THE BETTER THE DAY, THE BETTER THE DEED

Mike and I made another day trip to the farm on Easter Sunday. I missed sharing a Sunday morning sweet roll with our boys, but Sunday was when we could go.

We hauled the stack of firewood from the bottom of the lane to the barn – five trips in the little 4-wheeler trailer. After lunch, I weeded one of the raised beds to prepare it for tilling, while Mike processed another downed tree, made yet another slash pile, and hauled more firewood to the barn. By the time we finished our various chores, it was too late to till and plant. We headed back to town.

The contractor has repaired the metal roof on the house. You know how it is. Time marches on and the original color is no longer available, so the new metal doesn’t even come close to matching the old. Preliminary discussion included reroofing the whole house, which insurance was willing to cover, but we just didn’t want that expense or the disruption. The repair is on the back of the house anyway. We’re disappointed, but that’s the way it is. The interior repairs to the master bathroom are proceeding, and the work will be completed this week. A final inspection is scheduled for Friday.

Town trees

You know, these repairs were occasioned when the horrific windstorm of 12-17-25 thrust a slim but pointed pine branch through the metal roof and into the ceiling of the master bathroom. One thing leads to another, and the repairs were more extensive than what I would have thought.

Our town temps have been right at 80 the last few days. As my brother Chuck predicted, we went right from winter to summer. Well, it feels like that anyway, but it’s too soon to tell. KW

EASTER GREETINGS

 

FARM WORKDAY

Mike & Clint at the burn pile

Sons Murray and Clinton joined us at the farm on Saturday (March 28) so that we could push forward on the project to clear the yard of tree debris. They raked and then hauled to the burn pile by means of the 4-wheeler trailer. They did us a world of good, and we appreciate it.

After lunch, a neighbor met us at the bottom of the lane with his heavy-duty wood splitter with which he commenced to split the big pine rounds from the tree that fell there. Murray and Clint rolled the wood to the splitter and tossed the resulting firewood to Mike who stacked it in the back of the pick-up. It was heavy work, and again, we appreciate the help. We probably have yet another load of wood waiting in the lane not to mention the tree in north field.

This salamander on Clint’s fingers is the second one I have seen this spring, and they are both the first that I remember seeing in the wild. A couple of weeks ago I found one as I was digging in the orchard behind the house. In fact, I inadvertently injured it, but I recalled that they can reproduce their missing parts, so I apologized to it and left it alone. Clint found the one in the photo as we worked in the wood at the bottom of the lane. My research indicates that the presence of salamanders is a sign of a healthy ecosystem. KW

AHHH, SPRING!!

Daffodils grow wild under the pine trees in the grove

Mike and I made another Sunday trip to the farm. This time we turned the water on and rinsed the antifreeze out of the plumbing. We anticipated no problems, and we had none. It simply wasn’t cold enough this winter to cause plumbing woes. Nevertheless, we are always guardedly cautious because – you know, Murphy’s Law.

I ran machines – a rinse/spin for the washing machine and a couple of wash cycles for the dishwasher. It felt great to finally get that load of dishes washed and put away! We also turned on the fridge and I cleaned it.

Due to recent rain storms, we have standing water in the fields. The pond is now overflowing onto the path and into the spillway. I guess it’s a good thing that we at least begin the growing season with water. A hot summer is in the forecast.

We saw no ducks, geese, or quail at the pond – only redwing blackbirds.

After 20+ years in the ground, our mailbox fell over and has to have a new post. Mike spent the afternoon working on it. It’s place at the corner is now saturated with water, so I’m not sure how this will work out.

Meanwhile, I raked the yard and picked up tree debris – just not fast enough. And there was even more yard debris since our last visit due to the windstorms. At least the trees are still standing.

Daffodils and violets by the front steps

I loved seeing the daffodils in bloom – and the violets. The Crown Imperial are coming up. The cherry tree looks good. I’m guardedly cautious about the apple trees. Two rhubarb plants are making a comeback, and the strawberry bed survived the winter.

Mike suggests I grow lots of vegetables this year. Would that I could! If you only read the pictures here, you know that my main raised bed is dilapidated. We have discussed a quick repair.  Gardening wouldn’t be quite the challenge if we didn’t have to fence everything.

The other thing is that the vegetables themselves are a challenge.  I think it’s the heat and lack of rain as much as my lack of gardening skill. KW

A BRIEF UPDATE

 

We've adjusted slowly to Daylight Savings Time at our house. I start the day late at 7:30 instead of 6:30 and supper has been late by the clock all week. But strangely, we want to go to bed at 9:00 (8:00 p.m. standard time), which means we’re actually sleeping longer.

We had a lot of rain last week which caused regional flooding and mudslides. We knew it would be too muddy to work in the field at the farm, so we didn't go. 

Instead, we went geocaching Sunday afternoon. I took the above photo of our Valley from the Vineland Cemetery.

Temps this week are supposed to warm into the 70s. KW

WHAT TIME IS IT?

 

I usually don’t suffer too much through the time changes, but I was confused on Sunday (March 8) with the switch to DST. I was up early -- at least, I thought I was -- but I missed my 7:00 a.m. steps. Then the whole day was off. It seemed like we left for the farm in good time, but it was after 10:00 by the clock when we got there. Back in town, it was nearly 7:30 when we ate supper, and at 9:00, Mike announced that he was ready to go to bed. “But Mike,” I said, “it’s really only 8:00!” But he was adamant that he couldn’t stay awake – until he got to bed, that is.

And so far, that’s the way the week has gone, though I have adjusted somewhat. I understand that we arise late by the clock, but we happily go to bed at 9:00 (formerly 8:00).

A stack of wood at the pond awaits cutting / loading

We tend to think that spring is here, but it’s really only March. We hardly know what to expect from the weather anymore, but we could still have wintry conditions even into April. Still, we have signs of spring. A hummingbird buzzed the living room window in town this past weekend. “Where’s the feeder,” it demanded to know. And on the farm, the earliest of the early daffodils are beginning to bloom and the Crown Imperials are pushing through the soil.

Cottonwood Butte in distance

On this trip to the farm, Mike finished the cuts on the big tree, and I continued raking the yard. We thought about turning on the water but decided to put it off until our next visit and give de-winterization our first priority so that we can deal with potential problems. Then housecleaning will begin in earnest.

Temp was in the 50s and the sun was warm. The afternoon was breezy.

Reflections on the pond

At Bess’ request, I accompanied her to the pond. She likes to poke around there, but she doesn’t explore on her own. We scared up a large covey of quail living in the cattails, and two pair of geese got up from the south end of the pond and noisily flew off. I was sorry to have disturbed them because I like to be hospitable, but if they don’t return, that’s fine, too.

The pond is full but not overflowing into the spillway. And while we had close to an inch of rain in town early last week, the ground at the farm seemed drier to me. In fact, I got along fine in old shoes and was more comfortable as I worked.

Mike checked the upstairs bathroom and pronounced it bird-free. Hmmmm. I wonder. We hope the contractor can make our repairs soon. KW

“WORK?!”

 

As I was raking the farm yard on Sunday (March 1), Maynard G. Krebs came to mind. Maynard was the beatnik character played by Bob Denver on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Some of us will remember how he would screech, “Work?!”

Maybe you’re tired of hearing about the weekly “fallen tree” tasks on the farm. Well, I’m tired of it, too. On Sunday, Mike sectioned the big tree in the north field into 8-foot lengths while I loaded slash piles in the yard into the 4-wheeler trailer to be hauled to a burn pile in the field. I was not an enthusiastic worker, I’m afraid. I think I only loaded three trailerfuls.

It was another warm day (55 degrees), but it had snowed earlier in the week as evidenced by a few piles of snow in shady spots. The temps are so mild that we think we could de-winterize the house before long. It would surely be easier to manage our visits if we did.

Anyway, I allowed myself the opportunity to pursue some interests in the house. Daughter Hallie purchased an electronic piano and has undertaken to renew and expand her skills, so I selected a few books from my family’s collection of music that I think she can use. Naturally, she can have what she wants, but I included just a few slim books in the box with Silas’ afghan.

And then I went upstairs to go through an old pattern file inherited from my mother – patterns from the ’30, ‘40s, and ‘50s, a number of which are “Laura Wheeler Designs.” These were sold through newspapers – another fun feature that disappeared years ago. I’ve looked through that box many times, but yesterday I realized that my grandmother, “Mrs. C. O. Portfors,” ordered several apron patterns, and since I like vintage aprons, I immediately felt a link to her. I have apron patterns, too, and my current quest is a pattern for “Mrs. Hall’s apron.”

And while I was upstairs, I checked out the master bathroom which is currently torn apart and startled a pair of starlings – or did they startle me? I yelped and they squawked. Later, Mike opened the window and spoke to them, encouraging them to fly out, but they didn’t leave while we were present. We hope they are gone. It begs the question as to how they got in, but the contractor will have to address this.

Besides warming soup for lunch, I heated the oven and baked a package of Nestle’s refrigerated cookies.

The early daffodils are in “gooseneck” stage – signs of spring. KW