Picking Strawberries and other Farm Stuff

So, the neighbor girl (queen of everything that needs to be done but I don't have time to do it, and she will do it for a very decent price) has offered to pick strawberries for me. This is waaaay cool! She's so willing (12 year olds still value the good old fashioned quarter a pound concept!) to do this for me. And, to boot, for another 10 cents a pound, she'll wash them, and get rid of the green stuff that seems to be attached to the ends of them, otherwise known as stems.
This is HUGE! I love strawberries. LOVE them! Fresh in cereal, frozen in pancakes in the winter, strawberry shortcake, hubby loves strawberry ice cream (homemade of course, still need to look into finding a small one family cow), and of course, the cream on top of the strawberry pile, strawberry jam!
So tomorrow morning at the crack of dawn (literally, she will start about 6 am!) she'll pick me all the berries she wants to pick. As many as she wants, and I'll gladly pay her to do that for me. Not only do I not like to pick berries (skeeters and all) I have Dad Duty this week, so just can't do it myself. And this will most likely be the last week to do this kind of thing.
I anticipate 50 lbs or better. That's approximately 60 bucks or so for picked, washed and de-green stuff-ed berries, all ready to be cut and frozen. YUMM! Well worth the money! And if she can con her cousin into helping her, I'll be that much further ahead!
Not only do I love all things berry (not just strawberries), I also love to make strawberry jam on a cold winter day. Oooh, the cabin smells soooooo good! They (I love this, "THEY" means anyone who is someone other than me!) say that strawberries are the ultimate summer treat. But definitely a year round deal if you do it right.
My strawberries are not doing well enough yet to pick a bunch of them, but there are so many U-Pick operations around here that it's all good.

So back to the current stuff. Weeding the garden, planting more seeds (due mostly to lack of time and weather weirdness rather than season) and last night we finally went to the neighbors house to re-borrow back our pto driven posthole digger. This item is way cool! Attach it to the back of the tractor and zingo-zango! Instant post hole!
This is a definite plus when we're burying posts for whatever needs posts. Hubby can dig a hole faster than I can bury a post! Currently these are for the new chicken area. We're fencing in a HUGE area for my chickens, it will be sooo nice to have them in an area all to themselves. Scavenged a lot of page wire from a scrap heap so I think I have enough of that, might need to get some chicken wire to wrap around the bottom, and some for the top of the pen, but other than that, we'll be good. This project will definitely see completion this weekend. And now that I've said that, but no, I'm motivated on this one. Gotta have this done before we leave for our vacation/family reunion in just a bit over 2 weeks!!

This time of year, it's all about the farm/homestead. Growing things (both plants and critters), building things and harvesting things to make it through the winter. During any lull in the crazy busy farm life, we spend time getting the wood pile built up, also for the winter. It's tough to find the wood pile when it's buried under 4 foot of snow, so that's best done ahead of time. This past fall, we were fortunate enough to get access to a state land tract that had just been cut. After they took the trees that were big enough to be sawed into lumber there was scraps, just perfect for the woodstove, so we spent a lot of time cutting and hauling that mess home, it will be dry and seasoned for this winter, and I hope to have it all piled and a roof over it also this summer. That's pretty low on the priority list, a roof over the wood pile, but we'll definitely get it cut and dry piled and enough brought up to the house to last us most of the winter.

Not much new on the knitting front, I continue to knit when I walk to work, which isn't nearly enough. I only walk when the weather is good (takes about an hour to get to work), and then when I don't need to go anywhere during the day. If the weather is nice or semi nice, or heck even if it's raining sometimes, I'll ride my bike, but walking is my first option. I can combine 3 and sometimes 4 tasks that way. I get to work, get my exercise, get some knitting done, and at the end of the day, I'll start walking home with my dad, and The Mouth will leave her work in time to pick him up on the way, so he gets his exercise in also! Tell me that's not a good thing!

I need to get into the habit of bringing My Awesome Camera That I Bought Myself For My Birthday A Few Summers Ago along with me, there is some awesome photo ops during my walks and trapses around the yard.

Tonight, after our taco night out (because we do have to go out once in awhile) we'll dig more post holes and start fencing. During any lull in that, I need to sharpen the blades on my mower. Hubby found me the coolest mower at a yard sale last year. There's no motor, just push it. Works pretty well, it's hard to push so it needs to be oiled a bit, and definitely sharpened, but it's good exercise as well as not using any gas! That's the best part, and it's quiet! And if I rake some of the grass clippings, my chickens love them!
One of these days I'll write about my automatic self feeding chicken system! Kind of yucky, but they love it!

When It Rains.....

And rains, and rains and rains and rains.....

The Farmer's Almanac says that the last week in June will be dry and hot and sunny. Perfect weather for haying, except that the first cutting should have already been done. Actually, we should be just finishing up now. That will put us 2 weeks behind and the hay will start getting "stemmy". But, nothing to be done, except hope that Mother Nature and the Farmer's Almanac are on speaking terms soon!

The rains and thunderstorms are good for the gardens, and the water table, seeing as how we are still classified on the edge of a drought. Really! My pond has never been deeper, the fish peer at us as we're eating dinner, who's really in the aquarium now?? The streams are at all time highs, but it's yet to soak down far enough to affect most of the underground stuff, except our basement. That's why they make sump pumps, and probably why, when I build my cabin 17 years ago, my Dad insisted that I put one in. "But Dad, I'd rather have lots and lots of windows and a cool deck". Said I. And now, I, is saying "Yeah, about that sump pump? Yeah, probably a good idea!"

Reason #5 for not walking to work this morning: Going out this morning to do chores and discovering that the horse fence is down. Not good. Don't have time for a rodeo today. By the time the fence was back up and working (I do hope I remembered to plug in the electric charger - have to remember to call and have N. check it) it was too late to walk, so Bu-Dawgh and I endured the 4 mile drive. I was already to walk too, had my little bag packed with all the necessities: water bottle, knitting, extra knitting, extra knitting needles (one never knows where the knitting needles will end up when the Bu-Dawgh spots one of our resident psycho-manic deer and decides that he must protect us at all costs. (All costs, usually involves dragging me through the brambles, woods, fields, once in awhile swamps, at 90+ mpg). We make good time though, and if where we end up is where we were aiming for in the first place, then it's all that much better.

Maybe tomorrow!

Take A Walk With Me!

I remembered my Awesome Camera That I Bought Myself For My Birthday Last Year, finally, on my walk this morning. So join me on my twice daily (when it's not raining) commute! K?
Actually the first part of my trek was undocumented as I was drinking my breakfast. Yes, my breakfast consists of a drink, yummily consisting of oatmeal, yogurt, nuts, frozen or fresh fruit, frozen juice and water. Mmmmmmmmm! Keeps Ya Regular!!
So the part where I hike through the woods and then through the blackberry/raspberry bramble filled meadow isn't here. Picture it in your head, I'm sure you've seen it.
The absolute coolest part of this whole trek is about 1/2 mile through a pine stand. Pic. 1

Another part of the pine stand part:


And yet another:


And another:


Coming to the end of the pines, this is where we veer off into the field. See the fence post? That's my marker.


Part of the field:


Over the hill and more field:


To the old stone foundation:


And finally to the road, where I complete the rest of my 3+ mile trek to work. I have aprox. 2 miles of country road. It's rough!


This morning, since Bu-Dawgh was a bad boy (he chased the chickens), he had to stay home, so I actually got to knit. Found out that the last 2 miles or so are Totally Knitable! And also Totally Barefootable! It doesn't get any better than that. Well, I get some weird looks but pretty much I'm used to that! And... I got a swatch knitted from the recent fibery goodness that comes to me via post every month! What could be better? Well, the trek home, where we have another 2 or so miles of barefootable, knittable walking and then another mile or so of hiking through the woods, fields, meadows, pine stands and blackberry brambles!
Tough commute, really hard to put up with, but what are ya gonna do?

I didn't walk this morning again. I'm starting to wonder if the Universe is against me. Having the Universe against you is generally not a good thing. I mean, yeah, I did ask for rain. My asparagus that didn't grow and that I got a refund for needs the rain. My rhubarb needs the rain. My tomatoes and peppers and cukes need the rain. My hay needs the rain. I, however, need the exercise of a daily commute (walk) to work.

After we played rodeo again yesterday afternoon (horses got out) I did the Circle The Fenceline thing. I think there was more fence down than there was up, so we spent a good portion of the night (rain, Pteradactyl sized mosquitos for company)refencing the pasture. This also gave me a chance to rearrange some of the fencing that I've been meaning to get to for the garden.

Had another egg hatch yesterday. Sooooo cute. But, of course only one. I have 3 others scheduled to hatch yesterday but so far nothing. So, I'll have to try to find a few more baby chix to keep this little buk buk company.

So, back to having the Universe at odds with what I want.... Guess we need to be more specific in what we want, such as specifying that it is perfectly fine to rain from 10 pm to maybe 4 am. That will get us the rain we need as well as give me the outside time that I need to get my walking, gardening, farming, haying... done.

Took The Monkey up into the hayloft last night. Well, it was the thing to do, she saw me climb up the ladder into the loft, and I knew she'd be right behind me if I didn't watch her, so..... She had sooooooo much fun climbing around in the hay, jumping from bale to bale and squealing with delight when she'd fall into a small crack. They are so much fun to watch!
And then, after the horses were fed and we were back down on solid ground. She went back to her mother. And this is what I hear: "Don't eat the worms, they are for the baby buk, buks"!!
I laughed so hard. Things you don't ever expect to hear said to a 2 year old little girl!

Hubby brought her home a great big 4 foot tall stuffed cat/bear/something, and she loved it. For about 3 minutes. Then we went back to playing with the frogs (hop hops), tent worms, nightcrawlers and ants. Oh, yeah, she found a nest of baby garter snakes too. This child knows no fear!

Another Busy Weekend!

Much was accomplished this weekend. Lots! An almost insane amount of activity was registered on the "get-er-done o'meter". Scary amounts actually!

Got the chicken coop moved to it's proper location, which means that an old dead tree had to be taken down, the area had to be leveled, and the actual coop moved into it's new home. This translates into big boys getting to play with big toys (ie.. bulldozers, skidders, front end loaders...) That's ok, it had to be done, and if they had fun doing it, at least it's done! Still to do: fence in the area around the coop.

Got most of the garden in. Got the back part of the garden fenced off for the horses, so they've mowed down a lot of the weeds. And part of it rototilled. Still to do: Tonight if it's not raining, I'll do more rototilling and planting.

All of my laundry that I washed and hung out on the line got wetter, because of the torrential downpour that we had 3 times between friday night and this morning. It's still out there. It's still wet. Or wetter, or dripping saturated. It's not dry. Or anywhere near it. Still to do: Wait until it dries out before I hang anything else out there. I'm no physicist, but I do get the concept of water weighted down laundry, vs water spun out laundry.

Got part of the hayloft cleaned out in anticipation of a near record haying season which should start in another 2 weeks or so. (groan). Still to do: reorganize so that the hay that is left from this season is in a spot easy to get to, so that when the loft is filled to capacity, this will be the first hay I feed.

Got a small blow-up pool for the Monkey. Best 4 bucks I ever spent. And of course, I had to show her how to chase her mother around the yard with the hose. 2 yr olds are so trainable! Still to do: hide from her mother as she was not impressed!

Got a bunch more rhubarb picked and frozen. Called Gurneys and got a refund for all the asparagus I ordered from them and never grew. They were GREAT!!! No questions, even after I offered possible fault on my end, no questions at all. Issued me a refund on the spot. Definitely a company to do business with again!! Gurney's rocks!!

I even got to swim in my pool! I love my pool. My pool rocks. It's 15' round above ground. And chemicals or not, it's my lifeline in the summer. I'm a heat wimp, or so I've been told, but when I work out in the garden or am putting up hay, I got to get me cooled down quick and a total immersion in my pool is just the ticket. The water is cold, but after that first initial shock, it's sooooooo refreshing.

Hubby got the hot tub cleaned out and filled up. Still to do: hook up the electrical so it's more than just a big bathtub filled with cold water.

Hubby got the dog run finished. Still to do: Nothing! One project is actually totally completely done! I know, I'm scared too.

Had a tornado yesterday, that was fun. Actually out at our farm it was just an old fashioned thunderstorm with high winds. No biggie, get them regularly this time of year. But in town... yikes! trees down, buildings gone or relocated, cars flipped over or had trees dropped on them. Trees on roofs (rooves?) signs wrapped around trees, or relocated to other stores.. It was quite the event. I'm sure noone was hurt, probably would have heard by now, so that's a good thing. But there are a lot of people who will be getting new porches, roofs (rooves?) and cars.

I didn't walk to work today. It was raining just a bit when I left, but being as how the first mile of my trek is through the woods and meadows, I would have been drenched. Now it's beautiful, but I know it's still soaking wet out there. Tomorrow when I walk, I'll take pictures so you can appreciate the awful hour long commute that this is to become.

Hope you had a good weekend! Tonight, housework if it's raining, more garden stuff if it's not!

Walking and Knitting

Ok, yes I did walk to work this morning. It was great. Wonderful, you know, all the stuff I thought it would be. What I didn't see coming was this:
I can knit and do almost anything else at the same time. I cannot knit and dive (water+gauge does not work and play well together). I also cannot knit and be drug through woods, meadows, horse pastures, corn fields, pine stands, and front yards by the Bu-Dawgh. Oh, but what a fun walk it was! At one point we were almost attacked by a psycho-manic deer. The Bu-Dawgh was ready to defend, actually more on the offensive, he insisted that we follow the intruder to make sure that there were no more attacks on our persons/fur. At speeds no less than 45 mpg. Through the woods. Throught the meadow. And it was wet.
I need to get him a harness to "keep him from pulling" as the package clearly states. I guess this is breed specific as I was under the impression that to get a sled dog to pull a sled you have to put on a "harness". So, we'll get him a harness, clearly labeled for a Bu-Dawgh, not a husky and that will be all better.
That will keep him from dragging me along. Everyone says so. Even the harness packaging!

I was unable to center and relax, except during that short span when I was on my belly, panting for air, as the temps were rising to approx. 195 degrees.
I was unable to knit.
What I was able to do is get a pretty darn good an-aerobic workout. You know, the kind when you push or pull against a stationery object (or a furry object intent on ridding the world of psycho manic deer). And the upper body strength that I will develop from just this sort of activity will be awesome. I will be lean, and toned and underneath the scratches, road rash, and patches of missing skin, I will look Darn Good!

Got a real nice rain last night, and today it's hot and humid. Tomorrow it's supposed to be hot and humid and rainless again, perfect for finishing the garden. It will be an awesome spectacle, it will be! The garden of gardens. The raccoons and psycho manic deer will stand in awe (right before they scurry over, under, or through the fences. The birds will fly over and drop their beaked noses, or jaws at the splendor of berries, cherry tomatoes, and other birdie goodies, right before they swoop down and help themselves to the grapes etc...

Yup, Saturday is the day. The garden will be done, and then we'll work on fixing the hay feeder for the horses. "Will do's" are marvelous things! I will do this, I will do that, and I will definitely do the other! Once the "will do" becomes a "it's time to do it now", yeah, different story, but hey, it's all about the good intentions, eh?

Walking!

Here's the newest idea rambling around in my brain.

I'm going to start walking to work. Why? Well, back at ya.... why not?

I live 4 miles from work (3 if I hoof it through the woods). I can make it in 45 mins, a lot less time than some people spend commuting. Especially if I have Bu-Dawgh to help me "Go".

Imagine the benefits.
1. Walking is wonderful exercize. If I walk 6-8 miles a day, imagine the benefits in my on-going delusional weight loss goals.
2. Stress and anxiety will all but disappear with 2 daily walks through the woods, fields, meadows, listening to the birds and squirrels, the wind in the trees, the scents of the seasons. Just imagine. Other than the Pteradactyl sized mosquitos, the bears, coyotes and snakes that reside in the woods, it will be a wonderful way to relax and center with the universe around me.
3. Toning and breathing! Need I say more? And, since in July I have a standing arm wrestling competition with my neice, L, I will be in darn good shape to whip the tar out of her. By the way, L, have your people get in touch with my people to set this up.
4. I don't know, there seemed like soooo many good reasons when I made this epic decision.
5. Oh, I remember. Think of the knitting I'll get done with an extra 1.5 hrs a day. Yes, I can knit while I walk, knit while I sleep, knit while I drive (this has been discouraged for some reason by hubby and a multitude of others), knit while I watch tv, actually, the only thing I can think of that I can't do while I'm knitting is diving. I'm sure the water would seriously mess with my gauge.

Now.....
This is why I didn't walk to work today.
1. Rain is threatening, which, by the way, it either needs to do (rain) or get off the pot. Enough already. We need the rain, a lot, my hay fields depend on it, as does all the plants that I haven't planted yet. (this weekend, one way or another, my garden WILL get finished). So being as how I am of delicate nature and will most probably felt if I get wet, we (me and the Bu-Dawgh) didn't walk today.
2. I have to go to the courthouse to finish up all the passport crap that I, as a Natural Born American Citizen have to have to return to my country of birth and entire life life-ness. Don't get me started. But, to get my passport, I have to show a birth certificate and a driver's lisence to prove that I really was born here and really do reside here. Why can't I just show the driver's lisence and birth certificate at the border to prove that I was born here and live here? Because then the State of Michigan, or US government, or someone will miss out on an extra 90 bucks. I'm just sayin' is all..
So... will I walk tomorrow? You betcha, I have yet to give myself a free pass for tomorrow. I WILL WALK TOMORROW!

Tonight: Game 6. Will we walk (skate) away with it? Only time will tell. So as of 8 pm tonight, I will be cush-ily (a technical term) parked in my chair (with my knitting) and the current resident 2 year old and will watch my Red Wings skate their way to the Stanley Cup. Go Wings.