The day that got away
Or at least yesterday got away with no pictures. and a few hiccups
But the house is clean, the washing was all put out on the clothesline, and brought back in before the rain, there is fresh bread and pound cake (the best way to use up extra eggs, make and freeze the poundcake) in the cupboard. Everyone is fed both animal and human and going about their happy business. I have begun the massive spring clean up of the barn. And Queenies Bobby was delivered very early this morning.
We had a surprise guest for dinner last night which was just wonderful. It is not often that someone discovers that they really are “In the Neighbourhood” though in this case – the neighbourhood was Michigan but it is pretty close when you think about how spread out my clan is.
The hiccup came when Aaron arrived yesterday evening- such a nice young man – but his parents quite suddenly needed him home and as he was on the road already, he came to tell me in person that he was not staying on at the farm, he joined in for a nice meal and a bed for the night and now he is back in his car heading home.
So that was a flurry.
This morning was pretty busy with the early morning delivery of the steer, thank yous and goodbyes all round so i have just come in for breakfast and coffee.
Now while I have the stock trailer hitched up,(and after my late coffee and breakfast) I am going out to seperate the two little heifers – Naomi and Not Too Difficult from the two pregnant cows (Alex and Lady Astor) and put them in the rat house paddock for the meantime. Then I will bring Aunty Del back this side before she gets too pregnant to move so I have three gestating cows in one wee herd and the two little heifers in the other. Molly and Tahiti and Sheila (the pigs) are being locked out of their field so it can start the spring grass can grow unmolested. Later today Molly and Tahiti are going to the West barn and Poppy is coming back to the home barn. I need to look at her dates.
I will plant more blackberries today and dig a row of garden for the brassicas then I need to go down the road and buy some seed for the pasture, this year I am devising a cocktail of forage for cows and pigs that is 1/3 grasses, 1/3 legumes and 1/3 brassicas. (I heard about this months ago and for the life of me cannot find the link again – it was an utube) so I will let you know the recipe when I have finished my research. I will be top sowing the cows winter sacrifice paddock plus the pigs fields and putting in another 2 acres of alfalfa hay as well.
My biggest problem is not having a fencer. I really need someone to build fences for me but this person is hard to find around here. People seldom build stock fences out here on the prairies.
So – you see? All go around here.
I am getting back into my rhythm though. I will be see you all tomorrow.
Love celi
49 Comments on “The day that got away”
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Manu will be a very happy boar 😉
Although the twins will not be visiting Manu’s harem for a few months yet I am told it is good for the boar to have a few girls hanging around somewhere in the building. Hope my gates are strong enough!! c
It will definitely keep him excited 😉
Sounds like you had a very busy day! I need a fencer too. I have about seven more acres that I need fenced in. But them I would only add more animals to the farm! Ha ha!
But wouldn’t that be nice! Seven acres is a good amount of land when fenced – hope you find someone soon! c
busy busy! You do need an extra set or two of hands! Take care!
Not quite yet, i can toddle on alone for a while yet, especially with this good working weather.. c
So sorry you won’t be having the WOOFer’s help. I asked Jock if he’d like to visit and help out, and he said he no longer has the strength to bash in posts. Once upon a time even I could do it, but no longer, sadly.
Your grazing recipe sounds interesting. I hope you find the details in time!
Love,
ViV
Oh no! If you were to come over here you would be in charge of keeping the rocking chairs on the verandah in constant motion! c
I could do that!
I’m sorry you’ve missed out on Aaron’s help, and sorry that we won’t get to meet him, but you have to love a young bloke who drops his plans and turns around straight away when his family needs him. There aren’t enough of his kind around any more…
Never mind.. c
Busy, busy, busy! I had to look up ‘brassica’ and was so surprised by the definition… “Mustards: cabbages, cauliflowers, turnips, etc.” Who would have guessed those crops would all be in the same family and a family designated as ‘mustards’? This is such a busy time for you that it really is a shame Aaron was unable to stay. Do his plans include coming back at some point?
But a surprise visitor, and one of your ‘clan’, is a special bonus. Sounds like fun.
Yes, rain here today as well, but a welcome rain. Our farmers need a lot of it to make up for so little snow over this past winter.
Hope the rest of your day goes well — you certainly have filled it with a lot of planned activity! ~ Mame 🙂
The brassica family is Filled with nutrition! c
Will the cabbage flavor come thru in the milk ?
Elizabeth
nope – Daisy was a huge cabbage eater at milking time and I never tasted it in the milk..
How do you spread the seed when you reseed a field? Just curious.
John has a machine! A seed drill that he tows behind the tractor – very good for top sowing.. c
I think we all have days that get away but none that are in as vital a need as yours of extra hands. How do you find these WOOFer’s and can you find another? That’s a lot of work for one tiny lady. Wishing you well.
April is a better month to start workers then I have food in the garden – I need to feed them too – so it will be ok. .. and don’t forget this is my full time job so i expect to work long hard hours.. c
https://wwoofusa.org/
Thanks for the link. I’m checking it out.
Whirlwind! Sorry your helper didn’t work out. Will be VERY interested to hear more about your forage blend!
Yes! I am looking forward to chatting about it to the seed people.. c
Gosh! You are going to be an incredibly busy woman. I wish you lots of strength and luck in all your work to do. Being a chef, I love the fact that you still find time to bake bread and pound cake.
We eat VERY well here – lucky really – have you gotton over all your travel?
Yes, got back yesterday and spent the day doing laundry and shopping to restock the fridge. Got to start planning my next trip. Working on my blog post about the vacation – make sure to read it😃
I will whisper to the winds a request to find a good fence builder for you
That might work too! c
I hope you will find another helper and a fencer. You are certainly busy. I did some work around my RV after an unusual wind and rain storm here in Mexico and am pooped. May your strength and satisfaction in your work continue unabashed. Enjoy a break.
I am right now on a break! having some freshly pressed grapefruit juice.. c
I could come and help build fences, wouldn’t that be fun…..unfortunately I have enough of that kind of thing to do here in the new house to keep me busy a while. Lovely to hear of your busyness, it always feels good when there’s a list of tasks that you know you’re very capable of carrying out and then you cheerfully cross them off the list. Happy days 🙂
I remember my sweet father repairing fences on our farm when he had to use a cane to walk. He pulled a little wagon with everything he needed, including his Cigarillos that he wasn’t allowed the smoke in the house. He did everything with a smile . Oh , how I loved that man.
I’ve seen wood stake fences, repaired and painted the same…but never built one. Sorry.
I would love to bring the G.O. over to do your fences – he is a fencer amongst his many talents – but he is not a flyer 😦 We are sitting drinking coffee in front of the van in the Grampians and my convincing arguments are not quite persuasive enough!
Well, you surely could have done with Aaron: at the same time you might appreciate being able to ‘put things back’ your way first and Big John just might want to have you to himself for awhile! Find Kate’s comment interesting: unless I am still half-asleep it seems to me she will be visiting the farmy in the very near future . . . how lovely . . . Perchance this blog with local friends reading and talking, will bring a fencer in forthwith . . . ?
Sadly not, I would love to become a Coupe visitor, and take my turn at cooking, planting, egg collecting and pig feeding! No, what I meant was that we would not ‘meet’ him here, in the Lounge of Comments, as we have with Celi’s previous workers.
The Lounge of Comments is a great place to meet too!
It is! Without it, I’d never have met all sorts of people I now count as friends, albeit distant ones.
Sorry, Kate – it did so seem like that!!
This citygirl never even Heard of a fencer, except for the kind that say “en garde”. Thanks for expanding my understanding of the world from your point of view. Much love to fellowship and farmy and farmerette…Gayle
I always thought if I won a lottery I would hire somebody to pull out all the old fences here (primarily installed by me, myself & I) and put up brand spankin’ new state of the art ones while I sat in a garden chair and watched!
Ah yes – the winning of the lottery – I forgot about that part.. c
Too bad Forrest isn’t retired yet. We’d pack our old truck and head up north to help build fence. Forrest has built fence since he was a youngster… and I’m a very good helper!! 😀
I’m a good helper too – ah well – I am hoping someone will turn up.
Fencing is a real skill. Dad always did ours in Jan-Feb when brush was dead and snakes hibernating. Cold on the hands, though. One of the farm chores that gives you a good night’s sleep. (Who needs gyms?)
I will be getting into it soon but with no skill at all sadly..c
Takes muscles and don’t let the wire whip back and hit you in the face. As A kid, my job was to steady the wire to prevent that as dad and brother worked. You learn a healthy respect for materials working on a farm. Take care (we’ll wish a fencer to appear as if summoned by an unexplained force…)
Busy girl! Good luck with the cow tucker …