Bone Tired

I don't think I've worked so hard physically in all my life.  I've often thought that it's a good thing that, at this point in time, we don't really have to rely upon this farm and our efforts to survive.  I'm not all that confident that we could.  We still have so much to learn.

In the middle of this week's many projects, Tom decided it was time to bale the hay.  He cut, fluffed, and baled our largest field in three days.  At the end of baling day, which was Friday, I drove the truck around while Tom picked up the bales and stacked them on the trailer.  We discovered the first year that I'm useless at hauling hay bales, so I didn't even bother to help Tom stack them in the barn.  Thankfully, Larry came over on Saturday morning in time to help Tom put the second load (that we had picked up that morning) into the barn.  The hay is mostly weeds because it's the first cutting and we're not over the beginner's hump with the organic program.  They say after this year, we won't have as many weeds.  I'm a bit skeptical about that.  We've already had a call from a man who bought hay from us last year wanting to reserve our second cutting.  I sure hope it's better than this one or he's not going to want it.

I was very discouraged...and angry! on Friday when I discovered that a mole had taken out my biggest and best tomato plant.  I didn't plant as many tomatoes this year as I have previously so it's a big hit to take to lose one.  Maybe I should over plant so that it won't bother me so much when I lose a few.  Anyway, I stormed back to the house to get Tom and the Critter Gitter.  We blasted the mole hole for about 30 minutes, so hopefully, that mole had it's last meal.

Tom and I are achy all over and just fall into bed at the end of the day.  I think, finally, that I've reached the point in which I am expending more energy than the calories that I consume.  Of course, I probably won't sustain that.  Not every day here on the farm is as strenuous as the past week has been.

Yesterday, Larry also unstacked one of the pallets of flagstones, carrying them over and laying them next to my pathway so I don't have to go back and forth getting them.  That was a huge help.  Some of the stones are so large that I can't move them at all.  He also helped with the filling of the well.  We had a neighbor bring us a dump truck load of red clay.  He dumped it next to the well, Tom scooped it up with his tractor and dumped it in, while Larry and I shoveled what was spilled over.  So, the well is filled and ready for my planting.  Maybe tomorrow.  Today is Mother's Day and we're taking the day off.