Happy Sunday !! Here I am, nice hot cup of English tea ( with milk), inhaling a chocolate brownie ( or two)...the rain clouds have finally moved north after an extended and very unwelcome stay, the sun is shining, the hummingbirds are flying and with a gentle breeze the melodious tinkling of the wind chime echoes over the acres. Life is good and it can only get better !
There are times when farming is amazing, times when farming is a challenge and there are times when it is so frustrating I almost miss my neat and tidy office desk…but only ALMOST, it is never quite that bad !!! Currently we are having a “challenging” time. What could have…(should have) been a relatively simple assignment has evolved into a scratch your head and brainstorm type of nightmare. We have a little irrigation pond up by the house, the irrigation pipe to said little irrigation pond appears to have become obstructed to the point that the pond is no longer irrigating ( not too helpful !) but it is filling and consequently become an issue we had to address. The artists impression of a little pond at the farm is probably surreal with calm clear water, a few reeds, a duck or two and some water lilies…not our little irrigation pond ! Fortunately courageous WWOOFER Carla isn’t afraid of a few little bugs, she’s not even afraid of a few really big bugs and she doesn’t mind getting dirty. The fact that Carla has no problem with mud was very lucky because the project is inordinately muddy. The first task was to locate the drainage pipe that traverses the pasture and comes up in the pond….somewhere. But where? A drain snake ( not a real one) was rammed up the field end and Carla and I were deployed around the pond to spot bubbles. We have it on very good advice that a tin can indicates the location of the end we were intently watching for….but we saw no tin can and the only bubbles were from irritable dragon flies and midges whose tranquillity had been disturbed. After becoming a three course meal and supper for a million biting bugs Greg called to regroup and reconsider the situation..Two metal pipes were inserted in the field end of the irrigation pipe….bubbles were spotted…right in the middle of the pond. Deep dirty and muddy the pond was making sure that this project was going to be far from easy and when the pond end of the metal pipe decided to stay in the pond leaving the field-end unattached, we had had enough of the pond experience and adjourned for dinner. Our next and super impressive plan of action involves “The Jolly Roger”, our little row boat is to be launched, with a bit of luck no one will go overboard and the pesky pipe with its pesky can will be located. Update when I have one.
PS Carla DID get very dirty !
Macho the buck is still not his usual lustful self. We have been treating him for founder but haven’t discounted the fact that he probably got up too close and personal to one or all of the cows and he is isolated to give him time to recover. Unfortunately, having Macho in the barn means we all have a tendency to smell like a buck in the rut…..not recommended !
Well, today is my twin’s birthday, 37 years ago I began an adventure with them…and they surely haven’t made life boring. Happy Birthday boys, I’m proud of you.
Well on that meditative note I have travelled back into another time and another life, life was good, this life is better !
Take care, keep safe, M
There are times when farming is amazing, times when farming is a challenge and there are times when it is so frustrating I almost miss my neat and tidy office desk…but only ALMOST, it is never quite that bad !!! Currently we are having a “challenging” time. What could have…(should have) been a relatively simple assignment has evolved into a scratch your head and brainstorm type of nightmare. We have a little irrigation pond up by the house, the irrigation pipe to said little irrigation pond appears to have become obstructed to the point that the pond is no longer irrigating ( not too helpful !) but it is filling and consequently become an issue we had to address. The artists impression of a little pond at the farm is probably surreal with calm clear water, a few reeds, a duck or two and some water lilies…not our little irrigation pond ! Fortunately courageous WWOOFER Carla isn’t afraid of a few little bugs, she’s not even afraid of a few really big bugs and she doesn’t mind getting dirty. The fact that Carla has no problem with mud was very lucky because the project is inordinately muddy. The first task was to locate the drainage pipe that traverses the pasture and comes up in the pond….somewhere. But where? A drain snake ( not a real one) was rammed up the field end and Carla and I were deployed around the pond to spot bubbles. We have it on very good advice that a tin can indicates the location of the end we were intently watching for….but we saw no tin can and the only bubbles were from irritable dragon flies and midges whose tranquillity had been disturbed. After becoming a three course meal and supper for a million biting bugs Greg called to regroup and reconsider the situation..Two metal pipes were inserted in the field end of the irrigation pipe….bubbles were spotted…right in the middle of the pond. Deep dirty and muddy the pond was making sure that this project was going to be far from easy and when the pond end of the metal pipe decided to stay in the pond leaving the field-end unattached, we had had enough of the pond experience and adjourned for dinner. Our next and super impressive plan of action involves “The Jolly Roger”, our little row boat is to be launched, with a bit of luck no one will go overboard and the pesky pipe with its pesky can will be located. Update when I have one.
PS Carla DID get very dirty !
Macho the buck is still not his usual lustful self. We have been treating him for founder but haven’t discounted the fact that he probably got up too close and personal to one or all of the cows and he is isolated to give him time to recover. Unfortunately, having Macho in the barn means we all have a tendency to smell like a buck in the rut…..not recommended !
Well, today is my twin’s birthday, 37 years ago I began an adventure with them…and they surely haven’t made life boring. Happy Birthday boys, I’m proud of you.
Well on that meditative note I have travelled back into another time and another life, life was good, this life is better !
Take care, keep safe, M
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