What Would You Have Done?

I have been feeding the animals the last few days. I don't know what made me start this trend, but I found that I love being outside and doing the farm chores. Seth usually goes with me. He is a huge help in gathering eggs. He can crawl in spaces that I never could dream of getting into to gather the eggs. I have to watch him closely because he has no fear of our animals. This is a good thing, but it can cause him to get into situations that could be harmful.

When I started feeding the animals my husband gave me instructions. Actually he gave the same instructions to our oldest son over the weekend. These were his instructions to the letter..."Give each animal one slice of hay". (He also gave other instructions about buckets of grain, but I got all of those right so we need not discuss those for now). We bought a large cube of alfalfa hay and it peels off into slices for easier feeding. I noticed after a few days the animals were VERY happy to see me come to feed them. As my husband and I were talking last night, I mentioned how much hay we had left. He had a shocked look on his face and asked me just how much I was feeding the animals. I recited his instructions back to him just like he said..."I gave each animal one slice of hay". He was still puzzled, and he began to inquire some more of my feeding. After a few minutes of discussion, he asked me exactly how many slices of hay I had put out that day. (Now I am not a math student, but I was beginning to think he was losing his mind. We have 2 horses and 4 cows. That equals 6 animals. I put 6 slices of hay out...one for each animal). He looked at me oddly and asked me if I was joking. I assured him I can do basic math and I knew exactly how many animals were eating hay and I put out one for each animal just like he had instructed. He then started back tracking. He said that he thought that I understood that one for each animal meant one per animal group. I was suppose to be putting out one slice for the horses and one slice for the cows. I told him that was NOT what he said and that I followed the instructions given to me. It was his fault not mine that the animals have now eaten so much hay. He disagreed. Later that night our oldest son was in the room with us. I asked him how much hay he had given the animals over the weekend. Matthew recited the instructions back to me and his dad. "Give each animal one slice of hay". The teenager proved my point well. His Dad's instructions were flawed. By the way, the animals also like seeing our oldest son coming out to feed them! Unfortunately for them, Michael has now cleared up the miscommunication. All good things must come to an end, and that includes extra grub for the farm animals!!!

grace and peace,
julie