AT LAST
The tractor – a little organic one – arrived in our big 160 acre field and tilled the cover crop of weeds in. Just ahead of a little rain too.
And because it was a little tractor towing a little tiller – it took hours and hours. The tractor driver was still going up and down the field right into the night. I think I am going to get the men to teach me how to drive those little – big tractors so I can work on this land with them. 
I felt bad going to bed as the man rode his tractor up and down and up and down ever so slowly.
Anna and her friend and I went down to put up some flags so he didn’t roll over the hay fields and there are areas that are still pretty wet but at last we are underway.
Now the land will begin to break down all this green matter and begin its journey back to health. The land has to learn to live without chemicals and will go through a slow withdrawal from its dependence on artificial supplements.
But in three or four years it will begin to pull ahead and when it is safe and everyone is trained on how to farm organically then my work here will be done. 
Even though I don’t even own this land I am proud to be the instigator and facilitator of it’s return to natural farming.
While I was mucking about in dirt Sheila let herself out and helped herself to buckets of pig Feed that I had made up and set aside until feeding time. She thoroughly enjoyed the chopped zucchini and cauliflower and organic grains. I had to make her up a bucket of milk to entice her back to her own garden.
She likes to be close to Poppy. When Poppy sings to her babies Sheila sometimes joins in from across the barn.
It is hot and muggy this morning.
Time for work.
Have a great day.
Cecilia
C
25 Comments on “AT LAST”
Welcome to the Lounge of Comments
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER:
DO A LITTLE SHOPPING:
Thank You So Much For Your Kind Help with Maintaining This Blog
thekitchensgarden 
Kewt tractor — I should get one of those for the kids to play with! 🙂
Sheila got carried away. Was she even remorseful to cause you extra work? Oh, I am forgetting she Is a Pig!
Good news all around. I love knowing that big field will become organic. Is that the one right next to your house?
The power of tilling. What everyone did before there was Round Up or any of those other filthy chemicals. Good work Miss C. And as for the Grand Duchess Sheila, I’m sure she finds it incomprehensible that anything tasty is not meant for her. She’s looking sleek, so the occasional, ahem, pig-out can’t hurt…
It is good you are a careful steward of the land.
Love how Sheila still has time to be so naughty and with such impunity. So pleased the long healing process of the land has begun. Laura
I’m sure the soil will be much happier, as will the worms and insects.
Dear Sheila!
Oh that Sheila had her a big treat. That is funny she sings to the babies too.
Be proud of what you are accomplishing- Bravo! And Sheila is a hoot …..pigging out!
You are one AMAZING lady! Shiela is a pretty amazing girl too. Fancy joining in with the pig’s lullaby, delightful.
Sheila is so sweet!
Hit it on the head! ‘Pigging-out’ – guffaw! chuckle! So reminiscent of how my grandparents and uncles used to farm in their big valley in Oregon, circa 1800’s on……..Ceci, do you have a screen door with a squeaky, squawky spring on it? One of my all-time favorite summer sounds!!
I most definitely have the squeaky screen door. No one can sneak up on me.
And does it slam with a bang when kids run in and out? That sound immediately takes me back to my grandpa and grandmas house.
It does when John goes in and out! Drives me NUTS!
I should have said “Your organic farming is so reminiscent……….” Have a couple of neighbors who do their home gardens that way too.
I love how you’re so busy working on one corner of the farm and Sheila is busy in the other! 🎼Green Acres is the place to be…
The fella I buy meat from said his neighbor went organic a while back and now he notices that the swallows who only followed him in the field before are now following his neighbor. I also read an interesting tidbit, some wheat was engineered to have shorter stems so as not to be as vulnerable to heavy rain and wind. Unfortunately that same gene governs the length of the roots so the new wheat was not reaching deep into the soil to bring up the good minerals so while there was more yield in the field the quality wasn’t as good.
I am not sure they care too much for food quality- as in nutrition. Everything is about production
Sheila looks remarkably unrepentant for such a naughty pig. 🙂 And then got rewarded for it with Milk. She is very spoiled and lovely. I hope she has a good summer.
Smaller, lighter machinery is so much kinder… less compaction, the green manure organic matter needs air to do its good thing for soil health. I love that Sheila si gs to Poppy’s babies.
I agree! I like the smaller tractors – much less destructive/ and slower so wildlife can get out of the way.
Sheila! We can’t get enough of her– Her devil-may-care attitude! Her charm! Her insouciance! Her inspiration!
Oh Wow! I am so happy for your accomplishment! That is great…let’s celebrate! I have to say: Sheila is looking most lovely and fit! Please tell her I said hello. Btw, what makes a tractor an organic tractor? Curious.
I don’t know this: does every animal on the farm have a name? Does naming an animal make it different in your eyes than those not named?