Filed under: July 2019 | Tags: heavy rain, lemons and lemonade, Small Farming
July 22, 2019
Wow! We got some rain last weekend. Our ground was saturated already, so the three inch downpour, mostly ran off. This is our back pond. The surface area almost twice its normal size. The overflow pipe has a diameter of two feet, but it was overwhelmed.
It was a couple of tense hours that we watched the pond overflow the dam. In the end, all was well. Today, everything is back to normal, well except for the fields are still quite damp!
Our wet weather has caused issue, but the grass is green in the pastures. All the animals have plenty to eat. This is good news for mid-summer. The corn crop looks good, but the weeds in the rows are really thick, cultivating did not happen. The dirt was too wet, then the corn plants were too tall.
It will all be fine, like water over the dam.
Tomorrow is coming ready or not, no sense to fret about yesterday! I’ll just stay focused on today and make the most of it.
Filed under: July 2019 | Tags: gifts, girls and horses, giving, let your light shine, Love, old photos, small farm living
July 17, 2019
In a an old cardboard box of photos that my mother had, there is a picture of me about a year old, sitting on the back of a cow. The photo is old (like me). It is water stained and faded. The picture was taken when technology was nothing like it is today. The best thing about the photo is the little smile on my face. That smile has never left me. It will stay, as long as, I can touch the soil and breath in the spirit of animals. If you don’t see the smile on my face, just know that it lives in my heart.
I was introduced to this farming life at an early age. I have been immersed in agriculture in all of its forms. I drink in all the knowledge that I can, especially when it comes to the “old ways”. I try to share this passion with everyone that I meet. I try to be a “light at the end of the tunnel”, for folks searching information. I also try to expose people to this lifestyle, even if they don’t want to live it. I want them to see just how wonderful it can be.
As much as I enjoy visiting with friends and strangers alike, I understand that it is the generations who will follow me that matter most. My lifestyle, my love for the old ways and my experiences in life and farming, will all be lost, unless I pass this love affair of mine on.
I plant seeds, some take root, some are scattered where they don’t grow. The important part is to keep sharing of yourself, no matter where your passion lies. We don’t know who we will inspire or how far our passions will be shared. We are not supposed to hide our light under a bushel, so be the light!
Love is strong. It will conquer all things. It will make you wear boots that don’t match, just to walk through horse poop with your grandpa! It will stand in the face of troubles big and small. It will hold you together when your world is coming apart…and long after you are gone, you will be remembered….still living, in the hearts of those with whom you shared yourself.
So plant seeds of your own. You never know who you will touch. Reach out, be the light. I am like that old photo, worn, faded and stained, but I am still smiling. I hope to be planting seeds of all kinds for many years yet, but my favorite crops grow in the hearts of the people that I have touched.
Filed under: July 2019 | Tags: change, confidence, hay making, horse farming, horse training, Small Farming
July 11, 2019
Everyone tells us that change is good. I continue to believe that change is bullsh*t! I do adapt, but I hate it. It takes me out of my comfort zone. I don’t want to “try something new”, I like the old stuff and the old ways…but change does help us grow in knowledge and experience. I grumble, but I do it.
This is Abby’s second time raking hay. She is learning many new things. Her world is full of change. The first day that I hooked her to the hay rake, she was a nervous wreck. It rattled and banged behind her. The dry hay made a swishing sound that she couldn’t see. I kept a firm hand on the lines reassuring her, that everything was okay. Knight, her teammate, walked along paying no attention to the “rattling, swishing monster” coming right behind them. This soon gave Abby confidence.
This photo shows the horses making their first round. By the time we got to the other end of the field, Abby couldn’t have cared less about the hay rake or the job at hand. Her frothy sweat dried by the second round and she settled in for the day. The next day there was no fear in her eye. She exhibited nothing but confidence. She knew her job and seemed to enjoy doing it. I guess she trusted me not to put her in harm’s way. She did trust me, but I think she verified that trust, by keeping one eye on Knight.
In life, I too get concerned about new things. I think I have actually broken out in a frothy sweat a time or two! I wanted to resist, but settled in and made the best of it. Pretty soon, the new became the old and change became the norm. I don’t have to like it, but I can control how I react to it. I just think about God on the lines, my “teammates” walking beside me, adapting as we go…and the quiet, confident voice of my wife, telling me that everything will be okay…. And you know…it usually is.
Filed under: July 2019 | Tags: antique tank wagon, big toys for big boys, graphics, Horse drawn tank wagon, old style lettering
July 2, 2019
Our local artist Bob DeJohn at AGS Graphics, finished lettering my recently restored tank wagon. I am very pleased with his efforts.
His attention to detail is amazing. He captured the time period from the days of yore when wagons were the billboards of the day.
He used new materials from today, but followed designs from the past. He even thought ahead enough so that any lettering done below the sides of the wagon, were done with reflective tape. A safety feature, built right in to the design.
So, a big shout out to Bob at AGS Graphics for a job well done!
RicelandMeadows 