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| view from the office window |
“You’re
not the boss of me!”
---imagined memo from the weather
Being self-employed is often seen as the penultimate work
situation. You are in charge, making your own schedule and working your own
plan.
Unless, of course, the weather is involved.
Then, the weather rules. No matter how many plans you make
or how focused you may be on your schedule. You really are at the mercy of a
force you cannot control and any sort of prediction is an iffy proposition at
best.
The Boss had great plans for the week, we were going into a
planting frenzy. Then there was tilling and mowing and bush-hogging and...we
were gonna get back on track for sure...
Not so fast!
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| misty M'brook |
The clouds hung low over the valley, bringing not only the
damp mistiness that clings to every surface, but more than one torrential rain
storm. We didn’t set any rainfall records, but the total for the week nudged
the four-inch mark.
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| low hanging clouds |
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| another wet day |
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| soggy garden |
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| SUPER soggy garden |
So, every plan for the week was pretty much a total wash-out.
We have developed a new approach to scheduling work. I'm going to call
it…triage-farming.
With a limited weather window for working, we know only the
highest priority job will get done. and, sometimes even accomplishing that is going to be a challenge. We pick the one we think is the most urgent, try to get it done and attempt to overlook the great
number of uncompleted tasks that are piling up. (they’re not going to go away,
we’ll get to them eventually)
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| the tomato plants are still waiting to be transplanted |
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| Look! tiny, well-watered tomatoes! |
Even after it stops raining, there is mud to contend with.
Any sort of traffic on the sodden ground can have far-reaching consequences,
again limiting the possibility of progress.
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| wet grass means no spark on the electric fence and stuck lambs |
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| wet garden means no traction and stuck lawnmower |
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| the lamb feeders look more like water troughs |
Although, I must admit, the mud provided us with the one bit
of interest for the week.
In the mud out in the lamb corral, we found some tracks. Fox
tracks. And, then, the Boss saw a fox in the back garden. Fox sightings are not
unusual. There has been an active den down front for years. But, ordinarily
they are not so close.
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| one of the baby foxes that live out front |
My concern with the many foxes in the neighborhood is not
that they will eat the chickens...although they will and that is just one
reason the chickens are locked in their house at night time...but, in the past rabid foxes have been an issue in the
neighborhood. Years ago, a small child was attacked by a rabid fox just across
the road. Story had it that the fox tried to drag the child away as well. Yikes!There have been other incidents and
animal control supports their disposal. However, the foxes do keep down the rodent
population, so we don’t want to eradicate them completely.
But, short of vaccinating the lambs against rabies (which
can be done, but it is expensive and generally not suggested by the vet) we
need to protect them from exposure. So, I really don’t want foxes in with “my
babies”.
After a short discussion with the Boss, I got the big trap
out of the barn and baited it with a leftover grilled chicken leg. Surely that
would interest the fox.
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| baited trap |
Imagine our surprise when we found I had trapped a squirrel. A squirrel!
And, he ate some of the chicken. That
seemed a little weird. Since when do squirrels eat meat? (I guess I need to do
some research…and do squirrels get rabies?) I released him and he scampered off toward the
pines.
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| NOT a fox |
Until very recently, we didn’t see squirrels here on the
hill. Now, they seem to be everywhere. There is one that comes to eat the
spilled sheep feed in the corral behind the barn. I spotted a nest in on of the pines out back.
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| protecting his/her nest |
There is another one I see up
in the mulberry tree by the lane. And, there are a few that torment the dogs by
staying just out of reach... Despite the
fact that I’ve heard squirrels described as rats in fancy coats, they don’t
seem to do any noticeable damage...and they are kind of cute...so, we’ll just
try to co-exist. (for now)
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| the barn squirrel |
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| watching for a "nature" moment see the cat? the cardinal? the squirrel? |
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| WATCH OUT, squirrel! |
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| Well, dang! He got away! |
By afternoon chores, I had captured another squirrel. This
one scampered off in a different direction.
In the morning, we found a large, angry 'possum in the trap.
Maybe this trap thing wasn’t such a good idea after all. The 'possum had eaten
every little bit of the chicken leg...even the bone! (ugh...I don’t like 'possums
one little bit)
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| he does NOT look friendly |
Before the Boss could dispose of the 'possum, one of the
little squirrels came back. I don’t know if he wanted the remaining morsel of
meat or he was just really friendly. (again, I wondered…do squirrels get
rabies?) He sat on the big post by the
lambs for the longest time, chattering and “cutting” at me. He let me get so
close that I actually touched him with my camera case. (I wasn’t about to risk
my fingers) Eventually, he ran back to the pines again.
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| well, hello! |
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| he is pretty cute |
I decided not to take any chances with angry 'possums or lost
squirrel-babies and left the trap closed and un-baited in anticipation of
Saturday’s Market. I will set it up again later and see what happens next.
With a short gap in the rain, we hoped to get the summer
squash planted and mulched. That included the start of the daunting task of
cleaning the barn. All the hay left
behind after the sheep winter in the barn is great for mulching. The waste hay
is piled up at an all-time level, causing us both to wonder if the sheep
actually eat anything during the winter or if we are just spending lots of
money on mulch.
We got the job completed without a single raindrop...and
while we were out there...and it wasn’t raining...we decided to get on that garlic
scape harvest.
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| baby squash plants |
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| Wow! That's a lot of mulch! Do you think they ate any of the hay? |
Hardneck garlic sends up a seedstalk from the center of the
bulb. By cutting this off, the plant’s energy is forced back into bulb growth.
Rather than throw away the scape, we bunch them for sale. They add a delicious,
mild garlicky taste and a bit of color to soups, salads and stir-fry. You can
also cook them like you would asparagus or green beans. You can read more about
them HERE.
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| garlic scapes growing |
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| garlic scapes at the Market |
No sooner had we finished than it began raining. Again.
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| another storm |
Since the rain precluded working outside, I did get some
inside work done. Since, I’ve given up on waiting for the “house-cleaning elves”, I started in on the cleaning and filing and did even some
rearranging in the cooler. Ordinarily, we take everything
out of the cooler (even the shelving) and do a thorough cleaning prior to Market
season. This year March did not go according to anyone’s plans, and the
cleaning never happened. So, look what I discovered. I would like to say that I meant to do this.
You know, in the name of science or something. But, truth is, apparently this was a purple
cabbage and it got forgotten for…six months? Gross. But, maybe I’m on to something
new. Maybe there’s a market for “alien veggies”…? Probably not, but it did make good chicken feed.
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| I couldn't decide if this was really cool or truly disgusting... the hens thought it was delicious! |
The Boss found one more gap in the weather and got his
new bamboo planted in front of the reefer. The reefer is the box from a refrigerated truck that is used for
long-term cold storage. Did you read that story? (the saga continues for several posts) It has been an eyesore for years because
we have never come up with a good solution for camouflaging it. A paint job would just dry and peel in the hot afternoon sun. A mural? Nah,
we’re not terribly artistic. A vine? No, that could compromise the structure. A gigantic ghillie suit? Cool idea, but completely impractical (and expensive). But, when a market conversation turned to
bamboo, a new idea was born. The Boss has wanted a bamboo grove for ages.
If he planted some by the reefer, it would screen the ugliness AND fulfill a
dream. A big THANK-YOU shout-out to Oakley and Margaret! Now, it’s just a
matter of waiting for it to grow.
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| Yes, the reefer really is ugly But, those little sticks should grow into a great bamboo screen |
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| there were a few little root shoots that became my latest growing experiment. |
All too soon it was time to prep for the Market again.
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| checking the garden before Market |
Thankfully, the weather cooperated and the market was incredibly busy. But, before suppertime, we had another tremendous thunderstorm that put down over a half an inch of rain in less than a half-hour!
Unfortunately, the ewes had no place to get out of the
weather. While I felt really bad about the fact that they were getting
drenched, I didn’t feel bad enough to brave the downpour to open the barn gate.
When the rain ended, they were a sodden, soggy, somewhat grumpy mess.
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| torrential rain made the sky look white as the ewes headed to the barn |
...and that will definitely affect the upcoming week.
Tomorrow is our annual ewe-shearing day...and I can only
hope that they dry out some in the meantime. Otherwise, Blondie (#1 shearer) is going to be sodden, soggy and somewhat grumpy, too. Hmm, there may be a story brewing for next
week!
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| soggy sheep |
But, I'm afraid that’s all there was to our very wet and sadly
uneventful week here on the hill.
Hope you’re having a Happy
Sunday!
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| heading to Market |
Thanks for stopping by! Come “visit” us again real soon.
