Yesterday I waltzed out to the garden with the tater fork and dug until I filled a 5 gallon bucket of potatoes. Took 12 feet of a five foot bed to do it – it was the shadiest and weediest part of the tater zone, too. Threw the foliage on the compost heap, hit the area with a hoe and planted a hundred purple hull peas on 9 inch spacings. Took one hour. I probably had one hour invested in digging, planting and mulching that spot this spring, and will get maybe two quart jars of cowpeas out of that area before frost. Sow kale and winter wheat in that spot a few weeks before frost and I’ll have winter greens for the rabbits and chickens, and some for the table.
All in all that’s most of a day’s work for 60 square feet intelligently cultivated when you work it in around all the critter chores and such. Toss a few of the cruddy spuds to the pig, feed the wheat grass to the milk goat, and kale for the chickens (and radishes just cuz I sprinkle radish seeds anytime I stir up dirt – a few of them grow under any conditions). So eggs and potatoes and milk and cowpeas and radishes and a hunk of pork. Maybe we eat for a day for a day’s work.
What will we eat tomorrow? I’m not in the garden today – it’s raining and I have a table to dismantle and move up from the basement, old nasty insulation to haul out of the attic getting ready for the ceiling job, banking hassles to tend to and Taekwondo tonight. And, to be blunt, my motivation level is in the toilet. The bread loaf is getting small… I’ll just jump right on the ol Country Living Grain Mill after I make the boy his lunch. Did I shit today? Better give the pigs some water… I’m obviously not going to get to Joplin today and get electrical permits filed so I can get power on at the burn out rental house.
Table dismantled, moved to the garage and reassembled. Get goats out of the road. Insulation out over the kitchen and living room. Puncture wound on skull from errant nail, multiple bruises. Stupid bank giving me the run around. Unload truck. Load insulation on truck. Taekwondo. Pigdogcatchickenrabbitgoatupfornight tuck in the boy kiss the wife.
Tomorrow looms.
comrade simba 
July 22, 2009 at 6:23 am |
Another day in paradise.
Just think, some people would pay cash money to “intern” on your farm.
Winter is coming. By the old calendar…fall starts August 1st.
Keep plugging away.
July 22, 2009 at 7:32 am |
Yeah, zzyzx, Lammas is a much better designation for Autumn. No, people won’t pay to intern here, and the room and board for work hasn’t yielded results worth a shit. However, got a new couple coming in a week or so and they’re in the over 40 crowd with country roots. Third time’s charm. The problem with youth is that they haven’t gotten the shit kicked out of them yet, and still think the civilization game is fun. Flying monkeys at 4 o’clock.
July 22, 2009 at 9:33 am |
I feel for ya brother; really—- it’s not a whine, just a statement of the facts; ya gotta mix it all up in your mind to try for the order for maximum results. Ya Get more done before you take breakfast than most wage slaves do in a day’s work. A mile long list and never enough time.
I’m thinking the burn out house was an overextension of yourself; resolve to get thru it and watch youself carefully in the future. Kissing the Mrs and spending time with the yard ape are VERY important. You are going to turn around twice and the yahoo will be a grownup himself. As I’ve said I regret too much time spent rehabbing property. $$$ were most excellent but MORE time should have been spent camping in the yard and transferring values/skills by example and association to my oldest. All I did was give my oldest an inclination to the “civilization game is fun” attitude and a distaste for any “extra ” labor. He’s still A-OK and will work like a dog for his values but dodges helping out at the homestead. #2 has got his head on in the proper direction; he’s got his own life but sees all by himself what needs doing and t’aint scared to geve it his best shot. Screw ups occur; but frankly I’d rather see the effort with dumb results than have to ask repeatedly to get the help. Good luck with the new folks; I’ve never found anybody I could depend on. Heck, I consider myself ahead of the game if the Hired companies do their work mostly right and on time.
July 22, 2009 at 4:16 pm |
Shit, I guess I missed the post where yer “intern” flew the coop! Thought he was workin’ out great? Oh well, like ya said, 3rd time….
Next time ya wanna “whine”, ha ha, just think about asshole bosses, brown nosin’, back stabbin’ co-workers, traffic jams, stupid commuters, “by the way, would you mind working late”…. I’ll take a tater patch any day…
July 23, 2009 at 10:16 pm |
I sitting next to Mayberry wondering what happened to the intern. Kinda guessed it didn’t quite work out, maybe that third time. Had tomato worms on my potatoes – first time ever, kids had fun feeding them to the chickens.
July 24, 2009 at 8:39 pm |
Musicians don’t wanna get up before noon. Bzzzzzz – unsuited to country life. So he took up a squatters position at the town house remodel job as “site security”. That’s not working out too well at the moment either.
You see, I’m a “douchebag”, dickhead asshole or whatever – Fuck you over and then give you the boot type s.o.b. Fine, I’m not gonna argue details… let’s just say I’m not a Patron of the Fine Arts – you wanna sing for your supper do it on somebody else’s dime.
I don’t have time to play games. Doom ain’t no party, it ain’t no disco, it ain’t no foolin’ around… Plant shit or die.
July 25, 2009 at 10:23 am |
ah, I have a brother with a similiar outlook. Got the same labels when he was asked to leave.
July 26, 2009 at 9:16 am |
That’s a shame. Seemed like a go getter at first…
July 26, 2009 at 4:34 pm |
Consider de-functioning the electricity in the interns room before next intern moves in. At least until you know they’re in the habit of sleeping nights and working days. Without the net, the tube or other distractions most of us will sleep a bit after dark with no problems. Of course there’s no solution to “won’t work” except an invitation to do it somewhere else.
November 2, 2009 at 2:46 am |
I have tried growing my own wheatgrass buy buying the juice powder is easier!
November 2, 2009 at 3:00 pm |
That makes you an asshat.