Farmer's Tan

I suppose you could say that getting a nice tan is a bonus when you work outside. I certainly don't mind getting tanned even though the tan is only on my lower arms, face and neck! Today, I tried using a sewing awl to repair the high tunnel end wall, but the feed bag I was using for a patch ravelled mercilessly and I will have to think of something else to use. The sweet potatoes and pole beans survived the frost last night so I was glad I took the precaution of double wrapping all the seedlings in the high tunnel with Agribon 19. I watered everything and came back to the house.

This afternoon after I took care of Lara, I went with Tom and Ed to Tom's garden area next to the farm house and we planted Tom's potatoes. The sun was hot but the work was not unbearable because there was a slight breeze. We are seeing a lot of people going by on the road that are up for the holiday.

After we came back to the house, Tom helped me fix the little lawn mower Dad gave me and we got it going. Ed will be cutting the grass around the field sections tomorrow if the weather holds! I'll be working on the chicken skid as I bought the hardware cloth and latch bolts I need to build the ramp door. Unfortunately I midjudged how big the chicken skid would actually be and the door I was going to use will not fit. Oh well, I'll use that door for something else! In any event, I am still looking for roofing material other than a tarp that will give the chickens some better protection from the elements. I must remember to bring the saw out with me so I can even off the joints and staple on the chicken wire over the side walls.

The new moon is tomorrow, and it is also Tom's and my 34th wedding anniversary. Time sure flies! He was cocky and had that cherry red 1973 Chevy Nova SS. You know, that was a great car. . . . Anyway, some time this weekend we plan on having a bar-b-que. The American Legion wants to give us a blue star banner at the festivities at Butternut High School on Monday to honor our Sarah, who is in Afghanistan, so we will go to that. Maybe Tom will decide to get involved with the Legion activities; I think he would like that.

We had some fun today with Google Earth. We looked up some of Tom's old Air Force buddies' addresses and then we tried refining our address since for some reason Google and Yahoo have our address farther North on FF than what it actually is, but I can't seem to be able to correct the error. Well, it isn't that far off, but then, their location is still part of the farm.

The chickens really like running around the woods near the house. They have decimated my herb garden unfortunately, and I have to keep the garden boxes covered with Agribon to keep them out, but it is fun watching them run around. They seem to enjoy digging through the duff layer under the trees. I keep the feed and water inside the chicken coop and fenced area to keep them close. I have already noticed a slow down in their feed intake, but I have ordered another 1/2 ton of feed from Bernie. He will call me when it is in. Any feed broiler/grower feed that is left over will go to the next batch of chickens -- and ducks. As soon as I have everything planted I will start butchering. I figure I can do a couple of chickens a day in the evening. I bought Herrick Kimball's book "Anyone Can Build A Tub-Style Mechanical Chicken Plucker" and that is another project on my To Do list!

Tomorrow is the opening day for the Phillips Farmers Market at it new location across from Copp's grocery on Highway 13. I will not be there because I don't have anything yet despite my best efforts, but it shouldn't be more than two or three weeks before I have some peas, lettuces, scallions, and radishes. So do try to go and support the local producers who are able to attend!