Well, it's definately a bad sign for a blog when the author has to check in to see when they last wrote, to make a new post. I think about the blog often, so if the old adage that "it's the thought that counts", than I've been counting. Unfortunately that doesn't count for much in Blog Land. But, I'm back! And hopefully more frequently. Thayne is on a regular sleeping schedule (knock on wood) and the evenings are getting quieter as the days get shorter, so it will be much easier to find time to share some tales from the Barnyard clan.
Thayne enjoying some top quality NB river mud on a trip home to West Branch.
It was one of the rare really hot weekends at home and I thought seeing the milk cow out in the pond was hilarious. I've never seen a cow willingly walk into the pond before and thought it was a good indicator of "it was so hot that...."
I love this shot from the back of the combine while Mark was harvesting our best wheat field-a real matter of pride in this 'year of the wet and the weeds'.
My little Massey Ferguson model
For our anniversary this year (5 years already!), Mark and I took the kids and ventured all the way down to the Annapolis Valley for a great visit with some NSAC friends. I spent a lot of time before we went stressing about taking the kids, but it turned out to be really fun and we made some great, simple memories.
Thayne is growing like the baddest weed around. I feel like the blender has become another appendage as he's not quite up to the chewing stage yet, but is up to the adult serving size stage already.
We shipped Poppy earlier this month and today I spent some time at the butcher's learning how to cut and help wrap. It was a fantastic little family business and I had a great time. They don't often see a carcass quite as...er...well-marbled as that one. Mark and I had a couple fresh steaks for supper and we're pretty sure it's the same as Kobe beef; the kind from Japan where they massage the cattle and feed them wine and crazy stuff like that. After this last month when, after we shipped Poppy, we had to milk the cow out completely rather than leave it for the calf, I can see how much cream that creature was actually getting, and it makes my heart stop in fear. But damn, it was a some GOOD beef.
Anyway, harvest is going very well. The barley and wheat this year was incredible and what we lacked in yield (which was actually really good) we made up for with the size of the kernels. It's always a good sign when you have to change the sieves on the cleaner because the kernels are so big. Mark just finished the oats today and that yield was 'unbelievable' apparently. Not having enough space to put them is a good problem to have. Anyone need oats? The field peas had a good showing too. Here's hoping the soybeans come off better than expected (although that isn't saying much, since expectations are pretty low this year).
Our trial with some fish fertilizer really seemed to pay off so that will probably a new input that we take a closer look at. And now that we're getting organic hog manure from our main customer, soil nutrition is not the urgent concern it once was around here, although it's always a priority.
Currently, we're getting the fall cereals in the ground and getting the harvest tidied up and put away. And by 'we', I mean Mark and Wendell. I'm a contented bystander these days for the most part.
If you happen to be on PEI Sunday, October 2nd there is an event happening in Charlottetown that is a fantastic time and WELL-Worth the $35 ticket (which you can buy online HERE or at Sobey's across the Island). Great entertainment, kids activities, an interesting guest speaker and most importantly, a varied and delicious array of 100% PEI organic grub prepared by a couple of the Island's best chefs. We will be there with bells on. The kids had a great time last year and so did we. Come on out and support the Certified Organic Producers Coop!
Looking forward to more posts coming soon!
Hope this finds you looking forward to the prospect of autumn and the calmer days of a long cold winter. I am.
-Sally
