had to get out of her way. And how she would ring a bell.
I’ve never heard of Songlines but will look for it.
And adore Boo and Piglet. Really aren’t they a marvel?
Bruce Chatwin ‘s Songlines – long an inhabitant of our crowded bookshelves. His books the perfect companion for a little armchair traveling.
Thinking paths and songlines – delightful! My ‘thinking path is folding clothes, ironing, or going for walks in the woods here in the mountains. I, too, will be looking for that book in our little library in Oakhurst, CA. Oh, Kathy W in Weed (love that place!) you could request the book from your library. If they don’t have it, they can find it somewhere in the system and have it shipped to their branch. Animals are looking particularly fetching today! Thanks, Ceci!
Songlines is one of my favourite books too, funny how we all, on different continents, have strong memories of it. and are drawn to it. The Dreamtime Aboriginal elders actually sang up the land, brought it into being as they walked, for others to follow, and the songlines were as much about rules to live by as places to go. I lived in remote Aboriginal communities for many years and so heard these stories firsthand.
So love your posts and the lounge …. I’ve been so distracted … just want to tell you .. I’M STILL HERE loving your blog
Gorgeous photos this morning!
Routines are so necessary to make sure you cover all the things you need to do each day, and finding and setting the pattern is like choreography: if you know the moves of the dance, you won’t fall, stray or step on toes! Bravo for being able to type with Jude The Wriggler on your lap (probably trying to chew off buttons or see if your shirt is edible…). Enjoy the dance through today’s tasks, Miss C.
A lovely lyrical post, Celi. Thank you.
Laughing out loud at “forced labor”!
WHAT?! You named him Jude?? Aww… Such a adorable name…