Sunday Walkabout 8-16

the view from the lamb paddock

A lot can happen in the 168 hours that make up a week…sometimes it's even interesting!

The vast majority of all that happens around here is just routine, mundane and never gets mentioned.  But, then lot of what I do mention is routine and mundane. I’m not real sure how I make the distinction.

I guess I could probably end right here with…yep, more of the “same old, same old…” But, I won’t. 'cause what else would SIL do while he drinks his coffee? 

rain, again

Monday started off with, of all things, RAIN. The summer of the “rainforest” continues.  This wasn’t exactly the best way to start a morning of chicken processing, but that was the job du jour and a few rain drops weren’t going to hurt us.

chillin' chickens

We’ve gotten pretty efficient at that whole project and by lunchtime, the chickens were all killed, cleaned, and chilling in the walk-in.  All the mess had been cleaned up and the equipment stored away until next time.  The rain even stopped so I could make the town run. And, I managed to get through that in record time, too…despite the fact I found myself in the middle of Walmart in the middle of the afternoon the week before school starts. (can you say YIKES?)

next batch out on pasture

Tuesday we were racing the storm clouds to get some outside work done before it rained again.  This is the first time in many years that the Boss has had to mow on at least a weekly basis (sometimes twice a week) this late in the season. Lunchtime brought a call from the Post Office saying there were chicks awaiting me, so I headed off to town, leaving the Boss to pick the okra in the heat.

summer afternoon 

The new broiler chicks were tucked in the brooder where one promptly took a nap IN the feeder. 

SO sleepy!

Staunton's landscaping is extraordinary!

More rain overnight meant it was too wet for early morning work outdoors and he needed some supplies for an upcoming project, so we headed into town again, stopping by the Wednesday market downtown to visit for a minute or two before getting back to work.

When we got back, he made a call for a load of gravel. And, within an hour, we had ten tons  sitting in the driveway. Talk about speedy delivery! Now that the necessary items are assembled, the job itself should only take “a half hour”. I say this completely in jest, as the Boss has become infamous for his “half hour” jobs that take far longer. But, I reckon there’s nothing wrong with being optimistic.

A note to lettuce customers: I'm planting as fast as I can!

After finally admitting defeat to the heat and the bugs in much of the hoophouse, we began the hard work of clearing out and starting over. I spent Thursday afternoon planting like a fiend to get the next crop in place and growing before our customers got too disgruntled. One customer “cried” over the lack of lettuce.  I got all the empty beds in hoophouse 2 filled in with fresh transplants. There are still a lot more transplants to plant…but, it looks like the fall crops will be a sight to behold. 

LOTS of transplants

Between the planting, the picking and the mowing (see what I mean about routine and mundane?) there wasn’t time for much else this week. Because Market day has a way of arriving before we are truly ready for it every week.

By "hilling" the potatoes, the extra soil allows the tubers to grow larger.
It has the added benefit of knocking down any weeds between the rows.

The battle with the snails continues...
I'm pretty sure the French developed a taste for "escargot" as pay backs for everything snails eat!

there's a "one-armed" praying mantis hanging around in the beans
I hope he/she eats a lot of little bugs!

picking yellow wax beans

It was another amazing Market day with LOTS of customers and Staunton’s own Findells providing the musical entertainment.

FINALLY, we have tomatoes!

If you’ve made it this far, and you know us in “real life”, you know that the big news of the week was the much anticipated arrival of future farmhand #2.  After some delay and a great deal of effort on the part of his parents (particularly his mom), I can tell you that HE is indeed here! Mom and baby are doing well. I will leave it to his parents to post pictures and so forth. But, I do want to say a personal THANK YOU to all those Market folks who were praying and sending warm wishes for all involved. We all truly appreciate your kindness.

So, today we will head out to visit the new family member and be sure to tell Toughchick HAPPY BIRTHDAY when we all gather at the hospital. She missed sharing her birthday with her new nephew by a matter of hours.

The upcoming week promises to be just a little less routine and mundane. But, I guess you’ll just have to come back next week and see why.

In the meantime, have a Happy Sunday!

May you be as relaxed and contented as Gus looks!

Thanks for stopping by.  Come back and visit us again real soon!