-Picked up a load of corn in St. Louis.
-Dale came to do the hay on Saturday morning. He bailed it green this year for haylage. 19 bails on our farm and 2 from Mrs. Pycock. We didn't put fertilizer this year and there was 1/3 less hay.
-Bush-hogged all around the fields and rough section in the back field.
-Went to see the fireworks in St. Chrys for St. Johnny day. Emma liked it a lot.
-Cut the grass, repaired the steering on the lawn mower.
-Did a lot of weeding in the garden and put grass clippings and left over hay between the rows. Weeded and hilled the potatoes.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Wednesday, June 20th/2007
-Interview in Montreal. I used a GPS to get there-it works really well. Interview went well.
-Went to the neighbour's bush with Annie and Emma on the four-wheeler. We took a little ride to check on our wood that we'd skidded during the winter. All was well, but I was a little worried to see some other four wheeler tracks coming into the bush from the old ATV trail. Anyway, I'll try to get it out this summer.
-Toured around home with Annie and Emma on the four-wheeler. We discovered that the wild-strawberries were ripe, so we spent some time picking and eating. Emma loved them. When I asked if she liked them she said "yes", when I asked if she'd give me one she said and emphatic "no!"
-As we went to the cows to do the chores there was a really nice sunset. Emma looked and pointed at the sky and said "is nice outside".
-Finished processing birch.
-Went to the neighbour's bush with Annie and Emma on the four-wheeler. We took a little ride to check on our wood that we'd skidded during the winter. All was well, but I was a little worried to see some other four wheeler tracks coming into the bush from the old ATV trail. Anyway, I'll try to get it out this summer.
-Toured around home with Annie and Emma on the four-wheeler. We discovered that the wild-strawberries were ripe, so we spent some time picking and eating. Emma loved them. When I asked if she liked them she said "yes", when I asked if she'd give me one she said and emphatic "no!"
-As we went to the cows to do the chores there was a really nice sunset. Emma looked and pointed at the sky and said "is nice outside".
-Finished processing birch.
Tuesday, June 19th/2007
-Nervous. Interview for Customs tomorrow. Just did the chores, played with Emma outside and went to bed early.
Monday, June 18th/2007
- Processed the half of the birch that I'd skidded on the weekend. Branched it and cut it up into four foot sections. Piled it behind the woodshed.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Friday, June 15th-Sunday, June 17th/2007
- Had graduation ceremonies at school on Friday.
- Stayed with Emma in the AM while Annie was at work.
- Holly Tools Party in the PM. It was a fun party. When it was dark someone began to set off fireworks. It was the first time Emma had seen fireworks. She was in my mother's arms and was looking at the sky in amazement. And of course because I am in love with her so much, I was watching her reaction. I had this idea that her eyes reflecting the fireworks were more beautiful than the fireworks themselves. I forced myself to narrow down the thought to a cinquain. Here it is:
Fireworks;
Your eyes
Reflecting the explosions,
Seem more beautiful to
Me
or
Fireworks;
Your eyes
Reflecting the explosions,
Are more interesting to
Me
Can't really decide between the fourth line.
- Sunday was Father's day lunch at Ferme Montcalm.
- Skidded some birch trees from the ditch along back hayfield.
- Leveled the road along north-east corner of property with the back-hoe.
- Stayed with Emma in the AM while Annie was at work.
- Holly Tools Party in the PM. It was a fun party. When it was dark someone began to set off fireworks. It was the first time Emma had seen fireworks. She was in my mother's arms and was looking at the sky in amazement. And of course because I am in love with her so much, I was watching her reaction. I had this idea that her eyes reflecting the fireworks were more beautiful than the fireworks themselves. I forced myself to narrow down the thought to a cinquain. Here it is:
Fireworks;
Your eyes
Reflecting the explosions,
Seem more beautiful to
Me
or
Fireworks;
Your eyes
Reflecting the explosions,
Are more interesting to
Me
Can't really decide between the fourth line.
- Sunday was Father's day lunch at Ferme Montcalm.
- Skidded some birch trees from the ditch along back hayfield.
- Leveled the road along north-east corner of property with the back-hoe.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Thursday, June 14th/2007
- Fueled the truck. Topped fluids in it and Annie's car.
- Did the chores with Emma. She has to make sure she says "hi" to each and every cow and horse.
- Took it easy. Filled up the horse water barrel for over half and hour even though it was full. Watched the sun go down. I have to get ready for the easier pace during the summer.
- Did the chores with Emma. She has to make sure she says "hi" to each and every cow and horse.
- Took it easy. Filled up the horse water barrel for over half and hour even though it was full. Watched the sun go down. I have to get ready for the easier pace during the summer.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Wednesday, June 13th/2007
-It was Maurice's birthday so there was a little party at the farm. After supper Emma and I went to supervise the haying operation.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Tuesday, June 12/2007
- Reinstalled the 3 point hitch on the David Brown 990 and prepared it for transport.
- Raised the calf feeding trough on a wooden stand because the little bastards are always standing in their food and then they won't eat it when it's full of shit.
- Had to re-string a strand of wire on the east fence of the big pasture. Minimal damage, but a bother none-the-less.
- The calves and horses began to stampede (in their respective pastures) in a very disconcerting manner; they seemed to be getting more excited by seeing each other run. They eventually calmed down, but I was worried someone was going to go through the fence for sure. I also worry they'll go crazy like that when no one is there to supervise them.
- Finished up the lawn as there were uncut strips from the grass piles.
- I sat down for a beer just before dark, first time that happened in a while.
- Raised the calf feeding trough on a wooden stand because the little bastards are always standing in their food and then they won't eat it when it's full of shit.
- Had to re-string a strand of wire on the east fence of the big pasture. Minimal damage, but a bother none-the-less.
- The calves and horses began to stampede (in their respective pastures) in a very disconcerting manner; they seemed to be getting more excited by seeing each other run. They eventually calmed down, but I was worried someone was going to go through the fence for sure. I also worry they'll go crazy like that when no one is there to supervise them.
- Finished up the lawn as there were uncut strips from the grass piles.
- I sat down for a beer just before dark, first time that happened in a while.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Monday, June 11/2007
- Went for ice-cream with my girls. Unloaded miscellaneous stuff at my parents (spare barbeques, toys for Emma, etc)
- Mowed lawn. Blew it into piles for the garden. Annie and I picked it up just before dark and she started putting it between the rows.
- Mowed lawn. Blew it into piles for the garden. Annie and I picked it up just before dark and she started putting it between the rows.
Friday, June 8th-Sunday, June 10th/2007
- Actually took part of a day off to go to the Ormstown Fair with Annie and Emma. Emma really liked the pony ride. At the petting zoo she didn't care about the animals, but was more interested in the soap dispenser. We went swimming at Isabelle's house after the fair. Emma has no fear of the water, she jumps in over her head and doesn't want us to touch her or help her.
- Went for a load of corn at Ferme Montcalm.
- Whipped lawn and east fence line.
- Processed and prepared a load of scrap with Richard.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Wednesday, June 6/2007
-Picked up more supplement at the feed mill. Refilled silo. (Don't worry Mel, I haven't forgotten about your picture.
-Quite a surprise that 5 yearling standard bred were in the pasture full of piss and vinegar. Dale was supposed to bring them earlier this spring, but they arrived late so the grass has got a bit ahead of them. The horses look really good in the pasture, they make the scenery really come alive and look like they belong here. It's always a nice time of year when the animals bring the farm to life. Emma was curious about them and wanted to see them, but she wasn't as super thrilled as Annie and I thought she'd be. Anyway I'm glad I'd started my repairs last night as it took me until 9:45pm to finish up this evening (and not even one damned beer in the fridge at the end of it). The power is on and the electric is good. I also replaced about ten pickets and one corner post. The skeeters were out, but it was too cold for the black-flies.
Weather
Cool for this time of year, about 12 Celsius. There is actually a frost warning tonight for the townships and Adirondacks; the Valley is supposed to be okay though-good thing as our tomato plants are already in the garden.
Wildlife
I heard a strange croaking sound coming from the river as I was finishing the last few pickets. It was reminiscent of the drumming sound that the emus would make at Parc Safari. Upon investigation it turned out to be two ducks, however it was too dark to identify the species. That's the first time I heard them making that sound.
-Quite a surprise that 5 yearling standard bred were in the pasture full of piss and vinegar. Dale was supposed to bring them earlier this spring, but they arrived late so the grass has got a bit ahead of them. The horses look really good in the pasture, they make the scenery really come alive and look like they belong here. It's always a nice time of year when the animals bring the farm to life. Emma was curious about them and wanted to see them, but she wasn't as super thrilled as Annie and I thought she'd be. Anyway I'm glad I'd started my repairs last night as it took me until 9:45pm to finish up this evening (and not even one damned beer in the fridge at the end of it). The power is on and the electric is good. I also replaced about ten pickets and one corner post. The skeeters were out, but it was too cold for the black-flies.
Weather
Cool for this time of year, about 12 Celsius. There is actually a frost warning tonight for the townships and Adirondacks; the Valley is supposed to be okay though-good thing as our tomato plants are already in the garden.
Wildlife
I heard a strange croaking sound coming from the river as I was finishing the last few pickets. It was reminiscent of the drumming sound that the emus would make at Parc Safari. Upon investigation it turned out to be two ducks, however it was too dark to identify the species. That's the first time I heard them making that sound.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Tuesday, June 5/2007
-Began fence repairs on the big pasture. Quite a few pickets need replacing and the electric wire is down on the north section. It was a cool windy evening after a strong cold front moved through. There had been thunderstorms all day, but the weather really changed. It was perfect for pounding pickets: cool and no bugs.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Friday, June 1-Sunday, June 3 2007
-Went to Montreal to pick up some hardware.
I came home Friday night and Annie was doing some extreme night gardening with an LED headlamp at 9:30PM.
-Finished putting in the garden on Saturday. We had to separate all the seed potatoes because the shoots and roots had started growing in the buckets of sawdust.
-Changed the worn out tires on my car and finally got around to putting the summer tires on my truck.
-Went to open the Bang Bus(TM). I was quite surprised to find that a grass snake and big ass field mouse had taken up residency in the bus. Oh well I just cleaned it out and did not install the deep cycle batteries or propane tanks. I'll have to see if moth balls work. I dreamed all night that I was in bed with snakes after that incident. I'm not sure how much camping we'll do this summer.
-Helped Richard and Margaret work on their big garden near the Bus.
-It was a nice, breezy night with no bugs on Sunday, so Annie and I sat on the swing out back until 11:00PM - way past our bed time.
I came home Friday night and Annie was doing some extreme night gardening with an LED headlamp at 9:30PM.
-Finished putting in the garden on Saturday. We had to separate all the seed potatoes because the shoots and roots had started growing in the buckets of sawdust.
-Changed the worn out tires on my car and finally got around to putting the summer tires on my truck.
-Went to open the Bang Bus(TM). I was quite surprised to find that a grass snake and big ass field mouse had taken up residency in the bus. Oh well I just cleaned it out and did not install the deep cycle batteries or propane tanks. I'll have to see if moth balls work. I dreamed all night that I was in bed with snakes after that incident. I'm not sure how much camping we'll do this summer.
-Helped Richard and Margaret work on their big garden near the Bus.
-It was a nice, breezy night with no bugs on Sunday, so Annie and I sat on the swing out back until 11:00PM - way past our bed time.
Friday, June 1, 2007
May 31/2007
-Took my newly mounted wheels to St. Chrys to get them balanced as they won't fit on Richard's balancing machine.
-For supper we had T-Bone cooked on my fancy new Weber BBQ that was procured from the scrap. Damn good steak.
-After supper I rotor-tilled our newly expanded garden (appox 1/4 bigger than last year to accommodate squash and cucumbers, as well as to have more space between the rows.. I did it up and down and back and forth, it took me an hour. While I tilled Annie and Emma picked rocks. Emma really seemed to enjoy working and stuck with it the whole time. She patrols all over the garden, bends down and really looks for the rocks; she especially likes to throw the rocks in the loader of the tractor. Then we raced to get the fence installed before dark. Of course the page wire fence came from the scrap as well as the metal fence posts. Now the garden is ready to plant, a little earlier than last year. Annie went over her notes and made the plan before bed.
Weather
Humid, rain forestish. There was lightning and heavy rain during the night.
-For supper we had T-Bone cooked on my fancy new Weber BBQ that was procured from the scrap. Damn good steak.
-After supper I rotor-tilled our newly expanded garden (appox 1/4 bigger than last year to accommodate squash and cucumbers, as well as to have more space between the rows.. I did it up and down and back and forth, it took me an hour. While I tilled Annie and Emma picked rocks. Emma really seemed to enjoy working and stuck with it the whole time. She patrols all over the garden, bends down and really looks for the rocks; she especially likes to throw the rocks in the loader of the tractor. Then we raced to get the fence installed before dark. Of course the page wire fence came from the scrap as well as the metal fence posts. Now the garden is ready to plant, a little earlier than last year. Annie went over her notes and made the plan before bed.
Weather
Humid, rain forestish. There was lightning and heavy rain during the night.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)