Here's the written version! Next week I will post a short poem, for Chapter 4 isn't quite done yet. Thanks, and Happy Independence Day! (July 4th)

Chapter 3 - Daily Duties

After a delicious breakfast of blueberry pancakes with blueberries and blueberry jam, (yes I know a lot of blueberries, the blueberry bush was ripe, so we picked some) me and my sister went out back to pick some fruits and greens for lunch.

We started with the apple trees out in the field, because they were the farthest back, and we could move towards the house, instead of having to double back, because that means more walking through our humongous field. Our daily routine for my sister and I goes something like this: Eat breakfast (made by mom), harvest and gather the food that's in season from the garden for lunch or dinner, and feed the animals. We also help with clearing the weeds, watering the plants, and cleaning the house, though we do those mostly weekly.

It was late morning, but the air outside was still cool and clean. The red apples looked crisp and fresh, with droplets over it, making it look refreshing. Perhaps the sudden rain pour wasn’t a curse, but a blessing.

Me and my sister snacked on apples as we walked back to the house, only to be caught by dad. He was asking for some help planting the seeds and farm labor in general, so my sister stopped to help. I picked up tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, green beans, oranges, and the apples we picked earlier. I dropped them off in the kitchen. It was getting close to noon, and becoming hotter.

I still had to give the animals their brunch, so I headed off to the barn.

I did the smelliest parts first, and gave the pigs and chickens their food. While the chickens were out of their nest, I looked around for eggs. I found 5 in total, which was pretty nice. One for each family member, including Bandit.

Then I gave the sheep and horses their food, which consisted mostly of hay. Almost done! I thought as I stopped by the pond. The ducks ate seeds, bread, and fish. The fish ate seeds and fish food we got from town. The mama duck recently had ducklings. I stayed for a bit to pet the little balls of fluff. They were chirping and quaking all over the place! Mama duck decided to go for a little swim and headed off into the water. There was a little trail of ducklings following.

I love animals, but some days a truck comes, and dad brings out one or two animals from the barn and gives them to the man driving the truck. He comes back a week or two later and brings us meat, which my dad puts in the ice house. I know it's necessary for us to get our food, but it does make me a bit sad sometimes.

Luckily, it doesn’t happen very often, and my dad jokes it's because we have to “fatten them up” first. I’ve decided not to explain it to my sister, and my mom agrees.

We had salad, with a side of fruit, and some fresh-squeezed orange juice for lunch. Mom made good use of the crops I brought her.

After lunch, I went out back with Dad to groom the horses and to shave the sheep. Grooming the horses was easy, and I got to see Bella and  Pepper again. We have a total of 3 horses. Bella and Pepper are adults, and Patty is a foul. When we were finished, their manes felt as though we were running our hands through a river of silk.

Next were the sheep. It was time to take off their winter coats. Their wool is usually pretty puffy, but not nearly as soft and silky as the horses. Once you shave the wool off, you must wash it, then stretch and pull it with some special tools until it becomes puffy again. You continue doing this cycle until the wool is clean and able to be made into clothing.

Once we finished, we left the wool out to dry and headed home. Evening was approaching, and I was looking forward to dinner with my whole family, which we have not had in almost 3 months.