This is Leisure?

 

As one of the minority of women who don’t get paychecks, I really resent the disdainful expression and condescending tone of voice bestowed upon me whenever someone learns that I’m just a housewife.

Recently, during one of the rare times I attended a party, a woman approached me and introduced herself as a CPA. Naturally, she asked that dreaded question, “What company are you with?”

I paused while a typical day’s activities flashed through my mind: Up at 5:30 a.m., mix a formula to bottle feed an orphan calf, then feed the cat, kittens, and dog. After that, I lug a 50-pound bag of feed into the chicken coop and make a second trip for a bucket of water.

That done, I cook breakfast, wash the dishes and put a load of laundry into the washing machine. Then it’s time to help my husband shovel 14 five-gallon buckets of grain to fill the cattle troughs.

Returning to the house, I hang out the laundry. Then I take the garbage to the dump. Now, my husband is ready to grind the week’s supply of feed so I spend the next hour shoveling a pickup load
of corn.

After that chore, it’s time to worm the cattle. We corral the recalcitrant beats and coax each one into the chute

Returning to the house, I hang out the laundry. Then I take the garbage to the dump. Now, my husband is ready to grind the week’s supply enclosure. I operate the head gate while my husband administers the medicine. This job uses the remainder of the morning.

After cleaning up, I start cooking a big noon meal for my meat and potatoes farmer. While dinner simmers, I mix another bottle of formula and go out to feed my orphan calf again. I notice the water tanks are nearly empty so I fill them. On to dinner and dishes again. The laundry now has to be brought in, folded and put away. As soon as that’s finished, I go outside to the chicken coop to gather eggs.

Then I drive to town to purchase a tractor part, salt blocks and groceries. Back home, I put those away, and walk out to the pasture to help load and stack 140 bales of hay.

By now it’s 4 p.m., time for another calf bottle. The rest of the day I spend mucking out the goat barn and hauling several wheelbarrow loads of manure to the garden.

Now almost dark, it’s time to feed the cattle, dog and cats again, shoo the chickens into the coop, and bring an armload of wood inside for the stove.

Next, preparing and eating supper, and more dish washing. After showering, I mend a pair of jeans. Maybe I’ll have time to read the newspaper before bed. But I have to feed the calf first and set my alarm for another bottle at 2 a.m.

As I visualized all this, I answered reluctantly, “I don’t have a job with a company.’

“Oh,” she said enviously, “I wish I could stay home to be a lady of leisure and not work!”

Tagged chicken coop, farm, farm chores, feed orphan calf, grinding corn, hang out laundry, hard work, housewife, lady of leisure