Is it really 6 to 8 weeks before last frost, already?

HA! Look at that photo: Not crooked enough for me!

We did some sowing today, tobesure. Wonderful to sow seeds, directly into the ground, on 29 January. Right into the soil of the cold frame, hoop house, where the ground temp is 50degrees. We have been starting flats of the earliest stuff too, like broccoli.

This particular flat of broccoli seed was supposed to be put in the house on the heat mat under some grow lamps before the end of the work day. However, at this writing I am remembering that I forgot to put it inside. It must be sitting on the concrete pad near the shop, where I set this afternoon. Oops. Now I can only hope the rain that is falling is not too strong where as it washes the soil and seed from the tray...

A to B to C to F

When down on the farm, we might think we have a plan. We know what it is we are going to do. However, there may be slight delays or tiny problems. For example, not planning each move or contingency, or really, thinking of everything first, before starting.

By no means do we start in the middle of a task. That gets a farmer no where and it takes forever to get there. It's just that when trying to do X, B C D and E must be done first. Only one didn't know that D and E were part of the project. So, if A was the goal, it is by now F. Some of the middle parts are beneficial side effects which is nice. I mean, they were on the List somewhere.

Take Monday:
Big day! We are going to till inside the cold frame! The north end of the cold frame has a removable panel large enough to allow passage for the Kubota, the Farms lovely Orange tractor. Easy-peezee: remove panel. Drive tractor in, and till. Well, in case you haven't been paying attention, It Is January. Which means the tiller is in the back far away from the cold frame. In essence in cold storage. Alright, no big deal. Take a drive to the back and hook 'er up!

We have a thing called the Blade that attaches to the tractor that is used for scrapping coops and barns. It is currently attached to tractor. Well, seeing as how we have not scraped the Goat barn yet and it is on the way to the other implements, we'll just go head and git that did. OK, so Scrapie scrapie. Done. More fuel for the compost pile. Sweet! Also, another thing to move down the List. Now the blade can be unhooked. Speaking of moving, let's go ahead and move the brush-hog to a better storage place so chickens stop laying eggs under it. Hook it up and move it and unhook. And! Lettuce move the goats to new pasture. Which means we have to Hot Up the netting delineating the chicken yard out back in order to discourage the Does from venturing into the that area. Add a couple of gallons of Bio-fuel to the tractor tank at this point.

Now. Now we can attach the tiller! And oh my, what a beautiful site. The freshly tilled earth is dark and odoriferous and fluffy. Ready to receive the seed. Which by the way, we did sow. That's right! Tatsoi, Arugula, Mesclun, Kale, all went in to get the Party started!! Oh what a day!! Like spring it was.

Replace Panel.

Full circle. Can you dig the connectedness?

WISH LIST

Oh man, is it ever easy to come up with Things to wish for:

cultivating tractor.
dump trailer.
bobcat or some other brand of little front loader/skid steerer
forty-eight thousand dollars.

WISH LIST

So here is an idea for a regular, or at least semi-regular, i. e. when I think about, post title or topic called, WISH LIST.

This list will be composed of, that's right, wishes. Wishes for things I would like to have down on the farm. And everyone knows that if wishes were fishes we would all cast nets.

I WISH we had a chipper! Not some tiny twig chomper like from the Homo Depot. But, a great big fucker to eat up whole trees if we want. One of the giant jobies from Vermeer or Morbark. A self feeding monster that is towed behind a truck or a tractor and has a winch to pull huge piles of brush right into the maw.

It's just a wish so I am going for broke. With a piece of equipment like this we can chip up the ten or so brush piles in, frankly, no time at all. Seriously, an entire 25 foot cherry tree can be reduced to wood chips in 5 minutes!

The beauty of having one of these is that all generated material stays on the farm. All nutrients tied up in the tree, for example, goes right back, eventually, into the soil, the land that comprises the Farm. None of it is carried away, or even set afire and burned up in smoke.
And well, that just makes me happy!

I WISH we had a wood chipper!

Clukin' Crazy

Yeah, it's more about chickens. I cant help it, the dirty birds are on my mind.

There are a few loony cluckers that go straight for my eyes every time I reach in to gather eggs. I am not kidding, people. These fowl-ettes scream and crash, blast off flapping for my face. They mean me no good and aim to damage. I have to duck for cover. Or, rather, I would duck for cover if I wasn't afraid the ol' whirling plumage rampagers would escape and run crazy in the barn whilst I danced around, trying to catch them. Instead, I face my fear and block with one hand, hockey style with the waffle, and make the save. I must admit I do not have a 100 percent save rating, but who does really?

And another thing, I have clipped wings. Caught an unruly escapee, grabbed the scissors, spread wing open, and snip snip snip. That is a thing in life I never thought I would do. It's not bad at all. Thank you Farming!!