We will actually start last evening. I am enrolled in a Fire Fighter II course and am going to class 2 to 3 times an week for 4 hours in the evening from 6-10. Last night we had HazMat which was BORING and Holly had a fund raiser meeting for the Fire Department (she is on the Board of Directors) so it was a late night but Holly's meeting went well and I car pooled with my friend Ed who is also in the course so it wasn't too bad. We have a 70 mile round trip to the class site so its a big undertaking but to be honest I enjoy being with the guys and I am not really complaining. I will be done with the class after the first week of December......uggg.
I posted the above to show why we are so tired this morning. We got up at about 0700 and both of us slept okay though I was up for several hours due to my back and Holly joined me in having neuropathy of the lower extremities. We got up and it was my turn to make the coffee and then we laid in bed with a cup and talked, flirted, laughed, and decided our day. This is our normal routine and we finally get up each morning with a smile or a laugh. Oh, and in the middle of all that, Bandit (who sleeps on our bed) had to go out side for the bathroom so we jockied on whose turn it is to let him out and in and then we have to let have some kind of "bacon treat". We also heard a scratch at the door and Whiskers and Piglet had to be let in and then get on the bed and then......well, its a farm thing.
After a shower Holly fixed a great breakfast sandwich while I skimmed the news on the Inter webs and we then started the work day.
We took the GMC to a saw mill about 8 miles up the road and got some composted mulch for the truck garden. $20 for this load.
We had previously tilled this part of the garden so we spread the mulch, added some compost of our own and then tilled it again preparatory to planting winter wheat. If it looks like work it was and I got soaked with sweat.
I had to go in and cool off and ended up showering and came out to see Holly trying on her gown for Jenny's wedding. This gal doesn't wear makeup or like fancy clothes but man she shines up real nice!
We headed to the back pasture to do some fencing and Holly caught this picture which I think kind of captures our life. Simple, a bit of dirt, a truck, some calf skin gloves, and a love of the outdoors.
We picked up some cattle panels that had been left in the new south pasture we just fenced..
And by fenced I mean T-Posts, corner posts and 5 strands of Gaucho 4 pt high tensile steel barbed wire. Our hired hand Kody is a HS Senior, he is a member of the Fire Department, and if he is what this new generation has come to......we will all be okay.
We even have the gate up which will allow us to start a rotational grazing scheme.
This picture? I just like Holly's legs.....and......its my blog.
We are always looking for new ways to enjoy our small farm and studying the many creatures that inhabit is one way we increase our enjoyment. Look closely at this walking stick we saw today on the chicken coop; just another awesome example of nature.
The web of this Missouri garden spider (harmless and beneficial to humans) was pretty massive and spanned the cross section of one of the raised planters we built this spring. We watch it every day and leave it alone.
This is from the back side......if you really look closely at what is around you there is no need to visit an art museum...beauty and art are all around you!
That spider web is at the end of this planter...can you see it?
Not every insect (yes I know a spider is an arachnid and not an insect) is scary. We have been blessed by an abundance of bees and butterflies this year and we just enjoy watching them.
Look at this fellow on some of our Basil this evening; and people watch TV why?
Early afternoon we feed the cows and little Buster is still trying to decide his place in the world. His mother Thelma bellows at him if he isn't right next to her all the time and the other heifers also keep him in line.
Still a bit wary..
But kept in line by all of them...
In late afternoon we planted more of the fall garden and as you can see the flat light just looks like fall....ahhhhh
Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach...and more to come...
Our second planting of tomatoes is coming along well and a quick picking of tomato horn worms resulted in a couple to feed the chickens..
You get tired towards the end of the day and tend to take breaks; this is as good of a place as any.
For those who asked, the Chickens are doing well though in a lull with egg laying. We don't get near what we used to and I have been thinking about bringing out a big soup pot as a warning but Holly and Judy say no.
At the end of the work day the light is flat, its cooler, and we enjoy the feeling of a day well spent. Its hard to describe but for me its a throw back to a bygone era and I have never felt more satisfied in my working life.
When we lived in suburbia we landscaped to try and create various "vistas", nature does that for us here.
And finally, after a game of yard darts we sat out on our back patio and saw Judy watering her garden across the way and I had to take this picture. Later tonight we will gather on our back patio to watch the bats swoop in and out of the Sodium Vapor light to catch flying insects...you can keep your cable or satellite TV...
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