The smells of a Minnesota spring

Got any food? Star is constantly begging for some. I kicked him out so we could get to work though.

For those of us in the northern part of the U.S., spring looks a lot different than it does in other parts of the country. For starters, we don’t see many flowers bloom until mid to late May. But before any of that arrives, there’s a different kind of spring aroma that shows up first—thanks to the thaw.

When Eric and I lived in Bozeman, MT, we discovered that spring thaw means something very different to those of us who weren’t dog owners. Yep—gross! As soon as the snow melted, endless mounds of dog poop appeared everywhere.

Now, living on a farm in Minnesota with three dogs who have full run of our property, we still get a taste of that… but it’s nothing compared to the other critters we have, who make even more of a mess. I spent all of Saturday afternoon cleaning out the horse pen and came to these solid realizations:

1. It’s a much harder job with only one child helping.

2. When that last awesome child is gone, I may need to hire help.

3. I am out of shape. It’s Monday, and I’m still sore.

4. Functioning wheelbarrows that don't weigh 100 lbs. are recommended.

   
   

My son and I moved hundreds of cubic feet of manure. I started with the 60+ year-old wheelbarrow we inherited from my father-in-law. It’s so heavy it feels like it weighs 75 pounds empty. After I finished pushing seven loads across our large yard we could retire the antique wheelbarrow for the day. My son finished assembling a new shiny wheelbarrow and also repaired the second “poop hauler,” which had broken over the winter. Nothing like fixing a loaded wheelbarrow full of manure mid-haul!

Once the new one was ready to roll, it proved to be an amazing upgrade—but we still had to make load after load across the yard. He hauled, I filled. I had started counting runs, but quickly lost track. We certainly could’ve used more help, but a few hours later, it was done—and honestly, even though my body is still aching, it felt pretty rewarding. He may not agree quite yet, despite the ice cream reward. As you can see in that photo above, it had been DEEP!

Normally, I’m adamant about cleaning the pen twice a day, but once winter hits and everything freezes before I can even get back inside, there’s just no keeping up. I’ve also been gone quite a bit the past few weeks, and frankly, no one else here appreciates a clean pen as much as Beau, Star, and I do.

Next up: the chicken coop. Any volunteers for next weekend? I promise it’s easier!

So why am I writing a post about shoveling poop? I told you this blog was going to be random—but truly, it’s because this is farm life. It’s real. It’s messy. Thankfully, even though they don’t necessarily enjoy it, our kids appreciate that they’ve learned the value of hard work—and how to do it without complaint. As long as they live here, they’ll have animal chores every day. It’s shaped who they are, just like it shaped me. And while I photograph farms and the people who live and work on them, I live it too—on a smaller scale. And honestly, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Thankfully, I don’t have a very strong sense of smell—which is probably a good thing, considering I’ve spent nearly all of my life cleaning up after dairy cows, babies, horses, chickens, rabbits, dogs, and cats. Don't forget the pigs. I have never personally raised them, but on really humid days I can tell they unfortunately once inhabited our barn. The work related to the smells of a Minnesota spring may not be glamorous, but it’s incredibly rewarding. Each of these animals is a joy to care for, and in their own way, they give back to me every single day with their love, their personalities… and yes, with eggs and free rides.

This life may be messy, but it’s full of meaning, rooted in faith, purpose, and honest work. That is exactly what inspires me to capture real stories of others through my photography.

It will never look this shiny again!

The culprits. Beau on the left, Star on the right.