Things Won are Dunn

Things have been typically hectic here on the Ranch between irrigating, mowing, irrigating, watering stuff, spraying nutrient spray at night and irrigating.  Might I add that flood irrigating is not so easy as one may think . . . there is a great deal of monitoring, time keeping, raking mud, and coercion of water with rakes and tractor blades involved.  I mention this because I (stupidly) said, months ago, "Yes, we just plant the trees and then water them this year and next year."  Hahahahaha!!! "Just" water them.  Oh dear, dear, dear.

The chickens are out of food today for the first time ever, which is an indicator of how crazy it has been.  I am a stickler about taking fine care of our farm animals because I like to think of myself as one of those people that doesn't abuse their farm animals, just because they're 'farm' animals.  Tomorrow, the chickens will have to eat bunny pellets until I can make it to Ace for Modesto Milling Organic Layer Pellets.  They've already eaten all the scraps and leftover hot dog and hamburger buns . . . hopefully they can peck on bunny food for a few hours in the am.

I am inspired to (finally) post something because we made it up to my friend's lavender farm on East Orchard Mesa, Sage Creations (http://www.sagecreationsorganicfarm.com) last week for a quickie photo op in her poppy laden lavender field.  Its a sight to behold.

The poppies in between the rows of blooming lavender are not merely for beauty.  Poppies come up early in the spring and take up lots of space, hence, keeping the weeds at bay.  In the fall, Paola will just mash the poppy bushes over and they will become mulch and reseed to bloom again next year.

She's a very smart grower, that Paola.  The parasols are in her on site shop for customers to take a stroll in her fields, sheik AND clever.

After taking the weekend 'off' from the farm (for the first time all spring) I had the busiest two days.  I was literally running up and down the orchard rows with my rake in hand, checking the water in the rows as fast as possible in order to get back to my children whilst my husband was a work.  Yesterday, I gave Julian a hot dog on a stick for lunch (ghastly!) and told him, "I'll be right back," while I jumped on the tractor to re-pull the south drainage ditch, only to pick Julian up 1/2 way, in his sisters flip flops, plunk him on my lap and promise him a root beer if he would stay with me so I could finish.  After putting him down for his nap, I started the water and was up until midnight with the watering.

My friend Keri, who also planted a peach orchard this year, two and half times the size of ours, had a similar story to share about going out to irrigate with her 2 year old in the stroller, then having to go all the way back to the barn for the shovel she left in the field, but her husband put it away and all the while her baby was getting blasted with the 100 degree sun.

All my grower friends are in the same boat, tending to candles burning at both ends . . . juggling knives . . . watching too many irons in the fire.  But if there is ever any question as to why, well then just look at these photos.

The pictures of the flowers reminded me to just be grateful for my time, however hectic, loose ended, and busy, here on the farm.  I'm eternally grateful for all my grower friends, too, going through it with me, the watering, the weeding, repeat, repeat, repeat.  Reminding me with photos or stories of their harried days that this is what it is, this is the life we choose, because the payoff is in the doing.

"Things won are done; joy's soul lies in the doing." -Shakespeare
That and a little beer at the end of the day never hurt either.