Thursday morning (June 15), Mike and his motorcycling buddy left on a 3-day trek to Missoula and other Montana locales. I, of course, staycated with Bess. I was going to spend it on the farm, but at the last minute, I decided just to make a day trip to the farm on Friday. It would be easier, I told myself, and give me the opportunity to do garden work here in town on a cooler day. That happened.
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| Wheat crop looks good, I think |
Friday morning, I was up before 5:00. Bess and I walked around our long block. I had 2500 steps before I started to load the Jeep. We can’t carry as much in the Jeep as we did in the pick-up, so, besides checking on the raised beds and watering, this trip was an opportunity to take the stuff that always gets left behind – my projects – to the farm, including the large wedding portrait of my maternal grandparents. (I wonder what they would think if they knew it will now hang in my paternal grandparents’ house.)
Bess and I were at the farm by 8:30. The clocks were an hour behind, so at some point, the electricity had been off, probably the result of a storm. I found one mouse in trap. It’s Mike’s job to take care of that, but in his absence, I did it. (Better than the alternative.)
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| Wild roses at the pond |
We toured the pond first thing, and then I set to work. I refilled the hummingbird feeders, and then I picked a pint of strawberries. (That’s farm talk for 2 cups.) The netting saved most of the berries, and they are lovely with more coming on. After watering, I covered the strawberries with a better piece of netting. The squashes and beans look good, and the carrots and lettuce have sprouted. I hung out two medium loads of laundry and also ran the dishwasher.
I brought transplants from the town yard for the bank behind the house, but I didn’t get to that work until afternoon, and by then it was HOT. As I think about it now, I might have just tossed them and no one would have been the wiser, but I worked away until they were all planted.
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| Bess found a bone on our walk |
At 2:30, my Fitbit buzzed to indicate that I had met my daily 10,000-step goal. I was tired and ready to return to town, but the clothes weren’t quite dry. In the meantime, I offered Bess another walk, figuring that she would opt for the pond. She NEVER wants to walk anywhere with me but at the pond, but this time she sashayed down the lane – the last thing I wanted to do! We just walked to the Plank place and then back to the farmhouse. Mike’s routine is to play fetch with her after the walk, so naturally, she expected this of me. I threw 10 balls with the Chuck-It.
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| Teakean Butte barely visible |
Long story short, I finished up my chores and loaded the Jeep, taking care not to forget the precious strawberries, and about 4:00, we left for town.
As I slipped into bed, my Fitbit showed 15,993 steps. Yes, I got up and walked another 7 steps for an even 16,000. KW
My wife is driven! What a hard working gal.
ReplyDeleteThese are beautiful photos. It seems like you do almost as much alone as when both you and Mike are there. I'm glad you have the energy. May it always be so.
ReplyDeleteHA! Mike is the driven one. He runs circles around me. Accomplishment seems so important, but as I've heard you say, Chuck, in 50 years, no one will know or care, and actually, no one will know or care next year. I do feel that we deserve daily quiet time to nurture our souls.
ReplyDeleteThe chores that I did were my chores, not Mike's. The difference was that I was working under a time crunch. If I had been there more than a day, I would not have had to do so much in a few hours.
And while I didn't say so, I also looked for a piece of vintage linen. Time in the sewing room is always restorative, but I was disappointed not to find it. But -- I did find an old sewing machine accessory (a walking foot) which I thought was long gone. I will give it to Hallie.