Tuesdays

Picture #1 Nola's Secret Gardens!  (If you have faith like a mustard seed, miracles can happen)  Picture #2 Isn't he a cutie?

In the recent years of my life, Tuesdays have always been insane.  On Tuesdays during senior year, I took a coaching job that required me to be at or driving to Philadelphia Gymnastics Center from 3:45 to 9:30.  This past year, I would leave my room at 8:30 in the morning and not get back until 4:00 in the afternoon.  And it continues, with Tuesday being the day that the wholesale orders must be shipped.  We have to wrap, label, and pack all these orders and have them to the post office before 4.  

I woke up and milked, which happened to be a rather stressful experience in itself...while I was milking, Livia comes out of the barn and says, "A goat's out!"  Those are the dreaded words...I have visions of myself running up the road in my polka-dotted barn boots shouting, "C'mere girl!  C'mere," and then I hear a car coming and the goat darts into the middle of the street...

Anyway, it really isn't all that serious.  First of all, I just have to shut the door and she can't run away.  Then I have to corner her, grab her by the collar, and drag her back into the holding area.  You know the term "stubborn as a mule?"  It would more accurately be "stubborn as a goat."  Goats are so obstinate that sometimes you have to pull them backwards to make them go forwards.  It's ridiculous.  So this process took quite a while, but I succeeded eventually.  Ten minutes later, however, Livia comes in and says, "Two goats are out!"  AHHHHHH!  I want to punch these goats in the udders.  

Once I finished milking, I worked in the cheese cave from 9 until 3:30.  I wrapped cheese and put cute little labels on them, filled out invoices, added up totals, and got a general lesson in how to run a small business.  It's amazing that their entire income comes in $100 and $200 dollar sales.  Somehow it all adds up to pay the bills.  

After that, I was free!  And then I realized I had nothing to eat.  So I drove to the co-op and bought lots of food, including my favorite thing about Vermont so far, Nola's Secret Garden greens.  It's a product from this woman who packages the most interesting mix of lettuces, some mild, some spicy, some lemony...all yummy.  She even includes edible flowers and some herbs.  Each bag is tied with a colorful ribbon.  It's pretty expensive, but it's local and organic and such high quality that I don't mind at all.  

Guess what?  Tomorrow is my day off!  I don't have to wake up at any particular time!  I can go on a hike or watch a movie or read or play with the kittens or...well, those are really my only options.  Still exciting though.  Watch me end up volunteering to milk the goats out of boredom.  No, I wouldn't do that.