I was recently talking with a friend about all of the chores that I've been having to catch up on around my property. This is exactly why I've been too busy to write my blog lately.
You see, I've been playing catch-up around here since last November (2025). The reason is that between 2022 and 2025, I helped care for my Mom while she was on Hospice. I was there for three years for her. It was in April of last year that she started needing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week care. With the help of my brother, and sisters, we took care of her until she passed last October.
I feel good about it because I know that's what family is supposed to do for each other. Besides, I love my Mom and didn't mind doing what was needed for her.
Well, since last October after her passing, I've been on a mission to get my property squared away and back up to snuff. The fact is that while I was taking care of my Mom, and my wife Deanna was holding down the fort around here as well as possible, a few things fell into disrepair. To remedy this, we've replaced our gutters, completely redid my wife Deanna's garden, and I've repaired parts of my barn, some water pipes, redid a couple of water troughs, and I've been cleaning cluttered sheds.In essence, I've had to repair what has only given sort of "band-aid" attention on things while I was caring for my Mom. Now, frankly speaking, it feels good to see everything coming together. Of course, as you my readers have brought to my attention, I haven't been writing as much lately.
This post is to talk about year-round chores that come with living is rural America. So, while I just wanted to take a minute or two to explain to you about how my working around my property has stopped me from writing as much as I've wanted to, you need to know that playing "catch-up" is hard work. And yes, that's the number one reason why keeping up with your chores around your property is so important.
Right now, my wife is happy with all of the improvements. So that's a good thing. Of course, as you can see with this post, though life's chores get in the way of things, things have a way of slowing down enough to work on other things -- in my case, my blog.
What have I been doing? Well, I've been real busy fixing water pipes, repairing my irrigation system, cleaning sheds, mending fences. repairing parts of my barn, replacing corral boards, and more. But no, there won't be a quiz later about any of that.
What have I been doing? Well, I've been real busy fixing water pipes, repairing my irrigation system, cleaning sheds, mending fences. repairing parts of my barn, replacing corral boards, and more. But no, there won't be a quiz later about any of that.
As for chores that come with with living in the country, it's all part of the constant year-round process up keeping your place up to snuff. For me, I should be close to being finished with reorganizing my sheds, tack area and feed room. I hope to be finished with being caught up with those chores by next week.
If you're thinking that it's going to be hotter than Hades next week? You're probably right. It can get hot this time of year. Some call it "scorching." Some folks call it "sweltering." But guess what, calling it names isn't going to change the fact that I need to get things done. To beat the heat, most folks recommend working earlier in the day or toward the evening when it's not so hot.
I didn't follow that recommendation yesterday, and I was hit with a bit of heat exhaustion. As stubborn as I can get sometimes to the point of not wanting to stop when I'm on a roll, I really needed to stop and cool off instead of keep at it. While I thought I was staying hydrated, I really needed to just stop and hit it again earlier today to beat the heat.
I live in Calaveras County, California, because it's nothing like Los Angeles or the San Francisco Bay Area. This county has a lot to it. It is the California Gold Country, the High Sierra Nevada Mountains, the foothills, and the valley floor. This is "Rural America" at its finest. And yes, I absolutely love this place. I think most folks who live here feel the same way.
Of course, living in the country, you quickly learn how there are more than four seasons. Depending on where you live and what's on your plate, there can be more than a few seasons beyond Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
For those of us who are fortunate enough to live here in Calaveras County, we all regularly adapt to the realities of the addition of Fire Seasons to our year. Like every other part of living in rural America, we just accept it and deal with it because it's part of life when owning property in rural areas.
In California, there's the "Green-to-Brown" transition which is all about our annual Spring to Fire Season transition. That happens when the beautiful lush Spring growth quickly dries out and turns into "fire fuel". Then, when temperatures hit the 90s and higher on a regular basis, CAL FIRE enforces seasonal burn bans.
In California, there's the "Green-to-Brown" transition which is all about our annual Spring to Fire Season transition. That happens when the beautiful lush Spring growth quickly dries out and turns into "fire fuel". Then, when temperatures hit the 90s and higher on a regular basis, CAL FIRE enforces seasonal burn bans.
In fact, there is a ban on burning and suspension of burning permits in effect right now. It's in place as an effort to prevent early-Summer wildfires. Burn bans effectively prohibit residential landscape debris burning. If you didn't get your debris burning done while the rains were still here, you're going to have to wait until next Winter to burn that brush pile.
Fire Season is that time when we are especially vulnerable to wildfire outbreaks. But in all honestly, while Fire Season is a time of higher risk, fires starting out of nowhere by human negligence or lighting strikes are a year-round threat. And really, from what I've seen over the year, it always has been that way.
Because of that, daily life dictates that we include maintain a defensible space around our property as one of our routine chores. Of course, even if a wildfire is miles away in a neighboring county, air quality might no be the greatest during fire season. That means outdoor chores may be limited.
As for Drought Season in California? The first drought that I experienced in California was when I was a Marine stationed in Camp Pendleton back in 1976. I remember how we did things like putting bricks in our toilet tanks so that we'd use less water. I also remember how the California Governor at the time promised more water reservoirs for a growing population.
Well, the population has almost doubled in the state since then, and the crazy California Environmentalist Movement that controls part of California's Leftist politicians have stopped almost every effort to put in more water reservoirs over the last 50 years.
Thankfully, my wife and I rely on our well. The long stretches of dry weather require water management, especially if you're irrigating pastures and maintaining livestock water troughs.
Being responsible and taking ownership of preparing your property for fire season means clearing brush and managing your acreage, managing brush, regularly clearing thistle and other invasive weeds, tending to fallen tree branches, and cutting tall grass around buildings,. It's all about reducing fire hazards while also improving pasture health.
Anyone who has lived in the country long enough know that some years it feels like you missed Spring somehow and instead went from Winter weather and straight into Summer. Then again, there are those years when it feels like Fall sort of blew by and Winter arrived with a bang.
Getting ready for Winter is important. To do that, most of us winterize and insulate outdoor pipes, do maintenance on our backup generator, and stockpile wood to make getting through Winter easier. Stockpiling firewood is vitally important if you heat your home with wood. Whether you're cutting and splitting and stacking your own firewood or not, you can't wait until the last minute to do that.
If you cut, split, and stack your own wood, then you're already ahead of the game. For those folks who buy a few cords, they need to do it during the Summer and not wait until Winter to buy their wood. Too many people do, and then end up either paying way too much money for wood or they find themselves in trouble because they can't find firewood for sale.
While that's the way it is for folks in rural America in general, there are much more to worry about when you have horses, cattle, or other livestock to care for.
For example, I mentioned how everyone living in the country needs to be aware that there are more than just four seasons, and have to take in consideration Fire Season and possibly Drought Season of limited water. Ranching operation have that to consider and a lot more.
Ranching operations revolve around a strict seasonal calendar dictated by nature. The annual cycle typically shifts through four distinct phases: there Calving Season when cows are calving in the spring, the Summer season is for grazing and haying. gathering and weaning takes place in the Fall, and feeding and planning next year takes place during the Winter months.
Spring is the "Season of New Life." It's also the busiest and most labor-intensive time on a ranch. The reason is because Calving Season is where cows give birth to new calves. And with that, ranchers will work round-the-clock to monitor pregnant cows, be there to assist with difficult births, and ensure newborns are healthy.
Fire Season is that time when we are especially vulnerable to wildfire outbreaks. But in all honestly, while Fire Season is a time of higher risk, fires starting out of nowhere by human negligence or lighting strikes are a year-round threat. And really, from what I've seen over the year, it always has been that way.
Because of that, daily life dictates that we include maintain a defensible space around our property as one of our routine chores. Of course, even if a wildfire is miles away in a neighboring county, air quality might no be the greatest during fire season. That means outdoor chores may be limited.
As for Drought Season in California? The first drought that I experienced in California was when I was a Marine stationed in Camp Pendleton back in 1976. I remember how we did things like putting bricks in our toilet tanks so that we'd use less water. I also remember how the California Governor at the time promised more water reservoirs for a growing population.
Well, the population has almost doubled in the state since then, and the crazy California Environmentalist Movement that controls part of California's Leftist politicians have stopped almost every effort to put in more water reservoirs over the last 50 years.
Thankfully, my wife and I rely on our well. The long stretches of dry weather require water management, especially if you're irrigating pastures and maintaining livestock water troughs.
Being responsible and taking ownership of preparing your property for fire season means clearing brush and managing your acreage, managing brush, regularly clearing thistle and other invasive weeds, tending to fallen tree branches, and cutting tall grass around buildings,. It's all about reducing fire hazards while also improving pasture health.
Anyone who has lived in the country long enough know that some years it feels like you missed Spring somehow and instead went from Winter weather and straight into Summer. Then again, there are those years when it feels like Fall sort of blew by and Winter arrived with a bang.
Getting ready for Winter is important. To do that, most of us winterize and insulate outdoor pipes, do maintenance on our backup generator, and stockpile wood to make getting through Winter easier. Stockpiling firewood is vitally important if you heat your home with wood. Whether you're cutting and splitting and stacking your own firewood or not, you can't wait until the last minute to do that.
If you cut, split, and stack your own wood, then you're already ahead of the game. For those folks who buy a few cords, they need to do it during the Summer and not wait until Winter to buy their wood. Too many people do, and then end up either paying way too much money for wood or they find themselves in trouble because they can't find firewood for sale.
While that's the way it is for folks in rural America in general, there are much more to worry about when you have horses, cattle, or other livestock to care for.
For example, I mentioned how everyone living in the country needs to be aware that there are more than just four seasons, and have to take in consideration Fire Season and possibly Drought Season of limited water. Ranching operation have that to consider and a lot more.
Ranching operations revolve around a strict seasonal calendar dictated by nature. The annual cycle typically shifts through four distinct phases: there Calving Season when cows are calving in the spring, the Summer season is for grazing and haying. gathering and weaning takes place in the Fall, and feeding and planning next year takes place during the Winter months.
Spring is the "Season of New Life." It's also the busiest and most labor-intensive time on a ranch. The reason is because Calving Season is where cows give birth to new calves. And with that, ranchers will work round-the-clock to monitor pregnant cows, be there to assist with difficult births, and ensure newborns are healthy.
During Calving Season newborn calf care is essential to make sure calves receive colostrum within the first hours of life. That's why it's important to monitor and frequently check expecting cows and heifers, especially through the night, and have a designated "calving pen" ready if an animal needs assistance.
For some operations, this is also the time when newborn calves are tagged, vaccinated, and branded. Tagging calves for identification, administering required vaccines, and banding, or castration, are all part of a ranch.
Spring also means ranchers have to move their herds out of winter feeding areas and onto fresh, green spring pastures. This all takes a lot of work, but their Summer growth and forage depend on it.
Summer is that time of year when ranchers hope to see rapid livestock growth and harvesting the resources needed for winter. Depending on the region, ranchers may trail their herds up to high-altitude mountain pastures where grazing is abundant. Rotating pastures by moving cattle between different pastures is meant to prevent overgrazing and manage forage growth.
As for hay production, Summers are when ranchers spend weeks mowing, baling, and storing hay in barns so they have a sufficient Winter feed supply.
Fall is all about harvest and sorting. Fall involves gathering livestock, and preparing the herds for the colder months. Herds are gathered from summer pastures and brought back down to the home ranch. You see that a lot where I live because there's so much more grass in the high country.
Since natural forage can be buried by snow or is dormant from frost, ranchers feed the cattle stored hay on a daily basis. This is one of the toughest times of the year because so much work is put into keeping water fresh and not frozen, and ensuring cows have adequate shelter and windbreaks to stay warm.
Raising cattle requires a dedicated, daily routine of feeding, watering, herd monitoring, and maintenance. While the exact workload scales with herd size and season, consistent attention is the key to preventing health issues and ensuring your herd thrives.
As for Daily Chores, feeding is number one on the list. The chore of distributing hay, silage, or grain is important. While some folks will tell you that it's just about throwing hay to cattle, they probably don't realize that someone should be monitoring if the cattle are intaking enough, if they are eating adequately, and also if there may be overly aggressive cows hoarding feed or stopping others from eating. Someone should have the routine chore of checking pens and pastures to count the herd, and see if any of the animals have signs of illness, lameness, or injury.
Checking for clean water troughs is also important. Someone has to routinely check to ensure automatic valves and floats are functioning. In the Winter, someone has to check and make sure water isn't frozen. In the Summer heat, the last thing any rancher wants is dried up water throughs and thirsty cattle. Having the chore of maintaining water for animals is one of the most important jobs on a livestock or horse operation.
It's the same thing as fence maintenance, it is important to inspect fences, gates, and hot wires (electric fences) to ensure there are no breaks, shorts, or areas where cattle and horses can escape. It's important to repair breaks in your fences, tighten sagging fence posts, and clear fallen limbs that can make a fence absolutely useless. Fixing fences is an ongoing chore, especially when you have livestock and horses. People who put off fixing fences end up regretting it.
Along with making sure your fences are up to par is maintaining gravel driveways and making sure your outbuildings are serviceable. Driveway grading to get rid of those Winter ruts is important. Because heavy rains often wash gravel away, driveways and country roads need regular grading and occasional fresh gravel to prevent deep ruts. I just had two tractor trailer loads of road base gravel brought in to redo my driveway.
As for taking care of your equipment? The bottom line is that ensuring your generator is serviced and ready for whatever may come is no different than having your tractor and mower, and other utility vehicles ready to go. Having them greased, having their oil changed, and in the case of a mower -- it's important to get its blades sharpened before heavy use -- this all cuts down on a lot of costly repair or replacement bills later.
While I'd love to say that I operate a horse rescue, I can't because I'm not operating a horse rescue that's a business. It's not a business, and it's not a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that takes in tax-deductible donations and grants. I have "rescue horses" that I've taken in over the years to keep them from slaughter. While it's rewarding, it can be financially demanding. But, all and all, we do fine. And yes, our horses are all fat and happy -- and that's what matters.
Rescue horses are no different than high priced cutting horses in that their daily feedings and clean water is vital to them. Horses, like all livestock, rely entirely on us.
That means regular routine chores include twice-daily feedings, making sure they have clean water, muck out their stalls when they are not turned out, applying fly prevention this time of year, and horse checks, are all a daily chore. Horse checks are needed in that horses need to be inspected for cuts, swelling, or signs of colic. It is amazing what sorts of trouble horses can get themselves into. And yes, that's why we add regular horse checks to our routine chores.
While their hooves should be picked daily, especially true if they are kept in stalls, scheduling a farrier to come out every 8 to 9 weeks is important. . As for bringing a farrier to trim their hoofs, I actually have a Shoer coming out next week. And no, it's not cheap these days.
Winter is a tough season simply because rains and snow brings muddy pastures and paddocks that can cause all sorts of problems for your livestock. That why as soon as Spring comes, I move our horses to different pastures to allow the grass in heavily grazed areas to recover. Over the last six or seven years now, I have an agreement with my neighbor to put my horses in their pasture so that my horses eat it down to help keep the fire danger down. And yes, it also helps them financially since I pay them what it would cost me in hay.
As for my wife's garden, we completely redid it. We tore it apart, removed the old wooden raised beds, brought in railroad ties to create a retaining wall, and leveled off a substantial are for her garden. We started work on February 1st and we had everything, I mean everything, ready for her Spring planting. Now part of her chores in maintaining it.
So yes, living in the country requires chores. They are the daily, weekly, and seasonal responsibilities that routinely need to be done. As crazy as it might sound to some folks, but for me, fulfilling my responsibilities by doing my chores make life rewarding.
Chores are all of the routine tasks, sometimes minor but necessary things that need to get done. While chores are often seen as boring or unpleasant by some folks, I've never looked at them that way because I was taught from a young age how important chores are. I was always taught that washing dishes and taking out the trash was as important to keeping a house clean, on the same level of importance as feeding your dog and your farm animals.
That leads us to the benefits of doing chores. I know that my animals depend on me. I know that, and the good feeling that I get from accomplishing something that I can see firsthand is great.
In reality, that's why having kids do chores is good for them. It teaching to believe in their own ability to accomplish things. It give them a sense of competence. For example, whether it's getting kids to fold laundry or wash dishes, doing such chores gives kids a sense of an immediate accomplishment. This builds self-esteem and the belief that you have the skills to succeed at your goals.
For some operations, this is also the time when newborn calves are tagged, vaccinated, and branded. Tagging calves for identification, administering required vaccines, and banding, or castration, are all part of a ranch.
Spring also means ranchers have to move their herds out of winter feeding areas and onto fresh, green spring pastures. This all takes a lot of work, but their Summer growth and forage depend on it.
Summer is that time of year when ranchers hope to see rapid livestock growth and harvesting the resources needed for winter. Depending on the region, ranchers may trail their herds up to high-altitude mountain pastures where grazing is abundant. Rotating pastures by moving cattle between different pastures is meant to prevent overgrazing and manage forage growth.
As for hay production, Summers are when ranchers spend weeks mowing, baling, and storing hay in barns so they have a sufficient Winter feed supply.
Fall is all about harvest and sorting. Fall involves gathering livestock, and preparing the herds for the colder months. Herds are gathered from summer pastures and brought back down to the home ranch. You see that a lot where I live because there's so much more grass in the high country.
Fall is also a time for weaning and sending a herd to market. Calves are weaned off their mothers and either sold at market or kept through the Winter. Ranchers evaluate their herds, and their experience tells them which cows to keep for breeding and which to sell off to optimize herd size for the Winter.
They say winter is the season of survival for a reason. It is that time of year that requires heavy daily maintenance, and careful resource management.
They say winter is the season of survival for a reason. It is that time of year that requires heavy daily maintenance, and careful resource management.
Since natural forage can be buried by snow or is dormant from frost, ranchers feed the cattle stored hay on a daily basis. This is one of the toughest times of the year because so much work is put into keeping water fresh and not frozen, and ensuring cows have adequate shelter and windbreaks to stay warm.
Winter is also the time of year when ranchers take stock of what they have, their profitability, form a plan for breeding seasons, possibly reorder supplies of vaccines, antibiotics, dewormers, and ear tags, and figure out where they're going to get the funds to repair needed machinery.
Raising cattle requires a dedicated, daily routine of feeding, watering, herd monitoring, and maintenance. While the exact workload scales with herd size and season, consistent attention is the key to preventing health issues and ensuring your herd thrives.
As for Daily Chores, feeding is number one on the list. The chore of distributing hay, silage, or grain is important. While some folks will tell you that it's just about throwing hay to cattle, they probably don't realize that someone should be monitoring if the cattle are intaking enough, if they are eating adequately, and also if there may be overly aggressive cows hoarding feed or stopping others from eating. Someone should have the routine chore of checking pens and pastures to count the herd, and see if any of the animals have signs of illness, lameness, or injury.
Checking for clean water troughs is also important. Someone has to routinely check to ensure automatic valves and floats are functioning. In the Winter, someone has to check and make sure water isn't frozen. In the Summer heat, the last thing any rancher wants is dried up water throughs and thirsty cattle. Having the chore of maintaining water for animals is one of the most important jobs on a livestock or horse operation.
It's the same thing as fence maintenance, it is important to inspect fences, gates, and hot wires (electric fences) to ensure there are no breaks, shorts, or areas where cattle and horses can escape. It's important to repair breaks in your fences, tighten sagging fence posts, and clear fallen limbs that can make a fence absolutely useless. Fixing fences is an ongoing chore, especially when you have livestock and horses. People who put off fixing fences end up regretting it.
Along with making sure your fences are up to par is maintaining gravel driveways and making sure your outbuildings are serviceable. Driveway grading to get rid of those Winter ruts is important. Because heavy rains often wash gravel away, driveways and country roads need regular grading and occasional fresh gravel to prevent deep ruts. I just had two tractor trailer loads of road base gravel brought in to redo my driveway.
As for taking care of your equipment? The bottom line is that ensuring your generator is serviced and ready for whatever may come is no different than having your tractor and mower, and other utility vehicles ready to go. Having them greased, having their oil changed, and in the case of a mower -- it's important to get its blades sharpened before heavy use -- this all cuts down on a lot of costly repair or replacement bills later.
While I'd love to say that I operate a horse rescue, I can't because I'm not operating a horse rescue that's a business. It's not a business, and it's not a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that takes in tax-deductible donations and grants. I have "rescue horses" that I've taken in over the years to keep them from slaughter. While it's rewarding, it can be financially demanding. But, all and all, we do fine. And yes, our horses are all fat and happy -- and that's what matters.
Rescue horses are no different than high priced cutting horses in that their daily feedings and clean water is vital to them. Horses, like all livestock, rely entirely on us.
That means regular routine chores include twice-daily feedings, making sure they have clean water, muck out their stalls when they are not turned out, applying fly prevention this time of year, and horse checks, are all a daily chore. Horse checks are needed in that horses need to be inspected for cuts, swelling, or signs of colic. It is amazing what sorts of trouble horses can get themselves into. And yes, that's why we add regular horse checks to our routine chores.
While their hooves should be picked daily, especially true if they are kept in stalls, scheduling a farrier to come out every 8 to 9 weeks is important. . As for bringing a farrier to trim their hoofs, I actually have a Shoer coming out next week. And no, it's not cheap these days.
Winter is a tough season simply because rains and snow brings muddy pastures and paddocks that can cause all sorts of problems for your livestock. That why as soon as Spring comes, I move our horses to different pastures to allow the grass in heavily grazed areas to recover. Over the last six or seven years now, I have an agreement with my neighbor to put my horses in their pasture so that my horses eat it down to help keep the fire danger down. And yes, it also helps them financially since I pay them what it would cost me in hay.
As for my wife's garden, we completely redid it. We tore it apart, removed the old wooden raised beds, brought in railroad ties to create a retaining wall, and leveled off a substantial are for her garden. We started work on February 1st and we had everything, I mean everything, ready for her Spring planting. Now part of her chores in maintaining it.
So yes, living in the country requires chores. They are the daily, weekly, and seasonal responsibilities that routinely need to be done. As crazy as it might sound to some folks, but for me, fulfilling my responsibilities by doing my chores make life rewarding.
Chores are all of the routine tasks, sometimes minor but necessary things that need to get done. While chores are often seen as boring or unpleasant by some folks, I've never looked at them that way because I was taught from a young age how important chores are. I was always taught that washing dishes and taking out the trash was as important to keeping a house clean, on the same level of importance as feeding your dog and your farm animals.
I have to tell you that being taught as a kid that chores are not sometimes to be dreaded, helped my in the Marine Corps. In the Corps, we had something that everyone refers to as "shit details." Its Marine slang referring to an extremely unpleasant, menial, unwanted work assignment, temporary task, or duty that's not the greatest -- but has to be done. Things like guard duty, mess duty, cleaning a head (bathroom0, being assigned to do laundry, and other things that need to get done are colloquially called "shit details" in the Marine Corps.
I can say, without hesitation that I never look at anything menial or unpleasant as a "shit detail." I saw that as simply chores that needed to be done. Understanding that fact of life helped to give me a great work ethic in life.
That leads us to the benefits of doing chores. I know that my animals depend on me. I know that, and the good feeling that I get from accomplishing something that I can see firsthand is great.
In reality, that's why having kids do chores is good for them. It teaching to believe in their own ability to accomplish things. It give them a sense of competence. For example, whether it's getting kids to fold laundry or wash dishes, doing such chores gives kids a sense of an immediate accomplishment. This builds self-esteem and the belief that you have the skills to succeed at your goals.
Teaching kids to do chores also teaches them that sharing the load of daily maintenance is good because it contributes to the family. Later, when they have their children do chores, they will do it knowing the empathy, gratitude, and the genuine feeling of being a family that doing chores brings.
You see, whether it's a matter of maintain horse health, addressing needed preparation for Fire Season, or simply maintaining your property, all is all, it shows you that the fruit of your labor is not in vain.
That's important because it's what we see for ourselves. Whether we like it or not, sometimes the results of our daily grin aren't as immediately visible. While one's effort is never truly a waste, and "Working is good for our soul," sometimes our efforts aren't as visible as being about to see what you're producing.
You see, whether it's a matter of maintain horse health, addressing needed preparation for Fire Season, or simply maintaining your property, all is all, it shows you that the fruit of your labor is not in vain.
That's important because it's what we see for ourselves. Whether we like it or not, sometimes the results of our daily grin aren't as immediately visible. While one's effort is never truly a waste, and "Working is good for our soul," sometimes our efforts aren't as visible as being about to see what you're producing.
Understanding that our jobs, our vocation, how we take care of our home, our property, or how we approach our chores, are all a lot like how we see ourselves is important. Besides the fact that we can see how what we do benefits us and others, when we see accomplishments, big and small, it encourages us. It let's us see that every effort and challenge can be overcome. It shows us that seeds planted eventually yields meaning and purpose.
Tom Correa
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