I'm all caught up again (we had a week and a half of no power from the recent Northeast snowstorm) and enjoying.

When I was a kid on the farm, we used to differentiate between "manure forks," which typically had five or six tines, and a D-shaped handle on the end, and "hay forks," which had three tines and long straight handles. I used both tools regularly.

We generally tossed some bedding hay or straw into the cows' manure trough, so the material could be handled with the same tool we used for cleaning out the goats' and horses' bedding. It all went out by cart to the big composting pile behind the barn. We had a few customers who came by to purchase fresh manure for their hotbeds, but mostly it was all mixed together, composted, and spread on the fields.

Probably more than anybody wanted to know about the subject...

I'm all caught up! What I love most about Derelas is just how "human" he is. He's been thrown headfirst into situation after crazy situation and faced some raw emotions, and how he copes with everything is very believable. I'm very much looking forward to seeing how the friendship between Derelas and Ariella grows and if/how it's affected by everything that's going on with him. Good stuff, keep it coming

Hooray, I am all caught up! Took me long enough.

Gotta say, Derelas does seem to have a thing for getting brought in in the arms of a woman after some mishap or another. Will he ever get the chance to turn that around?

I see he's got a fascination with horses to match either Buffy or Julian. Here's to wondering whether his astral sign will increase his equestrian skills.

One question about that chest in Anvil. Is it made of a magical variety of pearwood, with a tendency to accept articles of clothing only to return them cleaned, pressed, and smelling faintly of lavender...?

You never know when a good piece of Luggage may come in handy...