Today was "garbage day", when we haul our household garbage cans and various rubbish to the transfer station about 10 minutes down the road - no fee, a wonderful thing! By 7:45 a.m. I was out filling some garbage cans with debris from the on-going tear-down project (the old farm house here by the cabin). A sunny spring morning is a glorious thing -listening to the early birds, the geese overhead, breathing in the new green scent of budding shrubs and trees - a grand way to begin the day. Then it was out to the garden. I don't think I sat down until lunch time!
It was a family day, with all hands present to mow, rototill, build, plant, clean up from winter, prepare for the bee hives due tomorrow - it was a long list, for one day.
I missed quite a few good Kodak moments because I couldn't run a shovel and take a picture at the same time - I know, what a poor excuse. It was a glorious 62-degree day, perfect for outdoor projects. We got a LOT done. Even with little moments to enjoy the deer running across the field, the hawk soaring overhead, sharing jokes and laughs. It may be work, but fun abounds with this gang!
The two youngest punks picked rocks into buckets, while the older boys helped mow, till, clean the chicken house, toting and fetching. They are good workers. So good, that the neighbor called to hire Than and Collin for a couple hours helping in their hay field - they got in their share of rock picking, too! This summer this neighbor will have the punks bucking hay from that same field. Good experiences, for upcoming teenagers. Nothing like some hard work to find out what the world is out there - farms are good for that, doncha know!
During a snack break in the cabin, Max informed me that my house was different than their house. When I asked him what was different, he looked at me like I'd lost a marble, and said, "Well, it's a LITTLE house. But it's good for you, gramma." Out of the mouths of babes... the cabin IS good for me. For many reasons.
After a long winter piled with snow, the cabin is surrounded by a fast-growing green skirt - mowing season has begun!
The spring cleaning of the straw-bale chicken house was tackled by Collin and Lee. We do a built-up litter method, so it's almost compost by spring when we can till it into the garden.
Carrie is very excited about her personal choice of farm project, beekeeping. She enjoyed helping her dad with his hives as a youngster, some great memories. She has his "bee suit", which is a heavy-duty white coverall, and his smoker for working the hives. She recently connected with a local beekeeper from whom we have bought honey; this lady has ordered a couple packages of bees to go with the two hives Carrie is buying from her. The bee yard will soon be a reality!Preparing a site for two hives was Carrie's particular priority for the day. Morning east sun on the hive entrance, shade on the south to manage our hot summers, and room to work. This volunteer crabapple tree on the fence line between two fields was the choice. Not too far from the garden, to help with pollination. Easy to see and keep an eye on the hives. A fence will be going up to form a "bee yard", for protection from critters and provide a boundry for kids and curious visitors. Honey is one of the ingredients in Carrie's good whole wheat bread, and then there is honey butter for pancakes and toast - yep, we'll enjoy the rewards of this project for sure!
The plowed field will soon be growing oats, following the rotation from corn last season.
Chainsaws come in all sizes. These two are handling just about anything we need to do on the farm. From wood cutting to pruning.
The old and the new. The riding mower is one of the lastest additions to the farm work force. In the background is one of the old pieces of farm equipment that came with the land. It is a seed planter, sadly no longer usable. Various rusting old equipment found here and there around the fields give us a feel for the history of the farm, and those who worked it. There is a veritable museum parked in the back section, of tractors and cars.
Tilling complete. The new section will be taken over by squash, pumpkin, and melons. By the end of the season, they dominated the garden last year - like navigating a jungle. So they have their very own bed now, and the rest of the garden will breathe easier, I'm sure. A new section was prepared for potatoes (which were planted right away), and an additional strawberry bed is ready for transplants from the original plantings. The blueberry house is closed in, to keep the bunnies at bay - they love to prune blueberries and other low shrubs.
After dinner, with the gang headed back to the farmhouse for baths and bedtime, the still hour before sunset beckoned me out to plant peas and take in the last moments of a long but lovely day. The peace and stillness, with robins singing their evening songs, frogs calling, an occasional baaa from the neighbor's flock as they settled for the night - this is what we live for here on the farm .
Sunset is a special time of day, no matter where you are. You just have to make the effort to be present.
The cabin has been our lighthouse the past few years, promising warmth, comfort and safe harbor. As I tucked away the last tools, and walked out of the garden, this sight had to be recorded. My home.
Come for a visit, sometime. The door is always open.
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