This is the kind of chore that makes my stomach spin, but it is also the kind of chore Maria loves. We ordered a half load of gravel and dumped it in front of the Pole Barn.

Maria (and maybe her Amish pals Lena and Fanny) plan to re-do the floor of the pole barn, she thinks it is too hard now and that the animal’s urine pools and doesn’t drain away.

It’s like firewood to her, a reason to be with her beloved donkeys and sheep and nibble away at the little mountain bit by bit. I asked if she wanted us to hire a tractor, but she wouldn’t hear of it.