The Night of the Storm at Giostra Farm

Giostra Farm is just as glorious in winter as it is in the spring. But for the Ponderosa rail fencing that surrounds the farm, you wouldn’t know anything lived under the deep snow. The horses were in their stables in the comfort of blankets and carrots. Their accommodations are four star, according to the top Trio, Truman, Mary and King, Father’s warrior babies.

“I love my MacLeod Tartan blanket. It matches the sunset with the yellows!” Said Truman.

“Truman, chill, when Hymn comes in don’t show off your silliness!” said Mary.

“Let me tell you something Mary, we all look good when we ride as his Trio, you, his perfect Palomino with your pale yellow and me with my Bay and auburn silky coat!” said King.

I wish I could keep my blanket on as we head to the woods with Hymn. The Unicorns would love it!” said, Truman.

The sheep and goats enjoy each other’s company if they are allowed to watch Jeopardy streamed in the shed. They still run out to play and shepherding them in when the big bad wolf of a storm comes, is the main chore for Sylvia the Border Collie. You can hear her and her mate getting them home each night. “Hoit hoit, let’s go, that’ll do!” said Sylvia, getting her mate Rand in too as he tends to lollygag during the herding.

Jeopardy it is.

Muther let the pigs in the house and that has caused a lot of mess, but right now, we are keeping things as she would have wanted. Come springtime, we will renovate.

With Muther gone, Father needs us to plan for the biggest storm this winter without her.

Muther Muddy Meep had long dark brown hair with nary a knot in it because she knew which saints untied knots. Rarely did she brush her hair, much like the manes of the horses that live and pray on the farm. Her nails were manicured in the dirt, and she bathed in the rain with petrichor as her perfume.  

Muther Muddy Meep was deep in her sheep, mud to her haunches and loved her birds. Roosters, henners and wild children; especially the crows who gave her hell for not feeding them on time. The silver and gold and pieces of bark were her presents even before she laid out the food. It was better than any Druid would love, for real. Eggs, meat, pudding and almond butter on crackers.

Her favorite Druid, Father Hymn was her love, her jokester and her soulful being. They couldn’t get enough of each other in small and very big ways possible. I know he gave the crows the gold and silver as their presents to her!

Father Hymn is handsome, full of hair everywhere, bold and stubborn. Reminds me of some of my Maine Coon cousins. Matted and muscular. When he left his clan, he kept his intermediary tasks, and still has his penchant for interdependent community building connecting small farms with nature around it.

Without our Muther Meep, the rest of us had to keep it cheery and real, because Muther would never allow us to be upset as she went to the woods for good. She is becoming a tree herself, providing sap and probably close to the Giostra so she can whisper her laugh through the wind as the music played and the unicorns, pigs and horses would whirl around to kingdom come. Sylvia was in charge of herding the Merry Go Round as well as Rand and the sheep.

Muther Meep’s two loving younger druids, Crockie and Goldie, are charged with the ice for the farm. This has been a huge responsibility for two young’uns.

Crockie and Goldie are the best foragers of the perfect icicle. The farm depended on the water a few icicles can offer.

Crockie was the master of jokes like his father, playing around with the forest pets and woodland tricksters, while Goldie knew she had to get the icicles back to the farm before they melted. They would have to leave at dusk to make sure all of the ice was still as beautiful, sparkly and hard as a diamond, hoping not to see much loss from the weather meltdowns.

Father Hymn was getting his Trio of horses ready for their own foraging. The horses knew where the Unicorns kept their hay dry, and Father Hymn was about to find out where. Treading lightly, he will invite them back before the big storm. They used to come, but since Muther Muddy Meep passed into her dreamy snow filled burying spot, they were afraid to return.

Father Hymn and his Trio will carry the colorful clinking baskets and seek answers as to how their hay stays so dry and offer the baskets to them, as they love such bursts of color. He will also ask if they can bless and purify any of the icicles that come upon Crockie & Goldie’s return. Their horns are magical and have healing powers that the farm still needs from them.

Crockie once saw the Unicorn’s farm.

It was more than the eye can handle. The colors were so noisy, they were loud, squeaky. Some, like chalk on a blackboard squeaky, and other colors as quiet and pink as a singing songbird. The marshmallow colors tasted like chalk, so don’t ever try one. They are clouds of mischief, those marshmallows.

Crockie came running back to Goldie that day, his mouth painted in violet while his pointy ears were bleeding.

“Don’t eat their food Crockie!” said Goldie.

“The beets were so beautiful!” Crockie said. “Then my…friend, the Uni-pony, Saucy-So gave me a lollipop the screaming color of rock & roll!” He showed her the sticky half-eaten black licorice Lolli pop.

His bleeding pointy ears may have been worth the flavor of the beets and rock & roll, but never trust a uni-pony!

Crockie was dressed in his favorite buttonless overcoat, with pockets filled to the brim with tricky things. Crockie’s stature made most woodlanders give him anything he asked for, being smaller that Goldie. And she’s as short as a hydrant if you ever saw one. As the farm’s negotiator and top-Druid to be, Goldie made sure she had her swords, magic gloves to keep the icicles frozen, and her safety scarf. This scarf could make her fly in a flash but sometimes it dropped her down hard.

The damask scarf covered her very well in its dusty hues of white and grey, like the winter rabbits she so adored. Hoppity hop they went, and so did she, when she was in a good mood.

Father Hymn brought us all together to pray with the Father of the Forest, Silvanus for a joyful storm and to ensure all had Barkskin to help them with any predators. He also prayed for his one and only love, Muther Muddy Meep and asked for safety in the woods.

Now was that time to get going before the storm hits the next Farmday.

Crockie and Goldie went one way, and Father Hymn and his Trio went the other, singing the sweet songs of his clan. The farm was under control with the Leafy Ladies, the Cleaning and Shoveling Nymphs, and the Kids who made sure the animals were safe in their spaces. Once that happened, the kids, or billies and nannies came into the front house to sit in front of the fire and tend to the rest of the animals and family. The pigs were happy in the kitchen’s pot belly stove re-watching the Fantastic Mr. Fox.

The circle of life was the utmost important to this family. They all interdependently worked together, just like a Merry Go Round. Nothing happens without the other, without the energy, the music and the colorful beauty. Storms are nothing to us, but getting ready without Muther Muddy Meep will be the hardest storm to experience. Hopefully, Father Hymns’ heavenly voice will summon Silvanus and provide us all with the love and safety of a great storm.

Story goes that, later in the evening, the Unicorns gladly came back with Father Hymn with the baskets that were given to them, and they were filled with colorful popcorn with the silence of snow. Knowing the Unicorns, we watched out for the yellow popcorn! Those darn Unis!

Giostra Farm was coming back to its circle of love and light and tons of snow, thanks to Silvanus.

Let the storm begin.

Mr. Cherry Tree the Cat