Monday, April 14, 2008

SPRING OPENING 2008


“If we don’t have it, I don’t know what it is,” I remarked to Mike as I locked the door of the town house behind me. “Oh! It’s the camera!” We were leaving for the farm, so I was pleased to hear that mental reminder to get the camera.

On our way, we stopped at Peck at the site of the old grain elevator so that Mike could look for a geocache. I made the initial trip down the river bank but could tell we would likely not be able to approach the cache due to high water, which proved correct. I took a picture to prove I had been there and returned to our parking site to hunt bottle caps. I found two!

At the farm, our first order of business was to turn on the water, but before doing that, it is necessary to install the tub and shower faucets. We wished we had thought of that before we turned the water on. Anyway, recovering from that mishap, we had only two basic problems: 1) some part at the back of the refrigerator had cracked and will have to be replaced before we can have cooled water and ice, and 2) the sprayer nozzle at the kitchen sink cracked. We will add “turn off refrigerator” and “remove sprayer nozzle” to our winterization list.

There was no sign of mice in the kitchen – always a good thing! – but the trap in the attic held three mice carcasses. Those industrial traps are great! On the down side, some critter(s) has riddled the yard on the south side of the house with tunnels. I provided a complimentary meal in any hole I could find. Is this too much information? Well, outwitting the vermin is a part of country life because they will ruin your work if they get a chance.

The daffodils are just short of blooming. In fact several bloomed in the warm sun of Sunday afternoon. It was disappointing to see that I lost some of the iris I planted. I probably didn’t set the corms deep enough. Live and learn. Twelve raspberry plants are struggling to overcome damage inflicted by the deer. Out of 25 strawberry plants I set out last year, I count ten.

The pond is full to overflowing which means that the cistern also is full. The wind came up early Sunday morning with gusts continuing all day, making it difficult to impossible for us to do tasks involving spraying. But Mike did lube the windmill.

Mike has left shoulder pain and has scheduled surgery for April 29. Knowing he is facing a recuperation period is pressuring him to complete spring work that might be done more leisurely if circumstances were normal. My blogs this week will relate more about our work, including pictures, I hope.

3 comments:

Hallie said...

I tried, but I could not see that little doggie in any of these photos!

Kathy said...

Oh but you will! The blog will focus on our "spring opening" activities during this week.

Anonymous said...

Have you heard of the Goji berry? It grows on a draught tollerant cold-hard upright bush in the himilayas natively. Ten years ago nobody had heard of it, but oriental herbalists. Study of folk medicine has become fashionable in recent years and it has been discovered that these berries are one of natures most potent sources of anti-oxidents. Seriously, they make Alaskan Blueberries look like bleeched flower. They use them to treat cancer patents. Anyway, look them up. I figure they'd grow really well up on the farm if the deer could be kept off long enough for them to get established. Aparently the kashmier yaks don't kill them. Oh, and buy the way a mature bush yields 40# per year and they sell for $15/#. I'm going to give my hand a try. - mvw