Hard Hard Work

Farming is hard hard work.  It is ever changing.  The demands can be enormous, just when you feel you have no more to give.  The returns are sometimes spotty and often not what you expected.  I wonder if these may be some of the reasons why folks moved to town.

Farming is beautiful too.  I think that its primary teaching is that Ma Earth really is the Boss and the only way that we will survive is to live in harmony with her Rules of Life.  And in the middle of that, our Humility and Grace return.

Recording

Why is it that the more that is going on, the less we seem to record it?  In these last few weeks of drought, we have almost no notes in Richard's calendar.  Some day we will look back on that calendar with its empty spaces, and think:  "There was nothing going on."  But we will scratch our heads and remember.  There was a lot going on.

Play

Mačka, our wild cat, has numerous toys and we did not buy them at the store.  You see she seems to prefer half grown bunnies, grasshoppers, bits of straw, chicken feathers, sticks, mice, voles.  The latest toy was a 2 foot long Prairie King Snake with a bit of an attitude.  In most cases, there is no doubt that she has the upper hand.  But, she backed off on this one. 

The whole world seems to be her playground.  While the end for most of the above is Mačka's lunch, she reminds the Human to play.  I am not sure why Humans have forgotten the importance of play.  We need reminders.  And she is that.  And we will have our lunch cooked inside.

Yoga

These days, I am back doing Yoga, and that feels really really good.  And while I am on this little adventure, I note that Mačka, our little wild cat, is just about the most flexible and limber creature that I know.  She's inspiring, although I don't think I shall be following her example.

Water Bill

OK:  We just got our water bill in the last few days.  Our usual bill is in the range of 3,000-3,500 gallons.  We do our best to cut back on what we use.  So what happened this year? 

If you have been following this blog, you can fill in the blanks.  First, we power washed the house in preparation for staining.  And then the drought came and we have been watering the garden. 

This past month, we used 30,176 gallons.  It makes us wish that we would have built a pond a little closer to the garden.  That is rising to the top of a "to do" list. 

I know a lot of people are using more water these days for urban and rural lifestyles.  This is a privilege that we do not take lightly.  Without it, we would have very little garden. 

Entering Harvest, We Hope...

This is the time when the speed usually picks up as we move into Harvest at full Swing.  With the drought, we have been edgy.  What will we get?  Since we try to grow most of our own food, this is a very big deal for us. 

Richard dug a few Carrots and look what he found.  Yesterday, he gathered the little Tomatoes to dehydrate.  I have to say our Tomato plants look just about the best ever.  Tomatoes surely must like it dry, hot, and with water at just the appropriate times.  And yes, we have been watering.

Rain

Yes, we have gotten Rain.  The first came in the night late last week.  I think I must have listened to every drop.  I could almost feel the distance in the drops, which is what I would call a dry rain.  Overall, we got a little less than 1/3 inch. 

First, the winds created a bit of a ruckus.  We could hear Nature rearranging things.  Most Humans these days who are paying attention to the weather are wary of the severity of storms.  We had no damage.  However, Nature had picked up the Willow Chair and place it on its head. I am not sure how She did that because the chair is mostly holes.  She does a lot of things I don't understand.  I think She would chuckle about that one.

The second rain came early Sunday morning.  We had a bit of wind.  But for the most part, it was a glorious steady even Rain.  I think I heard and gave thanks for every drop. 

With the Rains, the weather cooled a bit.  The Rain and the cooler temperatures were a great relief.  And of course, now it is heating back up.