Come meet Oliver! Oliver is our newest farm addition and is a lovely tractor. His coming to the farm is a gift from God ( with Harold getting the assist). Harold is a friend of ours who also farms in the area. We were talking to him one evening and mentioned our need of a tractor to really be able to farm for ourselves. We have a patient neighbor, who has loaned us his tractor, but at some point you have to start standing on your own two feet and stop borrowing all the time. Harold said he had a tractor that didn't run and had just been sitting out for the last two years. He said we were welcome to take it and see if we could fix it. Paul and the neighbor ( who loans us his tractor when we need it) went down with a trailer to the farm. The tractor needed some air in the front tire and the batteries needed to be jumped. Harold had told us that the wheels had locked up while driving it out in the field and he had had to tow it into the yard. Our neighbor turned the key as it was jumped and Oliver started right up. The neighbor knew that sometimes Olivers get themselves stuck between two gears. He jiggled the gear shift and proceeded to drive it up on the trailer. Harold was a little sad to see Ollie go. We were able to make Oliver happy with some very minor repairs (new inner tube, a battery, and lots of fluids, as well as some minor repairs to the hitch). Praise the Lord!!!
Thomas's baby bourbon red turkeys are quite the escape artists. We are likely to find them free ranging all over the farm.
The broad breasted turkeys are growing quickly. They will be ready for eating in less than a month. They should weigh in at about 20 # then.
It looks like we may actually have a few apples on our trees this year. This will be a first! Another thing to be excited about.
Here is Oliver at work. Paul had cut a tree down,
and rather than cut it up and drag it to the back with people power and multiple trips. Let Oliver do it. Paul chained the branches to the back and in just two quick trips the whole tree was dragged to the back by the fire pit.
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| Paul trying out the swing |
Here is another project that the girls completed with the cousin's help. They installed a swing on one of the trees by the pond. There is now a quiet contemplative spot to sit and swing and look out over the pond.
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| Rona, Sara, and Elizabeth on the raft. |
The raft has been getting a lot of action. Here Elizabeth was taking two of her aunts out for a little float on the pond. They are here helping to get my Mother-in-Law established in her new condo. She has moved to the area from her long time home in New Mexico. We are so happy to have her nearby!
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| The two Joanns |
Here is my M-I-L taking a tour of the farm with JoAn. She really enjoyed seeing everything again. I was impressed at how well she got around. My M-I-L will be 87 this month. She comes from vigorous Norwegian stock, and has aged well.
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| blueberry shrub |
Here is one last crop that is starting to grow. These are our blueberry bushes. The berries are still green, but some of the bushes are setting real nice. We just have to get them under netting before they ripen, so the birds don't get them.
The days are so long now. Sunset comes later and later in the day. People down south don't appreciate this as much. In the north there is a significant increase in the amount of daylight in the summer. In the Philippines, where my sister and her family live, the sun rises and sets at 6, all year round! Here in the north the sun rises at 5:55 AM today and sets at 9:04 PM. The light also stretches even further as there is 2 hours of twilight before and after these times. It does allow us to get more done in a day outside. I really enjoy our longer daylight!
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