A while ago, when I found Stash, one of my Scottish Highland oxen, dead in the field, I was devastated, but it also left his teammate, Topper, without a partner. Oxen are cattle that work for a living. They are yoked in carefully matched pairs to pull heavy loads. They bond, and when one of them dies, finding the survivor a new partner is often impossible.

Sometimes, solutions present themselves. Another Miles Smith Farm Highland ox, Finn, had also lost his partner. I considered pairing Topper and Finn but feared they wouldn’t click. Change is challenging, and I didn’t want to face defeat, so I postponed their training. They did little but eat hay and beg for carrots for almost two years. Topper had a yearly job at Christmas when I put a red nose on him, and he pretended to be Rudolph, but he needed a real job.

Yoking these two near-strangers together turned out to be easy. They are big, about 1,800 pounds each. I led each out of the pasture and tied them side-by-side in the barnyard for yoking. It took a few tries, but Topper and Finn seemed to know I was struggling and stood patiently while I hoisted the 75-pound wooden yoke onto their shoulders and fumbled with the wooden bows and securing pins. Then I untied them and gave the familiar command: “Walk on!” They stepped forward like they’d been trained to do.

When I hooked a chain to their yoke, they pulled a truck tire around the yard, then did the same thing with a cart, working smoothly together as if they’d been together their whole lives. I was amazed, thrilled, and joyous all at once. My joy included pride in these boys.

I’ve hitched them up a few more times and am confident they’re ready to pull logs out of the woods that we’ll cut up for firewood. Of course, using a tractor for farm jobs is more practical, but I don’t get a soft fuzzy feeling from a tractor. Seeing a team of shaggy oxen doing the work is so much more rewarding. Besides, these boys needed a job. On Miles Smith Farm, cattle without jobs can end up in the freezer.

My first New Year resolution is to yoke up my oxen and work with them every week. Yoking them is tedious and challenging, but seeing Topper and Finn stepping in unison as they work together is such fun. Commanding such powerful beasts is a thrill.

Something else that makes me feel good is buying local food. Of course, I’m all about local meat, and the local food pantries are also on board. The New Hampshire Food Bank gives grants to food pantries around the state with the condition that the funds be spent at local farms. The Friendly Kitchen in Concord, Isaiah 61 in Laconia, and the First Baptist Church, Belmont, spent some of their grant money (we added a donation) buying Miles Smith Farm’s delicious beef. Everyone wins, the pantry will have more meals to feed their clients, and local farms will gain much-needed income.

Here are a few reasons for buying local:

1. No long-distance shipping is involved.

2. It helps your neighbor.

3. Local food is delicious.

So those are my 2024 resolutions: Buy local and work my oxen. Who says New Year resolutions have to involve deprivation or harsh self-discipline? What makes you feel good?

Here are today’s words of wisdom from Cow Coach Carole: Where you direct your gaze determines how you see the world. Choose happiness and joy, and that’s what you’ll get.

Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm (www.milessmithfarm.com), where she raises and sells beef, pork, eggs, and other local products. She can be reached at carolesoule60@gmail.com. Carole also coaches humans, helping them achieve the impossible – a little at a time.