This year is coming along pretty nice on the homestead, even with the gardens being pretty much a total bust. There are things to do, but they mark a clear direction, and give us a much narrower list of things to do, that have to be done, than in previous years. We are even looking at ways we may be able to one day take a short trip off the place, and away for a vaction from it all, a change of scenery.
Since Missus decided to go out and pick up a used pickup truck, our ability to get firewood home has leapt through the roof. Our little cr is cute and reliabale, and can get us from here to there just fine, but it is not meant for towing the little trailer we have. When we made the deal to drive the truck off the lot, I asked for one thing, one concession beyond the price reduction that the salesman himself actually gave us without us even asking, and that was a detail on our existing car. Missus had perfpormed her heroic move by finding budget for the truck. But she had been wanting a full clean of tar for ages, and I saw this as the chance to get it done where neither of us had been able to justify the cost based on the loss of the kids just returning and trashing it again. The cleaning crew told the salesman later, “Man, you have got to see these things before you agree to them!” Well, we have two like new looking vehicles right now, and for a change, owning them feels kind of good at the moment.
Our gardens were lost to weeds again this year, and for whatever reason, this year worse than ever. I had plans to mitigate this issue and make it easier to keep them under control, but the tools in place for it busted, and I was having a hell of a time justifying the cost of their repair while other tools were out of service and in need, too. The recoil on the little tiller and on the log splitter both went out at the same time, and I had other expenses that made me hesitant to spend $70 or so to get the both replaced. It was really aggrivating. The logsplitter took priority when I finally felt okay with absorbing the costs, because winter is the proverbial unstoppable force. By that time, the garden was already a loss. It’s been frustrating, and it has provided us some insight to what to plan in the future.
Right now, if you were to ask us, next year will probably involve less gardening full stop. Who knows how we will feel about it by then. I am mad as hell because I think I have pretty much all the tools required for it. The only thing I really want now is a tracror and tiller to make it easier to till the beds over and over in preperation for sowing. I spent hours at the corn plot that cannot be seen now because of the weeds in it. Also very frustrating. I’d probably be in full on depression if not for that massive pile of firewood I have now, thanks to the truck.
I think next year is to be determined on things like, where we are financially, and if we invest in a sort of pavillion and trailer that will need space in the yard. If so, we want to set them up to serve us as a guest house and hideout to hang about in when we are not on vacation, because who wants to spend all that money on something that gets parked and only used once or twice a year? I have ideas on how to set it up to serve as a little space for missus to hang out in while she works on days when the weather is nice and she needs a change of scenery. So, that kind of thing is on our mind. We may never get further than a few miles from the farm with it, but it could give us a chance to get out to the mountains overnight and take a short rest.
Back to the topic of gardens; I see next year being a little less, and hopefully we grow more food. Don’t get me wrong, we have plenty of zucchini! But those plants will be here with the cockroaches after the nuclear winter.
Right now, news in Denver is calling the weather a “freak snow storm.” The jetstream is pouring cold air from the polar region down on us right now, and will do till tomorrow, from the look of it. I have some firewood in the lawnmower trailer out front just in case, but this morning feels fine in the house. I admit, I was kind of looking forward to an excuse to light the woodstove. By the time the sun is up this morning, we will probably have snow on the mountains here in southeast Idaho. Can we expect continued disruption of the jetstream this year?
Today is the first proper day of school for the girls. That is all I have planned for the day. Focus on that. I could use the rest from yesterday’s wood splitting anyhow. But chores like that are not things I “have to do.” I am drawn to them. It’s ahrd work, but I love doing it. It’s not just satisfying, but also fun. Today I need to see the girl’s school work the same way. This whole year, actually.
Time to refill my coffee cup. The day will soon begin in earnest. I can see a light dusting of snow on the mountain over Dayton now. Still summer. At least at my elevation.