Almost Advent

Frost over the dale lasted all day. Beautiful, but also slippery. Many villagers are terrified of slipping, and today their fears were quite legitimate. I fell on my ass on the sidewalk while taking the compost from the food centre to the gardeners. Luckily no one noticed as I'm sure it looked ridiculous.

Everyone is preparing for advent. The First of Advent celebration is Sunday night in the JoA Hall and I'm excited to see how this all works. I think it will be quite beautiful.

I think I forgot to say before that I've started learning how to milk the cows. The first step Justin has taught me is how to clean the teats. I know it sounds lame but it's kinda fun and it's sort of funny how you end up getting very familiar with the teats, like for example, Siskin's back two are very close together, Holly's are all really far apart and her udder's are super hairy because she won't allow anyone to shave her, Red Start has six nips cuz she got like, mutated or something, Whimbrel's are really nice and usually clean, and Violet has a big wart on one of hers.
We baled the last of the hay today up at High Farm and we got to some moldy dusty bits and I couldn't breathe at all and got totally wheezy and had to sit out for a while. And it was effing freezing outside...so it wasn't so fun. I'm super tired and snuffly, but not really all that sick so I dont feel like I could lie in bed all day without feling like an idiot.

Oh, did I mention that castrated the calf yesterday? It's a different kind of castration where you just put a rubber band around the nuts and they eventually fall off. It's way less painful than using the clippers. Anyway...what else...oh I had another heart bubble a few minutes ago, that sucked. I think I need to see a doctor next week. Crap. I'm sorry these blog entries are turning into a "what ails me today" kind of thing, but these things are really bothering me. I'm trying to be all "I am not this pain" mind over matter and all but it's seriously painful when it happens and I've never had it happen so frequently before. Anyway. Moving on.

Paule has asked that I prepare supper on Wednesdays and Sundays except for the Sundays when I cook lunch, and that's totally fine. I'm also putting Em to bed Mondays and Fridays because those are the only nights I don't have somewhere to be (choir, foundation course, shepherds play rehearsal, volleyball). I'm officially in the Shepherd's Play, playing one of the shepherds, "Huckle." Or is it "Muckle?" Phil is another one of the shepherds so we an run lines together. This is one of three Christmas/Advent plays that are in the whole Steiner/Waldorf world, and kids from Waldorf schools have seen them tons of times. Justin keeps spouting lines from it, his way of getting in the holiday spirit I suppose. I've worked out Christmas gifts, now I just need to go buy them! Mamma Mia posters for Emily and Steph, gardening gloves and the Amelie soundtrack for Paule, a James Bond poster for Flips, tea for Anthony, the Beatles 'Love' album for David (burned from my computer), Amadou and Mariam (from my computer again) for Phil, aaaand I kind of want to do some kind of gag gift involving dieting for Nick, or a Michael Pollan book. I don't know what to do for Katie, since she doesn't eat anything chocolate won't work, and I don't really know what she likes. Luke keeps saying he's getting me something, so I think maybe I'll make him a mixed CD, and do the same for everyone else I work with. Justin is really into alternative older stuff like Garbage, so I think I can come up with something. Okay I just had the worst heart bubble yet and actually knocked on Nick an Paule's door to possibly get some assistance (although I don't know what anyone could do) and I could hear some music and Nick didn't answer even though I knew he was in there so I poked my head in and he was zoning out with some headphones on so I said his name a few more times and waved my arms a bit but he didn't see me and by that point the bubble had popped and it was going away and I could breathe normally. I went downstairs, had some tea and watched the second half of the film people were watching in the sitting room. Afterwards I told Paule about the heart thing and she said she'll make an appointment for me to see Marcus (the doctor) on Tuesday morning. He comes to the village then, so it won't be an extra trip.
Okay whoa I just found my answer online. Hooray for the internet.
Pre-cordial Catch Syndrome
Shit there's no cure. Shit. I'm so mad. I'm going to sleep. Shit.