Mary’s Cat is being followed and bombed by barn swallows wherever she goes. 
(Audrey close your eyes). Because these guys are about ready to take their first flights.
They are so patient these little birds. Out-growing their nest and watching the milking from above twice a day. Did I tell you that their nest is directly above the light in the milking parlour. There is always a swallow on duty. 
In case of premature toppling.
Daisy has returned to her usual self. Munching. 
These two are waiting for me to pay the grounds some attention. Fat chance.
With it being so dry, they are not getting a lot of use.
I know I had decided not to show you photos of the big pigs anymore, with them getting so close to the end of their stay. But this made me laugh. Out Loud. This photo is for you Mad. Over there at Mad Dog TV Dinners. 
This red pig was too fat to get up this tiny step, but he was just so hungry. I should not laugh but really this is an amusing shot. Since then, I have made him a new step by piling three old barn doors one on top of each other so he can get into the trailer and eat standing up. Like a good pig.
Good morning. TonTon is cleaned up. I think he must have only had a touch of the skunk, as dishwashing liquid did the trick this time. I have filed all your good advice for next time. Yesterday I took my trusty spade out into the field and grubbed thistles. Thistles in the field is the sign of a bad housekeeper. It is like a grubby front step.
But while I was out there, in the middle of the Dairy Mistress Field I watched with rising alarm as a monster of a tractor with a spray boom the size of a plane hanger roared into the fields around me and at top speed commenced to spray the soy beans across a hot wind. I had no time to get my animals in, or the washing off the line. Or myself in for that matter. And worse still absolutely no time to find a way to protect my bees. For that I would have had to lock them in the night before. The farmer promised me that he does not use pesticide. And swore he would warn me if he was going to. But this smelt very bad. All the other surrounding fields are being sprayed a fungicide with a top dresser (plane) and I know that smell. This spray was different. And we have monoculture GM cropping all around us for hundreds and hundreds of miles. There is nowhere to hide. But he could have WARNED me that they were going to spray!
If you stood up on the moon and looked down you would see us. We are that little dot. That little multi coloured dot. Desperately waving our miniscule sling shots. A tiny mote in the eye of manufactured green! This goliath we battle will not go down with one well placed stone. He has an army of genetically modified armoured ants that creep through every crack. It is like boxing shadows that have claws. He will just drench me in spray while roaring past in his air conditioned cab, staring straight ahead, eyes fixed on my beautiful horizon – which to him is shaped like a wallet.
My words were not printable as I put away my spade, hosed down my cows, paying extra attention to Daisy and her udder. I brought all the linen in off the clothesline for rewashing. I emptied all the water troughs, overturning the full heavy tubs with the strength of fury and set them to refill. The bees looked ok last night. But we all know that the bees out in the field yesterday will not have come home. I am not even going to discuss latent damage to an organism. You know it all. I am at a loss.
My accent gets quite British when I am angry so the message on his answering machine is very clipped. For some unknown reason he has not called me back to tell me exactly what we have been sprayed with. Fancy!
But there you are. This is the world I live in. I am doing the best I can and that will have to do. Heads up. Big breath. No whining. Remember to breathe out.
We will have a lovely day. (She says through clenched teeth, pounding at the keys) You too!
celi
On this day last year. Imagine this – it was hot then too! This post has my ten tips on how to survive a heatwave without air conditioning. This one is quite funny actually. I remember it made me laugh to write.
c
The Kitchen's Garden 
99 responses to “A Fat Farmy Day Drenched in Spray”
Good heavens. Obviously I was too wrought up to proofread my post. Apologies.
Oh, how I understand. It makes me horribly upset. That is how I felt with the two fires we had…I gave up fighting the spray helicopter…I used to stand out on our canal bank and dare him to spray, one day he did and gave me the finger and the spray at the same time. Made me so made I called the Ditch Company and the spray company….I ran up against the ‘big boys’ (of course the next year they burned (this spring) they burned us down. Fire on the north side, the east side and a beautiful ancient old tree. I lost all the way around.
Then we found out…..the river watchers (people who protect the rivers) filed a suit and WON against all the spray the Ditch Company was spraying on the canal banks.
HA!!! They can NO LONGER SPRAY THE CANAL BANKS!!!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com
I can’t believe how quickly those pigs grew! I had no idea.
I would be furious at that farmer too! How hard is it for him to make a simple call to you the day before he sprays? Not hard. It’s common courtesy and something SO many people seem to be without in this day and age.
My sister in law married a wheat farmer and I remember visiting the farm and having his (my sister in law’s husband) mother tell me about sitting outside with her tea and lunch watching them spray the wheat fields. She said she was “oversprayed” numerous times throughout the years. They all kind of snickered about it as if it were kind of funny instead of a complete nightmare. She now has major health issues and the breast cancer rate in that tiny town has sky rocketed. Sad that people don’t take the time to think about what they’re doing.
~April
I was just thinking if you could trap that skunk and deliver him into his home.. that might give him an idea of how pervasive spraying is. Sadly, his spray is deadly while the skunk’s is not. What an.. well, I’m trying to swear less these days. Your little, um, big pig is hilarious. I’ve been eating so much lately that I feel an affinity for him. My head is resting on the kitchen counter as we speak.. lol! xoxo Good luck with your wee bees!! xoxo
Celi, today’s Writer’s Almanac poem seems written for you. Here’s “Woman Feeding Chickens” by Roy Scheele, http://bit.ly/NylKwm. Enjoy! (I hope the link works.)
Thanks for the pig picture – he’s a beauty! Shame about the spraying – I suggest naming and shaming too, though you do have to live next door… Interestingly, when I swear at people I start to sound like I come from the Bronx (too much Scorsese I suppose). I hope your bees are OK.
You are in the middle of battle field. Don’t give up! Try to call him again and explain why you were angry and ask him “again” to notify you when he does that. It’s amazing what you are doing there and it’s a good example to everyone how to fight system. Maybe one day your John’s uncle will rent his land to a farmers like you. That would be awesome. More and more people are trying to get out of the city. I am so glad we did it!
I’m with Sharyn on this, Celi. At least here in California there are multiple forums for discussion and debate on the topic of genetically modified labeling…that’s a side issue to the larger concern about the GMOs in the first place, but it’s where I’m currently putting in some energy. I would be so upset (and I am) with your experience and the spraying. I’m concerned about your bees, too, but we remain hopeful and I add to my ever-expanding hope bucket the wish that the American public will wake up! The pig picture is a good laugh…and we can use a laugh today! 🙂 Debra
Not very neighborly. Obviously he doesn’t care (and will get away with whatever he can) and disregards the usage instructions that say “do not use in windy conditions”
But you do have a right to know what is being sprayed and being blown onto your property.
Might check with county /legal aid to see if you can get an injunction of some sort – (disregard and endangering your quality of like as well as potential damage to your crops/livestock – possibly even health issues to your family). At least force him to tell you what was used ( and when the next dose is scheduled) He should supply you with the product sheet of ingredients, directions for use, and potential hazards – if you can get the name of the product that stuff is on-line. His garbage dump or local supply/feed store might be able to tell you what products have been used.
Hard to pressure the land owner that leases the property…maybe ask something be included in the lease next time that covers this?
I shall now gaze at the farmy pix and try to calm down.
Perhaps a certified letter politely asking for information about what was sprayed on the windy day of…Then a second certified letter after a response/short period of time asked to be informed of schedule to you could take appropriate measures?
(Obviously this event is still bugging me. I lost a Bouvier to cancer we feel was caused by a neighbor spraying pesticides on windy days and onto/through our fence. It was a battle – and we finally got information and response, but the dog got sick and died… sorry if I’m rabid about this)
Oh Cinders…all I can say is UGH!! I agree with the last few commentors…go to the top of the food chain on this one…find out what legal recourses you have and I’m sure there are plenty!! You could be the next Karen Silkwood or Erin Brockovich!! It starts with one voice or like a pebble thrown into a pond!!
Loved the farmy photos and yes, they gave all of us something to calm ourselves with! 🙂
Life is funny. the farmer has not called me yet so i had better call him tonight just to say let me know next time.. c
i reblogged your last year’s blog about keeping cool in the heat; back to your current post – i love how you name all the animals; i adore pigs heads in buckets, don’t stop taking pictures of anythng. enchanting; you are such a good writer and an incredible woman – best wishes
oh well .. gee shucks.. we all just plod along doing what we do and thank you! c
The picture of the pig is a riot!
Furious would be putting it mildly. I can appreciate the situation as our home is surrounded by food crops – peas, beans and potatoes. When they spray it is a rush to close the windows. This is not the way anyone should start their day. Virginia
That would make me furious, Celi: all the work you are putting into a sustainable farmstead and someone comes by spraying! Hope you find the magic words to make sure it doesn’t happen again….
Beautiful pictures. the pic made me laugh out loud too.
A google search came up with a few links: http://spraydriftillinois.com/spray_drift_pamphlet.pdf; http://www.farmgateblog.com/article/living-with-your-organic-neighbor; http://knowledgeproblem.com/2011/08/05/coase-legal-liability-and-pesticide-drift/. Interesting reading and the first probably the most pertinent to you. Every one of the photos posted called to me. The swallows are gorgeous, & I love a flame. Mary’s Cat is priceless. Oh, and yes Ten Tips on surviving a Heatwave without Airconditioning is a must include in your book. So thanks, your post has as always been great entertainment for me. I hope you have a better day today 🙂
thank you ella, i shall wander through your research .. i need to get up to date!! awesome! c