Friday, May 11, 2012

Seeding, Farm Safety, the Garden and Why I Can't Wait until June

I know I have been missing for awhile. As soon as seeding starts, I have things to do. Although this year is a bit strange, I'm not planting corn. This year brought us to a new place as a family. We now have a hired man. My father-in-law is not able to really do much on the farm any more and truthfully, he shouldn't. With two kids, it was getting hard for Dustin and I to do it all on our own. I'm not as available as I use to be and it was going to be too much for Dustin on his own. Having extra help is wonderful and B has become just another member of the family. He's also doing a great job planting corn, the rows look straight and he's getting the planter figured out. But, I admit, I'm not use to sitting on the sidelines in the sping.  I still have plenty of things to do at home and I'm hoping this may be the best garden I've ever planted and that I will be able to keep up with it, so that has been fun. All I have left to get out is one more row of carrots and then get the vines planted. Cukes, sqash, zuchinni, and pumpkins.  I also have to get somewhere to get asparagus roots, raspberry bushes and stawberry plants to put in another bed. I'm so excited to have space to put some of those things in permanently!

If I can keep up with a vegetable garden this year and we get the deck this summer, I'm looking forward to starting to add flowerbeds this fall (at least get them ready with a few perennials for the spring). I want to take it a little bit at a time so I can keep up with everything. There's a lot to keep up with in the vegetables alone this year because it's new breaking and to get grass and weeds under control is a chore.

In the realm of farm safety...everyone is fine! That's good news. Dustin and I were also given the oppotunity to speak at an event sponsored by our local John Deere dealership. The topic this time was farm safety and it was an event for women, which was supposed to be taught by women. I wanted Dustin there to do some of it and it worked really well. I was happy with how it went. It's amazing and sad how much we know because of our own accidents, but they happen.

There is only one day left of corn, so hopefully, baring a breakdown, by tonight, we will have all the corn in. We'll start beans the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow we'll get the alfalpha  in and some orchard grass for hay. Then...beans, beans, beans.  The adjusters came to look at the winter wheat yesterday and said it looked really good. We are happy with it, so glad they thought so too. We'll have that sprayed by air as soon as the wind goes down. The rest of our spraying we'll do ourselves, but want to keep seeding and avoid tracks in the wheat. We'd like to get the rest of the crops sprayed before they come up.

So, then we should be into June...and then time for some fun.  We go to Ron White in Fargo. Then we will be going on a Farmer's Union trip to MSP for a few days. I'm so excited to get a few days away with Dustin. It will be fun, a chance to get to know people on the TAG team, and a fun get away. I'm so excited. I can't wait...

Now to plan a little family vacation. I'm thinking Medora and/or the Black Hills. We'll see what we can figure out.

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