Made For a Man...

...but are they strong enough for a woman?

Since September I have worn out 4 pairs of heavy-duty cowhide gloves and I noticed a few days ago that my 5th pair has started to tear.  At least half a dozen pairs of thick wool socks, and my favorite pair of work jeans, have also met their demise.  The first pair of muck boots I owned lasted over 5 years, during which time I wore them to the barn, walking my dog year-round, and to class in the winters.  My current pair is just over a year old and I've noticed the constant muddy mix has begun to eat away at some of the waterproof stitching.

Consider this a challenge, Carhartt!  I work harder than your gloves do, and it's nearly official.  The ones pictured above lasted about a month, and the "heavy duty" boot socks I've been wearing under my muck boots gave out after about, oh, 5 or 6 weeks.

Every day on the farm brought new challenges but it brings a peaceful balance with it, too.  With a lot of hard work and interminable senses of humor, things are looking good.  In other words, the work I came here to do is nearing its end.  I'm headed home.  What an incredible journey it has been— I will never forget this place, the pigs, or the people I came to love here.  I hope to be back soon, maybe when there are a few less pigs and a little less mud.  I hope my girls remember me, because I know I will never forget them.  At times I was pushed to the utter limits of my physical strength, my mental capacity for multitasking and problem-solving, and the depths of my humanity.  I never thought I would get into an automatic vehicle and reach my foot blindly for the clutch, but... here I am, some weird college/city/farmgirl hybrid who misses the contents of her closet but also loves to drive the tractor.  Wah not?



Derive happiness in oneself from a good day's work,
from illuminating the fog that surrounds us.

                — Henri Matisse (1869 - 1954)