Every now and then, when I can, I trawl through Facebook looking for the little jewels and crystals of insight and inspiration that pop up so regularly. One, from Becca, talked about that sweet feeling an animal lover has when the animal in their care is taken care of, is fed, exercised, sheltered, considered.

One of the richest things about having the farm is the opportunity to do that on so measurable and varied a scale. I call it the Sweet Moment, that sense of satisfaction, pleasure and well being that comes when you know that the animals have all been cared for. And that they are safe and comfortable.

And you get the chance to do it every day.

I go over the checklist in my mind, and I know it well.

When the dogs have gotten time outside, been fed twice a day, given their even rawhide or bone chew, and are settled in for the night – animals have this magical moment when they are done for the day, and they shut their minds and bodies off and slip into a deep rest. Even the border collies.

I took hay out for the donkeys – one/third of a bale at mid-day. They get a half cup of grain each on days when it’s below freezing. I brush them to get out the snarls and junk they roll in. I make sure the water in the heated waterer is fresh and warm, that there are no rotting leaves or dead things floating around.

I bring food out to the barn cats every afternoon, as their diets are irregular and I imagine they need some strength for the night, whatever they are up to, wherever they go. Many nights, one or the other doesn’t show up, they are out hunting. Sometimes both vanish for a day or two. I imagine they are holed up in one of the barns, sleeping off a great chase.

Before it gets too dark, I check on all of the animals. Now, as I write this, I hear the sighing and mild snoring and grunting of the dogs, even their dreams sometimes. I know the donkeys are up in the Pole Barn, staring quietly out into the valley. Everybody is safe and cared for.

This caretaking feels good, a powerful antidote to the din and so-called news of the outside world. It is a deep and ancient feeling, as familiar to dog and cat lovers everywhere as to farmers. It speaks to one of the best and oldest parts of us, a mix of nurturing, responsibility, and the special goodness that comes from caring for something in your care. It calms and soothes us, a gift to us as well as them in their mysterious and unknowable minds.

Thomas Aquinas wrote that the value of treating animals well is that it makes all of us humans more human. And helps us to care for one another. I believe in this.