Calm, Forward, Straight

Calm, Forward, Straight

Monday, August 8, 2011

In the Arena # 85 - Now is the summer of our discontent...

At the Farmette # 6 - You say tomato, I say ka-ching!

Update on the suddenly swollen ankle - - - it's back to normal!! Several commentors had suggested a bug bite or sting might be the cause, and I did inspect closely looking for signs of that, or some kind of injury, and didn't find either. But I did find this post from almost exactly a year ago... go figure. Next year I'll probably know better :)

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Still waiting for the weather to break... still having a cool shower + watermelon snack daily... still not much riding going on. We are doing groundwork, especially leading work to and from our grazing field. Val often wants to impatiently charge ahead of me on our way out to the green green grass. This provides plenty of opportunities to practice halts and backing up until we can get our mind on our work. On our way back to the paddock, when we're grass drunk, everything is nice and mellow. We can even walk in the super scary mini woods trail. Yesterday when  a death dealing stranger Pat, Cowboy's grandad, lurked around suspiciously walked past the manure pile pushing a wheelbarrow, the reaction was limited to a four footed stomp - aimed in the opposite direction of the handler. What a good boy :)


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Even without getting to ride, and being hot as hades, Saturday was super productive. While my Dad took charge of installing the tie downs that will keep the Shimmy Shack from shaking too much or even tipping over in the big winds we often get, I weeded and harvested the garden. I also harvested some bamboo to make stakes for my pepper plants on steroids. The bamboo was here - I would never willingly put that kind of invasive plant in. Hopefully I can keep it in check by using it for projects around the farm.


Anyway - I took my harvest over to a fantastic local restaurant whose chef is contracting me to grow specialty produce for them next year. We're going to work out the details this fall, but in the meantime he purchased a beautiful basket of four kinds of heirloom tomatoes, red and yellow cherries and an assortment of hot peppers. And he pays waaayyy better than the farmers market. Yay - and once again - thanks Dad!

6 comments:

  1. Still giggling at the "shimmy shack" image in my head.

    Glad the swelling is gone and Val is once again whole.

    Great idea with the local restaurant!

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  2. Congrats on the restaurant deal! Our farming friends have found that to be the most lucrative way to sell, although I am glad they still bring things to the market.

    We have some bamboo on the other side of our little forest and my son uses it for projects too. I've seen come very neat bamboo (cut, def. not planted!) fencing that would be great for a privacy "wall" or border. I'm still thinking it through.

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  3. Glad to hear that Val is better. It's too hot to do anything here either but it sounds like Val is learning new things everyday even without riding.

    Great deal with the restaurant. Congratulations! Wonder if they'll let you and a friend come in for a free dinner once in a while.

    I was thinking of putting a bamboo hedge on the road side of the pond for privacy but I'm afraid of it getting out of hand. Still thinking it over.

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  4. Yay on the ankle not being anything serious! And congratulations on your tomatoes. I keep reading/hearing things about how awful supermarket tomatoes are and how we're all kind of forgetting what tomatoes really taste like.

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  5. Good for you! That deal with the restaurant is so great, heirloom tomatoes are my favorite. Mmmm Brandywine and Black Kilim...

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  6. I'm glad poor Val is granted a reprieve from the gross Bute. ;) Grats on the restaurant sale!

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