Filed under: June 2018 | Tags: gardening, growing potatoes, reflection, Small Farming, vegetable gardening, weeding, well being, work
June 26 2018
This morning, I was weeding the garden as the sun rose. The garden is behind a bit due to delayed planting from our rainy weather. It is easy to see that we should get a crop. It may come a little late, but it will taste good just the same.
Weeding is a great quiet time for me. The small weeds succumb to the sharp bladed hoe easily. I am alone with my thoughts. The animals have been fed. The horses are back in the barn after a night of grazing. The biting flies don’t like the dark cool barn, but the horses sure do.
The sheep and cattle are still laying peacefully in the grass. Their bellies are full and the cool morning refreshes them all. I hilled the potato rows. I was going slowly, tucking dirt around the small tender plants. The dirt wasn’t quite ready for this job, but rain is forecast for tomorrow, so I pushed to complete the job. Soon, in the soft hilled up dirt, potatoes will form and grow in the dark, warm ground. A tasty treat, boiled, fried or baked, makes my efforts worthwhile.
Today, I have to use the skidsteer to move the big, plastic-wrapped, round bales of haylage. It is a noisy job that must be done. The horses will rest in the barn as I stack the bales for winter feeding. I need to get them off the field before they kill the grass underneath. I pondered that up coming job as my hoe slid into the Earth, barely making a sound. This sunrise weeding is good for my well being. I sort my day, kill weeds and grow some of my food…all under a beautiful sky, in the cool of morning, surrounded by birdsong.
November 20, 2015
Tonight the temperature is dropping. It is still a very nice night for late November, but all of us farm critters feel the nip in the air. The cattle and sheep are full, chewing their cud and resting happily. The pigs are all huddled down in their soft beds of straw. Even my dog Cinch has eaten and is curled up in his bed. I watched the flames in the fire, enjoying the warmth and the dancing flames.
There is nothing like a warm fire on a cold night. I remember teamsters gathered around a noon time fire on a cold winter day, when logging was my vocation. A man named Jack would build a big fire every day at lunchtime. I told him one day that he sure builds a big fire. He said, ” There ain’t no sense in having a cold fire!”
The warmth felt good back then as we exchanged stories or poked fun at one another. Sitting around a campfire on a summer evening is another fond memory. Sometimes, just sitting alone watching the light pierce the night, makes me feel good.
There is nothing like a fire to warm the body and soul. It can fill your heart with memories while warming your hands. It can conquer the darkness or accompany the dark in a blended dance. I hope to reflect light in our world. Like a flame in the night or a star in the sky, I want to be a bright spot in someone’s life.
On this cold night, I will cherish old memories and savor the warmth, as the flames lick the sky. I will join the animals in their relaxation as we wait for the winter blast soon to arrive and I will say again…There is nothing like a fire!
RicelandMeadows 