Farm jobs can start out seeming rather small, like an afternoon "project" for two people to finish completely. But no-o-o, this is such wrong thinking and I don't understand why we don't seem to learn! Just one example, from last weekend, was the simple trimming of some tree limbs that had grown over the "orchard" (trust me, it WILL be an orchard some day!). Armed with two chain saws, we thought it would be a breeze. So, we took time to admire the farm life, the ducks and the visiting pair of geese (noisy fellows!), and all the little trees that will produce tons of delicious fruit, hopefully within our lifetimes.
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| Visiting Honkers |
Unfortunately, both of us were in complete denial about the inaccessibility of those tree limbs, the trunks of which were surrounded by a wild and very aggressive tangle of blackberry canes and stinging nettles, requiring us to abandon Project #1 and take on Project #2.
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| Man on a Mission |
New project means more heavy equipment to knock down and uproot much of the mess, totally upsetting the ecology in the process and uncovering new life forms never before witnessed. Here's one little guy, smaller than my thumb, which we learned is the tiniest mammal in the state of Washington, the lowly little shrew. (Project #2a, finding homes for displaced critters.)
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| Adorable but Disagreeable Shrew |
Well, this quickly led to abandonment of partially completed Project #2, leading to Project #3, requiring a different set of heavy equipment. With all those canes and brush piling up, we had blocked access to everything, finally lending Bruce an excuse to bring out his new toy, a wood chipper that attaches to his tractor.
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| Chipping Away at Project #3 |
Tick Tock, we realize the day is coming to an end, and we haven't gotten anywhere... So we finish converting all that biomass into a truckload of chip mulch and decide to use it to cover the black weed barrier protecting our newest baby trees (Project #4). But first, the base of the trees needed to be covered with newspaper and straw (an unbeatable natural combination to keep weeds out and moisture in), Project #5.
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| Newspaper Cover |
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| Adding Straw |
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| Nearly Done! |
Finally, Project #6, all the wood chips have been distributed, the pile of weeds and vines is gone, and the tree limbs we came out to trim are now accessible for cutting some other day (remember Project #1?). And the sun is rapidly sinking into the west...
This is life on the farm. No project can ever be completed, because once started, one discovers all the other projects that have to be done before this one can begin, and so it goes. And right now I believe I'll have a glass of wine (Project #7) and plan aother quick little project for this coming weekend!
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