Awoke easily just before 5am, after nearly 7 hours of restful sleep. Stepped outside into the cool morning, bright shiny moon lights my 25 steps to the outhouse. Have a nice, easy poo. My body functions so well, it just makes everything quite pleasant. Bit of a mental debate about staying awake and doing meditation, yoga routine. Gently agreed with half myself to snuggle back into cozy bed and listen to Mateo breathe in his bed next to me. Awoke again easily just one minute before alarm at 635am, feeling happy and light. Wrote one page of appreciation by light of the solar lantern as Mateo softly stirred. Said good morning and see you later to Mateo, then walked barefoot across the property to the house.
Enter through the basement door, the “dairy”. Put on socks and boots and turn stove on to heat my yarrow tea in my favorite pot from Katherine. Put 13 glass 1/2 gallon jugs of milk from last evening’s milking in the milk fridge. They rested overnight in coolers full of water and ice jugs. Now put half melted ice jugs in 3 different freezers, taking fully frozen jugs out to place in coolers of water, ready to cool this morning’s milk jugs. Say good morning to Laura as she sets up the milk machine about ten minutes to 8am and heads out to the milk barn. Finish setting up the straining, as we call it. Place 16 clean jugs on the stainless steel table, write a big W for Wednesday on each one. Fix clean paper filter into funnel. Pour myself a cup of hot tea and make sure the walkie talkie is turned on so I will hear when Laura calls to say “milk’s ready”.
Mateo appears on the stairs, a bit surprised that the house is quiet and no one is awake. He expresses appreciation that the house is cozy warm. I agree and ask him why the house is warm. His eyes light up and he heads out to the woodpile, seemingly happy that he remembered his daily chore of filling the small woodbox next to the kitchen cook stove. I love sharing life with him. I head out to the milk barn to hang out with Laura as she milks Honey, the pretty Jersey cow. Carry about 2 1/2 gallons of milk in two milk pails back across the driveway to the basement and pour it through the filter funnel, filling jugs. Wipe the openings clean and push a new plastic cap down tight until it clicks and seals. Rinse jugs of spilled milk and place them in the waiting coolers. Listen for the walkie talkie call, perfect timing as the last jug goes in, time to take two empty milk pails back out to the barn for Yosheemay’s milk.
more later...
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