Does my life seem strange to you?

On the weekend I noticed one of our ducks, Panda, running with something in her bill.  I thought it would have been some slow cold hibernating frog she'd dug up from the pond edge, and I started to chase her.  She's a fast little duck, and not tame at all, In fact I think she especially mistrusts me.  I chased, lunging, getting out of breath, then grabbed the long fishing net that was propped up nearby. That gave me a slight advantage, but even after I caught her multiple times she'd sneak out from under the net before I had a chance to grab her.  What she was carrying was something I didn't want her to eat....a dead, decomposing bird.  She had the head halfway down her throat.  All I can say is I'm glad I was wearing leather work gloves and was able to dispose of her wreaking bounty without getting it on my hands.  Glenn came around the house out of curiosity, having heard the chase, my swearing and heavy breathing.  I relayed the story, still out of breath.  Some days I think not much surprises him, both from what craziness comes from life with animals, and his crazy wife. 

Life with animals and on the land can bring about some pretty strange 'happenings'.  I occasionally hear from old friends or acquaintances, mostly those who have families and live in cities or suburbs. They express amazement, disgust, shock, ambiguity or envy at the things we are doing on this farm and some of the stories I've shared, both good and bad (of course those things are relative to individuals). 

I can say I have helped stack a few hundred bales of hay, and I'm exhausted and euphoric from the smell, the physical exertion, and the comfort of knowing our animals will be fed this winter.  Others may just say "why would you want to work so hard? why not just go and take riding lessons somewhere, or buy your yarn imported from China, or buy perfect uniform tomatoes from the supermarket, or buy corn syrup that's been labelled as honey".  Yes, homesteading is hard. But as I said to Glenn only a few months ago after harvesting our dinner out of the garden "You know? After all the years we've been doing this, it just doesn't get old, the ability to do this." I call it quality control on your own life. 

After almost four years of living here, we are in the process of applying for green cards.  Many hoops to jump through.  When we first moved here, we were under the impression that I would have a work visa within a year.  That was definitely the wrong impression.  All I can say is life doesn't always work out as planned.  But at least having this farm and building these skills has given me a sense of purpose, and as always, I'm bored if I'm not constantly learning.

"This bird flies higher with a song up in her head"