My plan today was to spend the whole day outside getting a whole lot of work done. The forecast was favorable and the work was plentiful. I thought, “It is going to be a great day!”
So I awoke at 6:30 am to get my day started. After a brief rest stop I took a quick peek at the bed and figured I’d just lay down for a quick second before starting my day. It would give me time to plan it all out. An hour and a half later I awoke for the second time today. Yikes. How did that happen?
Not off to the best start but there was plenty of time to catch up. After a quick farm breakfast of fresh eggs and toast I jumped into my work boots and was off to do some farming. What a perfect day. Overcast so I didn’t have to put on sunscreen. A nice breeze to keep the bugs away. Mild temperatures. This was going to be a great day!
With all the rainy days this past month we have a lot of weeding/cultivating to do. The wind dried the soil enough to make it possible. What a perfect setup. It was like Mother Nature was playing into our hand. So I walked over to the Allis Chalmers Model G tractor to set it up for some spidering. Spiders are disk-like implements that have fingers for disturbing and moving the soil. They work well when the plants are bigger – but not too big – and the weeds are small. They dislodge the weeds along the rows and throw dirt onto the plant rows burying the small weeds in between the plants. With the right soil moisture levels they work great. The soil moisture levels were perfect. This is going to be a great day!
So the first thing I checked was the fuel level to ensure there was enough gas. Looked pretty low so I figured I’ll get it started and drive over to the garage to fill it up, check the oil and set up the spiders. With the recent replacement of the battery cables the engine turned over quickly. She started up a little roughly – figures after sitting around waiting for the rain to stop – but then it started running nicely. This is going to be a great day!
Clunk, clunk-clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk. Hmm. Why did the tractor stop? I’ll just crank it again and get it going. Rrrrr,rrrr,rrr,rrr,rrr,rrr,rrrr. Rrrrr,rrr,rrr,rrr,rrrrr,rrrr,rrr. Hmm. Not working. Maybe it just needs a bit more choke. Rrr,rrr, rrr,rr,rrr. Nope. Maybe it is flooded? So I take out a spark plug and notice, yes, it needs new spark plugs. These are all fouled and with new plugs it will run great. So off to the local tractor supply store for new spark plugs. Once I swap them out it will be a great day!
After a quick trip to the tractor dealer and back home again I open the box of spark plugs to get the replacement underway. Wait, there are only two plugs in this four pack of plugs! Shoot. Back to the dealer for the other two plugs. Soon it will be a great day.
Upon returning home I start replacing the plugs. While doing so it starts to rain. Not much. Just enough to be a nuisance. No matter. Once I get these replaced the spritzing rain will stop and I can get on with all the work that needs to be done on this great day.
After replacing the plugs I turn over the engine again. Rrr, rrr, rrr, rrr,rrr, rrr,rrr, rrr,rrr. Nothing. Must be time for its monthly carburetor cleaning. It seems at least once per month my 65 year old tractor needs a little TLC. I’m getting pretty good at taking off the carb, taking it apart, blowing it out with compressed air, reassembling it and putting it back on the tractor. Generally it takes me about a half hour these days. So that’s what I do. Once the tractor is reassembled it will be a great day!
While I’m at it I might as well carry the gas can back with me and fill up the tractor. Hmm, seems like there isn’t any gas in the tank. Could that be my problem? :-/ Might as well fill it up and get on with my great day.
The tractor starts. It runs like a top. The new plugs are working great. The carburetor is carbureting. I’ll put on the spiders and get going. After the first pass through the peppers I notice the rain made it a little more damp than earlier in the day. And with the longer weeds from the weeks of rain and lack of opportunity to control them, the spiders are getting clogged. It is time for lunch anyway and with the sun and wind it will dry right up and I can get on with all the cultivating that needs to be done; yes, by the afternoon it will be a great day.
After a quick lunch I head back out and start cultivating. Some places the moisture level is perfect. Other places are still a bit damp. Doing the best I can given the tall weeds and the too moist soil I cultivate the peppers and eggplants. The spiders do ok but keep clogging. The day isn’t quite as great as I had hoped. But I have an idea. What if I switch around the spiders so they spin in the opposite direction. Maybe that will make the clog potential diminish? So back to the garage with the tractor I drive to switch things around. Just as I’m taking the second one off the sky opens up for yet another dosing of rain. This dose is a more than the spritzing from earlier today. This is enough to put a significant damper on my otherwise great day.
So I park the tractor, come inside and sit down to write this week’s newsletter. The forecast for tomorrow indicates sunshine. Tomorrow will be a great day!
So what are we having for produce this week? We will have lettuce, garlic scapes, green onions, snap peas, radishes, summer squash, zucchini, some kohlrabi, some beets and hopefully broccoli. There may be eggplant by the end of the week. One thing I should mention. With all the rain we’ve had it has slowed down the growth of our plants noticeably. It shouldn’t be surprising that the lack of sun would make the plants grow slower but for some reason I feel with all the rain the plants should grow faster. But alas they don’t. So predicting how quickly – or slowly – the plants grow is challenging this year. We figured we’d have broccoli by last week. We did have some at the beginning but the broccoli we felt would mature later in the week hardly grew. So we are hoping it grows this week. Keep your figures crossed.
We are open on July 4th. Friday boxes will be delivered on Friday. Plan accordingly.
The first delivery of SeafoodShare is wrapping up. Those who haven’t received their seafood will get it by the end of the week.
MeatShare is coming on Friday July 4th.
I’m hoping to have small bouquets for FlowerShare. Did everyone notice that small was in italics?
We are still taking orders for IceCreamShare! Once per month pick-up (no delivery) of delicious ice cream from our friends at Castle Rock Organic Farm, the suppliers of our CheeseShare. Their cows are raised on pasture and enjoy the good life. Treat yourself to some delicious ice cream this summer! Sign-up sheet is in the pick-up tent.
Where does Ice Cream get educated?
Sundae School