Lazy Days of Summer

The rain came in buckets, rumbles and fireworks.  Two glorious, delicious, cool and sustaining inches of summer rain accompanied by wind.  The cracks opened up to capture every drop.  Ohhh, so grateful.  





  



Today's Journey Joy - Abundant harvests, resting in the sun, buzz of the honey bee, tom turkeys, sweeeeet corn

Summer's Heat

My pores open.  Hot salty fluid emerges as my shirt and pants cling to my skin.  Less than five minutes in this summer furnace and I am sweatin' like a horse. The thermometer reads 94 degrees but the weatherman says it feels like 105+.  The sky is cloudless yet hazy.  Long sought after rain is not forthcoming.  Quenching, refreshing, and cooling.  But always north and always passing.  It's been longer than five weeks since any measurable precipitation.  And I continue to pray. Please Lord, bring the rain. The land is parched.... crackled.  The grass finally succumbing to the crunch of dehydration.  Even the bees do not fly.  They are overwhelmed with cooling the hive so their babies do not die. 

First planting of sweet corn with ears long and ready to fill out, but they need rain.



Dry but protected from raccoons.

The sunflowers and zinnias somehow manage to smile. And I smile back.  The giant sunflowers have yet to reach their heights but the small cut-able ones have just begun.  I planted them along side the broccoli, peppers, and cucumbers.  They are pretty and they calm my farmer concerns.  Blooming inspite of an empty reservior.  When will it rain?

For the most part many of the crops have been using the deep ground water filled from the persistent cold rains of this spring. At the time I found myself wishing for a close of the sky's water.... not anymore.  One to two inches of rain for a couple of weeks would be life-sustaining for the pumpkins, melons, second and third plantings of sweet corn and the blueberries.  I have been filling the "water buffalo" (A 250 gallon container Farmer Husband strapped to a wagon) but it is overwhelming.  Hours after soaking the plants the ground returns to its leathery wrinkled appearance.



Wilting under the heat even after being watered.

Many crops are ready for harvest.  I've taken garlic scapes, purple and yellow beans, monster-sized onions, blueberries, zucchini and yellow summer squash to the markets.  More onions are ready, potatoes can be started, and the garlic bulbs can be dug and cured.  But it is too hot....
 

Rocambole and music garlic ready for harvest


And life on the farm continues to bring surprises.  Farmer Husband recently taught me to shoot a shot gun.  My dad gave me this double-barrel shot gun - actually he gave it to our son, but he's a bit young.  The gun was my grandfather's.  But I had never used one before.  A clever and sly fox was the motivation for learning.  The fox has brazingly taken over a dozen of our free-range chickens - four of them our new chocolate colored laying hens.  The first time I saw him I cornered him in the chicken yard and attempted to club him with a big stick (it was all I had).  Scared him, but he was back in an hour for two more.  

Strange, this protection drive.  I never like killing animals.  I don't hunt.  Although I do enjoy fishing (when was the last time I did that???).  So this emotion to protect my chickens struck me as odd and out of character.  If anyone knows how to get rid of a fox without killing it let me know.  The traps are too big for him as he stands about 20 inches at the shoulder.



Farmer Chris learning to shoot. (yes, I did put my hearing protection on).  Struck the target well each time - Farmer Husband Gary said, "Glad you're on my side!"

Journey Joys - air conditioning, plants still green, chickens in a safe yard, the smell of ripening sweet corn.

Beauty is not tidy

Long days ago I wrote about beauty.  Fainting, wisping, fleeting.  I long to touch it, experience it and be enveloped in it.... 

And as I go meticulously through the blueberries, seeking the deep sweet blue, I am struck with a thought.  In the midst of the wild choking and creeping morning glory entangling my blue beauties, the thought slowly enters my mind.  Beauty is not tidy.  Beauty is not necessarily clean.  Beauty is not found only in clean rows, bountiful harvests and sweet honey.  Beauty is not skin deep.  Beauty is a reflection of joy.  Beauty is found in peace, contentment, and love. The pure white blooms of my dreaded weed do indeed reflect joy.  They rejoice in fulfilling their mission.  They are beautiful....

Today's Journey Joy - discovering joy among the weeds

Beauty

When January 1st, 2011 rolled aorund, I, like many other well meaning and hopeful people, chose a special word for the year.  A dream and desire that would encapsulate and embed the year.  A word that would illustrate and focus the events and characters of our lives. 

I knew "my word" right away.... I didn't have to think hard or struggle to discern the perfect one.

Beauty. 

Beauty would be my word for 2011.  Beauty would be my prayer, my desire, my hope, my journey.  Beauty would typify my decisions, my thoughts and my actions.  Beauty found in the home, the farm, the animals.  In my vocation, in ministry, in music.  Beauty in marriage; beauty in mothering.  Beauty found in speech, beauty found in motion, beauty found within.

June is almost done.  The longest daylight has passed.

And I am no closer to beauty than the north pole is to the south.

Today's Journey Joy - The quest is yet unfinished....

A bunch of Turkeys live here

Benjamin Franklin once wrote to his daughter, "....For the truth, the Turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America . . . He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a bird of courage...."

I think I am enamored of the turkey.  Bourbon Red Turkeys to be exact.  A heritage breed.  They are indeed quite silly, chirp or peep in loud musical tones, and have enormous eyes for their tiny little head.

In March we received our day old poults and 10 cuckoo maran chicks (chocolate colored egg layers).


Day old turkey poults and cuckoo maran chicks (they're the dark ones).

After a couple of weeks the poults and chicks were transferred to the garage since they had outgrown their cardboard box and frankly, were not the sweetest smelling creatures for our basement.  Four weeks later the chicks were sent "to the big house", that is, the chicken coop to join 40+ black astrolorps, Rhode island reds, and americaunas.  Unfortunately adult turkeys and chickens should not cohabitate and so we needed to build another coop - a turkey coop.  The idea would be a shelter from adverse weather which would be enclosed by an electric netting for ranging.  The coop need only serve to overwinter 4-5 turkeys each year.  The rest would become meat for our (and our friend's) freezers.  In the spring the birds would hopefully produce fertilized turkey eggs which we will incubate and start poults again.  If all goes well we could have about 100 poults for the following year.  Heritage Bourbon Red Turkeys are scrumptious.

At least that's the dream.

First the coop had to be made.  But what to make it out of?  Ah.... what do we have plenty of around the farm?  Pallets.  So begins the saga of creating a turkey coop out of old pallets, leftover metal siding and one inch cage wire.
 

Farmer Husband Gary fixing the base pallet



One inch cage wire and sides going up



Farmer Chris stapling cage wire to base



Sides up and Farmer Husband Gary figuring out roof rafters



Farmer Husband Gary screwing on the metal roof.



Ah.... forgot the green treated skids.  Better late than never.



The door works!



Screwing on the metal siding.  It's a little dirty but nothing that a little soap and water can't help.



Farmer Chris and the Gator moving the the coop to its final destination.



The electric netting was inserted with some additional metal T-post for strength & the turkeys were let out. 
Not sure what to make of this green stuff underfoot.....

 

So this is what you were working on..... 
"Thanks Farmer Chris and Farmer Husband Gary...it's perfect....gobble, gobble."

By mid October or early November the turkeys should be a good weight.  Yet I already know that it will be difficult taking these guys and gals to the processors.  They are so funny.  They follow me around the yard and stop and listen to me when I speak.  So adorable.  Stay tuned for the adventures of the turkeys.....

Still going...

93+ degrees today with impending storms tonight.  Still weeding the blueberries.....  But I have a new technique which I hope will help speed things up a bit.  I weed around the the blueberry bush about 1-2 feet in all directions and then proceed to the next plant.  Then after I've done about 15-20 plants I take the Stihl handheld sickle bar and mow the weeds between the plants.  Seems to be working.  Perhaps in a week to 10 days I'll be done.  150 plants done, 1050 to go.... Hmmmm... Three weeks until blueberry picking! Yum!

Update on Farming

Green string, purple burgundyy, Italian romano, four different types of dry beans, red lettuce, radishes, kohlrabi, sweet corn, muskmelon, cucumbers, zinnias, four different kinds of potatoes and three varieties of onions, sunflowers, marigolds, summer and autumn squash, pumpkins (>2000 seeds with various sizes), broccoli, cauliflower, peppers of all kinds, 75 tomato plants of all sorts, and did I mention sweet corn (about an acre and a half)?  Also transplanted black raspberries across the road.  And weeding the blueberries.... seems like a never ending task.... discouraging.  I had hoped the weeds would be fewer this year after we sprayed with a preemergent.  Seems to have made no difference.  So in 95+ degrees I'm out pulling weeds, determined to make a dent into the field.  I won't be able to spray the grass killer until after harvest and that won't be for 6-7 weeks.  So I must get ahead of the grass and weeds and take back the blueberries once again.

We have 17 red bourbon heritage turkeys this year and also 10 chocolate colored egg layers to add to our assortment of egg colors.  The turkeys are still cooped up until I have the right fence.  I put up an electric mesh fence but the holes were too big and they escaped (yes, we caught them).  So I've ordered a smaller opening fence and hopefully I will be able to put that up this week.

Back to the field....

Where Have You Been?

Ah.... sorry folks.  I forgot how to say "no" for awhile and so have been overwhelmed with too much stuff to do.... forgetting that I am a human being and not a human doing.  Forgive me.  I endeavor to return shortly.  Much has happened since the cold wintry days of February.  The temps today are in the eighties with green grass stretching to the sky. The blueberries are almost finished blooming and the strawberries are "strawberry-itizing" after a long cold, damp spring....

Thank you for your graciousness.

Today's Journey Joy - heat and humidity! (super grin)

All cooped up

"Let me out! Let me out!" (translation of "bruckkkkakkkaakka").  "We've been cooped up in this toasty warm chicken house for four days.  Let me out!" they insist repeatedly.  I try to rationalize with them.  "Girls, we've had 18 inches of snow.  Where do you think you'll go?"

"Bruckkkakkaaka!"

So I shovelled a path from their coop to the driveway so that they could stretch their legs, strut their stuff, and flap their wings.  "Cockadoodledooooo!"  PrettyBoy announces.  I think that's "thank you" in rooster language.

Today's Journey Joy: Adventurous chickens

Tipping

Beauty found in broken-ness.

Our picnic bench, which I wanted so badly three summers ago, lies alone.  Decaying with neglect. Used only a handful of times.  Two picnics.  One marshmallow and hot dog roast.  Watermelon spitting. The occasional snack.  But mostly a horizontal space for young flowers, cat naps, and chicken roosts.  Slowly fading in color and strength.

"Crunch."  John Deere metal is stronger than the brittle dry wood.  And quickly the leg falls.  No longer horizontal it serves only as the occasional safe chicken resting spot.

But the autumn rush did not allow repair or removal.  And so the snow builds.  Climbing.  Piling.  Sloping.  But beautiful.

Snow reminds me of growth. "Growth?" you say.  "How can anything grow in snow?"  But it is true. The deep white heavy snow brings renewal.  Yes, there is rest.  And I'm happy for it.  But growth occurs in wintertime.

Without rest roots do not push deeper.  Without rest the fine feathers of bramble, blueberry and strawberry roots do not penetrate and absorb essential nutrients.  Without rest many fruiting trees and flowers would not bloom.  We all need rest.  Rest to grow.

Snow.  Purest white in nature.  Cleansing. Renewing.  Restful.  

In my life I too must rest.  Yet, "underneath" I am preparing, deepening, stretching, yearning... Spring will come when the embodiment of all that winter growth is released.  So today I ponder. I dream. I drink up possibilities, nibble on potentials, and feast on Truth.  It's a nourishing time.  A restful time.  A growing time.

Today's Journey Joy - growing in snow