After a wonderful 11-day break to celebrate the holidays, I'm back at work at Hammock Publishing. Not that being off meant loafing around.

As noted in my bio, my wife and I are fortunate/crazy enough to live on what we call a mini-micro-farm with about 18 acres of pasture. For the past year, we have been "foster parents" to horses rescued by a local group, Volunteer Equine Advocates Inc.. We keep some of the rescues while they are awaiting court action to remove them from their owners, and also once they are available for adoption. The number changes, but we have about 11 horses now and two donkeys, which we have claimed.

For some reason, horses want to be fed early. So it was out the door at 7 a.m. every day to mix up their various rations, fill watering troughs and give a little TLC to them. Other volunteers feed in the evenings, while I am still at work. I like mornings, so the "chores" are usually pleasurable, except when it is raining and the mud reaches my ankles.

By the way, horses are cute and all, but the donkeys are by far the most fun, being quite intelligent, curious and vocal.