Saturday night was the first downpour we’ve had in a while. So it didn’t surprise me when my tomatoes, which are really tall for the first week of July, were sagging over, taking their tomato cages with them. I don’t usually have to shore up tomatoes this early in the season, but …. gotta do what you gotta do. As I was pushing my stakes in, I found two ripe cherry tomatoes. Two. On the 5th of July. I have never ever had ripe tomatoes this early.
I usually pull out the cookbooks looking for tomato recipes in late July, early August. But I have the perfect recipe for these two darlings.
First of the Season Cherry Tomato Delight Ingredients
Two perfect cherry tomatoes
Salt (optional)
Instructions
After harvesting the two cherry tomatoes, rinse thoroughly
Pat tomatoes dry
Open mouth
Pop the first tomato in
Chew
Repeat
Serves just one
What summer produce are you looking forward to the most?
It’s been hot. Got the fan on in the chicken coop. At the moment, daughter just came back from her walk and the dogs are panting. She was smart enough to cut the walk short. Wednesday when it was so SO hot, I convince her to just make her laps in the shop, the only place we have AC. How funny is that? The shop has AC, the house does not. Well, just how it goes. Don’t want the tools to rust you know.
The boys and I found work in the shop this week. Sure glad I’m not milking cows in this weather. I’d have been grumpy and ornery. And hot and sweaty.
Man, life is just relentless. I went back to read last week’s farming update so I’d remember what I’ve already told you. Padawan 1 quit another job and he’s back with me. Which is OK, but I’ve still got P2 around. I can’t really afford both. And together…well, you know, two nineteen year olds… It’s more work for me to keep them both working independently. And they still chatter and make noises. Such nice young men… can’t wait to see how they are in about five years.
We’ve gotten 2.5” of rain the last few days. The latest drought monitor map has us as “abnormally dry” back on June 30, so presumably we’re in a little better shape now. We don’t need two inches in two days, but an inch over a day, every week would be nice. Down around Grand Meadow, they got 8″ of rain. My goodness…crazy stuff.
One day in the shop I had P1 in the cab of the tractor trying to figure out why the blinkers would only work randomly. I had him start in the fuse box. It has a diagram on the cover so you know which fuse is what. Somehow he still managed to read it backwards. Considering this is all kinda new to him I wouldn’t be so concerned. However as he’s rebuilding the engine in his car, I wish I had more confidence in his skills… Eventually he deduced the switch was bad. He removed the steering wheel and got the cover off so we could see the multi function switch. High and low beams, horn, and blinkers. I called John Deere. $665 for a new switch. Well. Blinkers are overrated. He squirted some circuit cleaner in there and reassembled. It took a few tries and he had to take the steering wheel back off to bend up some tabs to keep the nut holding the steering wheel tight. Again, should I be concerned about the lack of attention to detail? Well, it’s not my car engine he’s taking apart.
I took the boys on a road trip. We picked up a part in Plainview and then to my tire place, Appel Tire in Millville. Dropped off four tires: The one that was packed full of mud this spring which I cut apart to get the mud out of, a tire off the generator meaning I just needed a used tire to hold the air INSIDE, and I replaced two tires on the haybine. We went to lunch at the only place in town, Whiskey Dicks. Brat burgers were the special and they were really good. The boys spent an hour talking like hillbillies, which kind of annoyed me. Then we picked up the tires ($476.52) and came back home.
P1 mounted the tires back on to the haybine. (Funny how all the machinery I bought in the 1990’s or 2000’s needs new tires these days. The haybine, wagons, the corn planter, the grain drill. Like I should only expect 25 or 30 years out of a set. It’s not the tread, it’s the sidewalls that crack and wear out.) On a car, there are the studs, or bolts that stick out and you fit the wheel over them and add nuts. On farm machinery there’s a bolt that goes through the wheel and threads into a hub. So a little fussier getting things lined up. And it gave him trouble and he got mad and didn’t want to listen and I just had to walk away. It took him an hour but he got the two new tires on. It doesn’t help when I point out he’s letting a couple tires make him mad. There’s that lack of a soft skill again. It’s such a shame when you get in your own way, you know?
P2 has more soft skills. He was mounting a couple new LED work lights to the rear of the cab. I thought we’d have to run new wires up to the top lights and splice them in. But that’s when I noticed connectors tucked under the fender as part of the blinkers. Often, the entire wiring harness is installed and then only some of it is used. The lights that we added would have been part of a ‘premium’ lighting package. Up in the cab, I ordered a new switch for those lights ($67), and it came with a couple wires that simply plugged into a connector and BOOM! More lights. Can’t wait to need them. Looking forward to it.
Just add a couple wires
Bottom right, new switch!
P2 also figured out how to get my shop garage door to talk to my phone again. It used to work, then I think I hit ‘factory reset’ or something. I gave him the manual and my phone, and eventually using his phone, it all works again and I can open the shop door from your house. He told me never to get the book out again. He did it all by asking AI how to make it work. Crazy stuff. And that’s why I gave that job to him.
Crops are looking good. The beans are starting to fill in, the corn is well over knee high; it’s at least waist high if not chest high in some fields. The oats is starting to turn color. I picked up two bales of twine last week, because we’ll be doing straw before you know it.
Last week when I stopped at the library to pick up a couple of things, there was signage at the entrance that at 2 p.m., there was a schedule fire drill. I asked one of the librarians what was involved and she said “the drill rings, everybody goes outside and stands around until the bell rings to indicate they can come back in.” She said that they are usually very low-key.
But it made me think about what would happen if it were a real drill and the library was on fire. It reminded me of the ending scene of Legal Eagles, a wildly improbable film from the mid 80s. The bad guy sets a fire in a swanky art gallery in New York (where they just happen to be having a memorial service for one of the owners). As the funeral goers are rushing to get out, there is a quick shot of some folks trying to take some of the art with them:
So, here’s the drill. You’re in the library when the bells go off, somebody yells “smoke, smoke”. You have just enough time to save five books. What books will they be? I’ll get us started.
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
The Martian by Andy Weir
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Us by Heather McGee.
We went to Columbus because I love the television show “Secrets of the Zoo”. It ran for five seasons beginning in 2018 and spawned “Secrets of the Zoo Tampa”, “Secrets of the Zoo North Carolina” and “Secrets of the Zoo Down Under”. Down Under was resurrected a couple of years ago for an additional season and depending on what you’re willing to believe on the internet, there MAY be a Season 8. I was (am?) addicted to these shows – loved seeing the animals and the folks who cared for them. I’ve definitely seen all the episodes of all the show and most of them more than once.
The original Secrets explored the behind the scenes lives of the animals, the zoo keepers and the zoo vets. They also shared each episode with The Wilds, a safari park and conservation area about 90 minutes from Columbus. It looked as fascinating as the zoo.
When Guinevere passed away, YA and I were suddenly free to travel together – something that hadn’t happened for about 5 years. We decided that going to Columbus to see the Zoo and the Wilds would be perfect.
As is my norm, I immediately got a binder out and made tabs for air, hotel, rental car, cat boarding, zoo, Wilds and miscellaneous.
YA used her work “points” for the rental car, spent some On the Fly cards for the air and got a smokin’ hot rate at a hotel using her Iatan status. Turns out we even got Comfort + seating because she’s got a gazillion Delta miles. I asked her for confirming emails for everything so I could print them out – she begrudgingly did this commenting that it wasn’t necessary since she had all the info on her phone. Even the kitty boarding place sent everything via text and email. But not to be outdone, I dragged the binder with us to Columbus.
Because we were leaving at an ungodly hour from Minneapolis, YA set up Lyft transfers (cheaper than the off-site lots at the airport). Once we got to Columbus, she did all the driving because it would have cost extra every day to add a driver. So I let her choose the car. I didn’t even know what hotel we were going to before we drove up. She had handled that as well, including making sure it was a double/double configuration.
Really the only thing I was in charge of was the Zoo and the Wilds. Even those were handling with QR codes (used our MN Zoo membership to get a discount) and getting emails with links and receipts. Just had to flash my phone at the entrance of both.
Suffice it to say, YA was mostly in charge of everything during the trip and I didn’t open my binder one single time. It felt kind of freeing but sigh… the times they are a changin’.
How has travel changed for you over the years? For the good or for the bad?
We officially started our dog search about a month ago. It went quite quickly – adoption application, meet and greet at the foster’s home, a virtual home visit (which we passed with flying colors), more paper work. Took our Columbus trip, got home last Monday and picked her up on Wednesday!
She is one of five siblings who were “breeder release” dogs from Missouri. There are a couple of scenarios for this. Some BR dogs have been over-bred and the breeders don’t want them anymore. Then apparently many breeders quickly get in over their heads, especially if they get too many puppies around the same time or they just have other issues that keep them from getting their dogs adopted out. We think she is this latter category of “overwhelmed” as she clearly has not had puppies. The rescue organization (which is actually in Wisconsin) goes to breeder release events and purchases dogs which they then adopt out.
She came up as “Olga” on the rescue website. The foster mom said that they just make up the names – theses siblings came with just twine around their necks and little hand written tags. Olga’s said “37”. That was it. Apparently most of her 18 months have been spent in a kennel.
On the way to the meet & greet, YA and I decided we did NOT want Olga as a name so we came up with a short list. Isolde and Jorinda were completely shot down by YA immediately. We also added Arwen and Galadriel from Lord of the Rings. YA wasn’t crazy about these either but she didn’t rule them out. This lead me to Freya, Norse goddess of love. YA grudgingly thought this was OK.
As we entered the house to meet the dog, the foster mom said “she responds better to Freya than to Olga”. YA and I looked at each other and smiled – was there ever a better omen?
She is about average height for a female Sammy, although she is skinny at this point. Hard to tell with all that fur. She is extremely skittish and shy but she adapts well. After the first couple of airplanes overhead, she is now ignoring them although low-flyers that cast a shadow still bug her). She is very very curious and has already shown a passion for standing on her back legs and looking out the windows. The cat has decided she isn’t a threat but Freya doesn’t feel that way about the cat yet. She loves other dogs, so in a few more days, we may introduce her to some of the other canines in the neighborhood.
The rescue organization has some strict rules about adoption; they prefer to still have “ownership” of the dogs until their medical exams and spay/neuters happen. So right now we as “fostering to adopt” and the adoption will be finalized three days after the spay, which will most likely be towards the end of July.
We are ecstatic – she is very sweet and we already adore her. Now the race is on to find an Irish Setter to complete our little household!
I posted last week about some annoying words carved into rocks by our water feature (Live and Life). Well, I ran into another annoying, albeit amusing, word at church Sunday.
Husband was the worship assistant Sunday and his job was to read the lessons and the announcements for the week. The announcements are written by the church secretary, who is a woman. Husband did a lovely job, but one word in the announcements set my teeth on edge.
Our pastor is divorced and is getting remarried sometime this summer to a Methodist minister from Sioux Falls. The congregation is quite happy for her. Husband had to announce that all the “Ladies” were invited to a shower for the pastor next week in the fellowship hall in the basement. Isn’t that nice?
Ladies? Ladies? Why not congregation women? Give me a break. Does that mean that church “gentleman ” can’t attend? What constitutes a “lady” these days? What if you are not feeling particularly ladylike? Does that mean you can’t go to the shower? I asked a friend from my Dorcas circle, and she laughed and said I could attend the shower no matter how unladylike I felt.
Ever seen a production of Church Basement Ladies?What words are annoying you these days?
Well, if the NWS is correct, we will be having some scorching hot days this week. I am thankful for the inch of rain we received 4:00 am yesterday, so we can stay indoors and not worry about watering the garden beds. I am also thankful we have air conditioning.
Our fridge is stocked with quite a few salads, including homemade coleslaw, an Iranian tomato and cucumber salad, tzatziki chickpea salad, and potato salad. I have never been a huge fan of salads, but I like these. I also made bison borscht over the weekend that can be eaten hot or cold. I will eat mine hot. I can’t abide cold soup. I prefer my food steaming.
Boommate is extremely sensitive to food temperature, and refuses to eat anything warmer than lukewarm much of the time. She even drinks her coffee cool. She won’t touch hot food on hot days. We lived quite amicably, though, with the microwave and the refrigerator helping us dine together. We both love ice-cream, of course! We will dine together happily on salads and soup this week, and will continue to welcome any rain we may get.
What are your favorite hot weather foods? How do you stay cool during heatwaves? Ever eaten bison?
It’s been a good busy week on the farm. Got lots of odds and ends done and I’ve marked several things off my ‘To-Do’ list.
The chickens enjoyed the straw bales left over from Movie Night on the Farm.
Sunday, we met Son and DiL at an outdoor wood fired pizza place near Waseca. It was perfect weather, and good pizza. As we were leaving, the owner asked us if we’d come back? Daughter loudly proclaimed, “No, I don’t think so.” Well, they asked.
Monday I got the haybine hooked up and mowed the roadsides. The haybine is the machine that cuts a swath nine feet wide using a sickle that goes back and forth very fast to cut off the stems of alfalfa or grass. Every now and then an individual section will break. Notice the missing one here:
It has been a lot of years since I had to replace one of those, just because I don’t cut much anymore, and I’ve forgotten what a pain it is to do it. Or maybe I’ve just forgotten the techniques needed. Or maybe it’s because I’m older. I used to do this out in the field with a hammer and chisel to knock off the old rivets, and then a punch to knock the stub out. Then there’s a gadget to smoosch the new rivet to hold the new section in place. I remember it was always a hassle and I’d be hot and sweaty and covered in bugs and I’d be mad about the whole thing. On Monday I was doing in on the concrete in front of the shop. I’ve also forgotten how little room there is in there. I had one end jacked up to give me more room. And I had a cordless grinder instead of a hammer and chisel. And I use a pneumatic air hammer instead of a hammer and punch. I didn’t get so grumpy about it all. But it sure did bring back some memories.
Daughter had come to the shop for a visit and she rode with me as I was cutting the roadsides. She took this photo.
Padawan 2, Max, was out Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. We moved a bunch of stuff around in the shed and I put things on the pallet racks. The trick is only to put stuff up there that won’t be used very often. The shop looks big until I try to get a tractor in there sideways.
Neighbor Dave was down checking fence in a section of pasture. It’s the area where the gully was filled in and the new waterway created, so we needed to build a fence to keep the cattle out of that area for this year. I hooked up the brush mower and mowed a path for the temporary fence, then went to the back of the pasture where Dave said the thistles were taller than he was.
Boy, yeah they were. It has been a long time since I was back in that corner of the pasture. It’s a valley with lots of smaller valleys bisecting it. It is easy to see how thousands of years of erosion have created our farms rolling hills.
On Thursday Dave and I built the temp fence. It’s just one hot wire. Meaning it’s an electric fence. And his cows are smart, and they know and respect an electric fence. And by ‘electric fence’ I mean the kind of fence that gives you a good “JOLT” when you touch it. It won’t kill anything, but it sure makes your arm hurt for 10 minutes. I supposed it’s like a taser. If cows learn about electric fences as calves, they do fine. You can’t take wild cattle and expect them to respect an electric fence. I’ve tried that. Electric fences also require insulators on the posts, and not too many weeds. There’s a whole skill involved in building an electric fence. Different skills than are required when making a 4 strand barbed wire fence like the padawans and I did a couple years ago.
P2 Max and I reshingled the feed building on Wednesday. The old shingles came off surprisingly easy. I had some left over shingles from doing the south side a few years ago. I bought two more bundles of the cheapest shingles the big box store had. Turned out to be a different color but no one cares or can really see the North side of this shed.
I’m not sure what look he’s going for here.
I put more stuff on pallet racks. A pallet of steel fence posts, and a pallet of wood blocks. A few years ago when I had to move these blocks out of what would become the shop, and I first put them on a pallet, I remember Clyde talking about all the blocks they had on their farm. And I have some blocks on a lower shelf so I can get them as needed, and I wondered, why am I saving this pallet of wood blocks?? Just what do I think I’ll be doing that I need that many blocks? Evidently I’m saving them for our kids to throw out when we die. And I threw out a few blocks. But still…I think I am saving too many blocks. But you never know.
Max and I also got the secondary lawn mower running. Then I did something and it wouldn’t run again. Fixed it and then broke it again. But now it’s running! The hood has a big crack in it. I think I’m gonna have to zip tie the crack together. A new hood top is $176 and I don’t think it’s worth that much. I ordered a new bumper, which is the hinge point at the bottom, and that was $76. This was Kelly’s parents lawnmower, so I need to ask her if she wants a zip tie scar across the top.
We got .6” of rain on Tuesday evening. A real nice gentle rain.
I got the roadsides raked and baled on Friday. It wasn’t much. Only 25 bales.
Next week the hot weather is back. I’m thinking of inside jobs.
EVER SHOCKED YOURSELF? I mean electrically, but whatever makes a good story.
The previous owners of our home spent a lot of money on landscaping in the backyard. I have never had such a fancy backyard. We added the fence. There is a fire pit:
We also have lots of brick paved areas with rock-filled beds for plants:
Those are some of the largest hostas I have ever seen. We never had hostas before. The rest of the plants are lower maintenance shrubs, Stella d’oro lillies, and succulents. They didn’t even have rhubarb!
I think they went a little over the top with the water feature, however. It is a bubbling brook powered by an electric pump submerged in a deep vat at the bottom of the brook. It is plugged into an electric outlet by the fence. The pump has to be removed every fall so it won’t freeze up over the winter. It is not easy to remove or reinstall.
The birds love the brook. It has to be refilled every other day or so or the pump starts to make groaning noises. I plan to turn over the stones with the words carved in them, as I think those are a silly affectation and they annoy me.
The dogs love to plunge in the brook at the top and slide down to the bottom. I would never put such a thing in a yard, and I absolutely hate all the rocks in the flower beds as they make weeding and replanting a lot more work than they need to be. I plan to put in roses and hydrangeas and spring bulbs next year, but we need to clear a lot of rocks from every side of the house before that happens.
If you had to have a water feature in your yard, what kind would you get? What words would you have carved in flat stones in your yard?
Many years ago Husband’s dad and stepmother gave him a mountain dulcimer. You can see it in the header photo. He played it on rare occasions, but it mainly sat in its case. He spent more time on his cello and guitar.
Since retiring, Husband has been playing all his string instruments more often. In addition to getting the dogs groomed in Sioux Falls on Tuesday we also picked up the dulcimer, which had been restrung. We would have taken it to my cousin in St Peter who is a luthier, but he is retired now.
I think the first song on a dulcimer I remember hearing was one by Joni Mitchell. I love this song.
Husband ‘s dulcimer never sounded like Joni’s when he tried to play it, I think because he didn’t know how to tune it or maybe the strings just weren’t installed properly. The mountain dulcimer is an odd instrument. I know it is used quite a bit in traditional Appalachian music, and is descended from the zither. I am so glad he got it restrung, since the luthier tuned it properly for the first time. As I strum it I can tell it sounds right.
I am getting closer and closer to sitting down at our piano and practicing things on my own as well as the accompaniments for some of Husband’s cello pieces. I can’t let him be the only instrumentalist in the family. There are some simple Bartok pieces I have my eye on. What else is retirement for if not to play music!
What musical instrument would you want to learn now? What instruments did you play as a kid? Favorite Joni Mitchell songs or other dulcimer songs?
Trail Baboon 