It's spring!
Mood:  lucky

FINALLY, we have our first calf of the year. We have been expecting one since late December (obviously there was a miscalculation!) and, at last, it is here! What a little cutey. It was born very quickly--we did the chores this morning and wondered if Mama was going to have it today. I checked on her before noon and the calf was up and trying to nurse! I would say I expect Buffalo Girl to deliver today but I have been saying that any number of days now!

We also have a chicken setting on some eggs (since last weekend) and lots of blooms! Although the Mayhaws got frosted at absolutely the wrong time, the pears and blueberries are looking good. It just might be a productive year despite the odd hot/cold spring weather. We are hopeful.

It has been great porch weather. As an example of how good it has been I am posting a picture of our two boys--one happily lounging and using his brother as a cushion, the other annoyed at me for waking him.

More Chillin'
Mood:  chillin'

Well, the sun is coming up and it is 18 degrees right now. This is not abnormal for February--just abnormal for the lows in the 50's we've been having. Since our pear trees are now in full bloom--and we've had little rain to cushion the blow--we fear for the worst. But, that is farming. Anyone who has ever read Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder knows it has ever been so. 

The odd thing is that it is impossible to feel hopeless in the spring. Fall, yes but spring, no way. Every day shows something new fighting its way to the surface or showing a bit of green. This is why people still love to farm. And that also has ever been so. 

Oh no!!
Mood:  chillin'

Oh no!! After weeks in the 70's and 80's with warms nights as well, the pears, mayhaws, and citrus are covered in blooms. The pomegranites and figs have leafed out. The blueberries are budded. Everything thought it was spring.

Then, cool air blew in some much needed rain. We got only a quarter inch but hoped it would be enough to give the ground enough additional mass to hold some warmth. Unfortunately at 5 AM the temp on the porch was already down to 30 degrees. That is NOT a good sign.  

Frosty Day
Mood:  cool

 

It was a frosty morning this morning. The crystals in the grass were shining like diamonds and John wore his Rocky squirrel hat. It was one of those mornings when a warm house feels like a huge blessing. Our only concern is for Buffalo Girl's calf--due any day now. I hope s/he waits for a toastier day!

Update
Mood:  chatty

I found the camera! The picture shows our herd, including Midge and Cocoa. Midge is in the forefront with Cocoa to her right. Cocoa is half lowline angus and half Murray Grey. Midge is half Dexter and half lowline angus. Midge will be a year old in January and Cocoa is about 5 months old. It is possible Midge was bred when we bought her but we hope not. Because the are both naturally polled (hornless), they will (hopefully) give us calves that do not need to be dehorned. We would have preferred to stay with purebred Dexters but both price and proximity made diversity a better approach.

Now that we are nearing the end of the year, this is a good time to look back and reflect as we move forward. For a while there, struggles with weather made me ready to give up on the farm. This past summer we had a great  crop in the garden and it looked like a good year for fruit. Then we had a severe drought followed by a flood that annihilated the garden. This was followed by a huge crop of caterpillars and other bugs. The cows were bedeviled by them. It seemed as if we would never make a profit on the farm! We both questioned the choices we had made.

However, the market is slowly changing. I feel more hopeful now. The ironic thing is that if times do continue to get tough, our local farm makes sense. It means that if times are good, our farm has value because someone will have money to buy it from us some day when we are too old to tend it. And, if times get bad, the food we grow on it becomes more valuable. Either way, our farm makes sense as an investment of time, love, and money. It feels great to be able to end the year on a positive note and to again take joy in what we do.

New members of the herd
Mood:  celebratory
Tomorrow we are picking up two additions to our herd--both cross-breeds. We had a line on some full-blood Dexters at a reasonable price but Bruce wanted to sell them as a group. This would have been too much for us--4 cow-calf pairs would have overwhelmed our little herd. However, because that didn't work out we met Jessica and her herd of mismatched (but much loved) assortment. We decided to purchase a Dexter/Lowline Angus mix (10 months old) and a Lowline/Murray Grey mix (4 months.) We are excited to add them to the herd--pictures are coming (as soon as I remember what I did with the camera!!)

Full Moon!
Mood:  bright
The weather is doing its annual October thing--a few cold days to kill off the lingering summer crops before a return to warm weather. So, we are trying to keep some of those lingering summer crops alive through the cold spell so we can reap their bounty for a bit longer! I'm hopeful about the zucchini and cucumbers but worried about the tomatoes and eggplant. I've moved the peppers to the hothouse. I'm crossing my fingers about the watermelon--if we can't eat them, the cows and chickens will. The cold should sweeten the grapefruits and oranges. It is looking hopeful. YEAH!

Fall
Mood:  not sure

Fall.

Such an interesting word for a time when things are slowing (growth of grass, speed of heat-loving reptiles), things are dying (butterflies, annuals, heat-loving veggies), and things are settling in for the cool, dark days.

It is easy to become morose and maudlin at times like this. It takes energy to get up and get moving. I love working at the school but at this time of year it is easy to feel I do not make a difference. It is hard to rise up against the fall.

 What sustains me is the knowledge that this too shall pass. So, for now I will just fall and prepare to rise again. 

Making hay while the sun shines...
Mood:  sharp

It was a good day today--we put up our first hay. We cut it with the bush hog, raked it with a rake we picked up at Faul's in Lake City, and then put it up loose. By not using a baler, it is a relatively inexpensive way to make hay.

While we were working on this project, I was thinking about equipment maintenance. I've noticed that some folks don't really believe in maintaining their equipment. They don't grease and oil things; they don't protect them from the rain; they don't fix broken parts and as a result, equipment beats itself to bits. That is what someone did to the rake we bought, It was beat up. The bearings are shot. However, it was worth every penny of the $400 we paid for it. And, we will take care of it. We are like Phaedrus in "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance--we take joy in the hum of well-maintained equipment.

Hobby Farm?
Mood:  lyrical

Two weeks ago we had a flood that forced us to finally accept that times are not right for us to have a profitable farm. Although up until then we hadn't yet given up, a quick glance at our records and accounting would have shown what was in the cards.

 Up until two weeks ago were were still thinking we could make a go of this. John had completed our roadside stand; the chickens were producing eggs; the garden was going bonkers (we finally figured out a way to keep the chickens out of our veggies.) Then, we had 16 inches of rain in 27 hours. In that short time we lost most of our garden and our hope for sale-able produce. In addition, the chickens were traumatized and egg production went down the drain. In addition, animals driven by the rising waters to higher ground finished off the blueberries. The rains were too late to save the blackberries decimated by months without rain. It was too much too late.

However, this isn't the end of our farm. It is just a temporary stay in our efforts to be profitable. It is a switch to what the tax man calls "hobby farming." For now, we will put most of our energies into other endeavors--blacksmithing, teaching, yoga, and other projects.  Meanwhile, we will continue to experiment with sustainable methods and let the farm help us cut our food bill and provide us with heathier choices.

And, some day, it may be profitable to have a small farm. When that time comes, we will be here ready to begin again.