SUDDENLY SUMMER? -- MAYBE NOT

Throw back the bedspread and the electric blanket, but don’t put them away. Yesterday was 93 degrees at our town house and it was 60 when I got up at 6:30 this morning – a far cry from the low of 36 at the farm on Tuesday morning. In conversation with our Seattle girl yesterday, she said they were having a thunderstorm with real rain, not just the customary drizzle. I briefly wondered how long it would take that storm to reach the east side of the state. Well – at 1:30 a.m. the little men played through, making a few big cracks with their “bowling balls” before rolling on, but whether it was the same storm or another, I couldn’t say.

Farmhouse from the south field

Mike is in “prep mode” for his upcoming motorcycle trip, so every day he crams in as many tasks as he can in order to earn the right to play. (We were raised that way, you know.) And I’m busy making online orders for my staycation gifts.

Finally finished

We went to the farm Monday morning (May 1). Mike was prepared to paint the kitchen ceiling, but I suggested the texturing was too light. I know he wasn’t happy for the interruption in his plans, but he reluctantly agreed to add more. Waiting for the texture to dry meant mowing on Monday rather than Tuesday, which proved to be a good thing because it rained on Tuesday. In summary (long story short), “we” retextured the kitchen ceiling and painted it, mowed the lawn, and replaced the faucet in the utility room.

And that brings us to Wednesday. “We” cleaned the “mechanical room” and Mike scrubbed the kitchen and utility room floors. Then “we” went to the barn and re-affixed the second story door that blew off in the infamous winter of 2016-17.

Rapeseed begins to bloom

And since it was finally a lovely day, I took pictures. To us, the rapeseed crop looks sparse in spots. We don’t need to worry about that, but we always hope the farmer does well.

Note the iris behind the compost barrel

I have a new compost barrel at the farm, and needing one for the town house, I decided the top section and lid of the old barrel would be adequate. I had set it aside near the woodshed for a time when we would have room to take it, but before that happened, the wind blew it away. I found the top unit in the north field, but the lid apparently sailed away to parts yet unknown. We may never find it. Well, we brought the top to town and Mike put an old lid on it – which will work until the wind blows again. KW