A few things on my mind

The following things are in no particular order and by no means comprise everything that is on my mind.  For example, I hope those impacted by flooding or tornadoes are provided the help and comfort that is needed.  On a more personal level, I hope our fields dry out in time to get more in the fields before the next rain event.  Given that caveat - we forge onward.

The picture below shows two of the things we have added to our farm over time that have helped us immensely with the work we do here.  It may not seem like much, but it isn't always the big things. 

The green blue cart is one of five we have on the farm.  They have their moments (like when a wheel breaks).  But, they are an integral part of every day efforts.  Then, there is the discovery and purchase of "nest and stack" boxes of various types.  How did we do work without those?  Well, I remember how we did the work and I seem to recall a whole host of problems with it!

My how things have changed.  The picture above is from last June.  Note the crispy grass that is normally reserved for a dry period in August.  Now, I'm "crying" about getting into my fields to plant things.  And, in other, less fortunate areas, they are talking about bridges and roads being washed out.  I may comment about the weather more than some since I am out in it so much.  But, I still think these wild swings are worth noting.

We welcome back Bunte Forellenschus this year.  We have not had it in production for a few years because the seed stock was not readily available to us.  Yes, the speckles on the leaves are supposed to be there.  Yes, it is a buttercrunch style of lettuce.  And, yes, it is tasty.

The bluebells in front of our house provided us with a mini-show this Spring.  It's always very good to see them, and sad to see them go.  We keep hoping that patch we planted gets a little bigger and stronger each year.  But, we weren't sure how it would respond to last year's drought.  I guess it made it through okay.

Barty, Sr has been one of the best purchases we've made for this farm.  Rob was able to spend several hours of quality time with Barty before the last batch of rain.
A note to anyone who might see promotional materials for BCS - they show a petite woman, who has nary a hair out of place, walking beside the tiller to illustrate how easy this machine is to use.  And, in fact, it is an excellent machine that I feel fairly comfortable with training most of our workers to use.  However, the promotional picture shows this person tilling an already tilled, perfectly level patch of ground that is not likely all that long.  If you are doing some real work with this tool you will feel it afterward.  Yes, it does most of the work.  Yes, a smaller person can handle it.  But, yes, some energy must be expended by the operator as well.  I think I'd have been less willing to pick on the promo picture if the person shown were wearing clothing that looked more like they actually *did* work in the garden.

And, to close things out - a few things that we're liking right now:

• Peach/lemon slushies after a long day working outside.  
• Asparagus and baby portabellas sauteed together.
• People who have skills and desire to fix equipment efficiently so we can get our work done.
• Henlets running around their pen in the morning.
• An excellent selection of heirloom tomatoes in pots and ready to go to sales on Friday and Saturday.
• Cucumbers sprouted in trays and hopefully ready to go in the ground this weekend (if weather permits).