This morning I woke up early to skype with Brendan. It was the first time we’ve talked since I’ve been here, and I so appreciated him waking up at 2:30 a.m. to listen to me ramble about my time on the farm. Talking did, however, make missing him more real for me. I think until now, I’ve been trying not to think about missing him, and talking made the problem more obvious. We’ve already made it six weeks apart, and we only have three and a half more to go. I can’t wait to be reunited. I had to stop talking to Brendan because I had to go milk, and this is what he said an email to me later about it, “How wonderful it was to talk last night!! I'm so glad it worked out. You are so incredibly pretty. I think that was one of our deeper talks even though it was cut a little short by your one true love, cows. I know I know, I don't have 6 utters, but I can give you two when we dominate at Euchre. I hope that is enough for you...” It was so clever, I thought it was worth sharing. After milking, Yvonne and I made a quick batch of butter using cream and an electric mixer before sitting down and eating breakfast. After breakfast, I jumped on the trampoline with 8-year-old Ella and listened as she explained the terrors that are fleas and midges. Midges are similar to nats but bite like mosquitoes. I am covered in midge bites. The worst are the bites on my stomach and lower back. Ella wanted to know if she could play connect the dots. I quickly dismissed that idea with a no and stopped jumping so I could walk into Sneem for mass. Mass was slightly unconventional, as the priest told the congregation after the gospel reading that he hadn’t prepared a homily and gave announcements at that point instead. I didn’t get a lot out of mass today, but afterwards I wandered outside and discovered the garden of the senses and the bird village and river walk. I think the scenery must have been God’s reward for my having sat through such a boring mass. I know if Brendan had been with me, he would have been in love with the place, especially considering his recent obsession with birds. Some of the species that live in the bird village are the long-tailed tit, the great tit, the wren, the song thrush, the blackbird, the red wing, the chaffinch, and the robin. I couldn’t identify which was which because I’m not patient or knowledgeable enough, but I definitely did see birds flitting around. I then walked slowly back through town, stopping in a couple shops along the way. During my walk back to the farm, I sang Taylor Swift songs aloud and laughed at my poor singing skills. I’m sure people driving by thought I was crazy, but I figured I’ll never see them again anyway. After mass, everyone got back from Dublin, and we ate lunch together. After lunch, everyone went their separate ways to relax. I took the time to read the Jodi Picoult book Vanishing Acts and condense my baggage from three bags down to one and a half so I can fly with Ryanair in a couple of weeks. I also skyped my parents and enjoyed the beautiful weather that is so rare for Ireland. Once I was tired of being alone, I wandered back to the farm and helped Sigi gut a salmon. I made myself watch the whole process even though it made me feel queasy. I even touched all the inside parts and worked with Sigi to identify the organs. For dinner we had baked salmon stuffed with herbs and onions and sides of salad and cooked vegetables. It was healthy and delicious. After dinner we milked Vickie and were joined by a large group of midges, and now I am back in my house blogging and getting ready to go to bed. It’s hard to believe that I’ll be home in 17 days. I love it here, but I’m ready to be home.
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