Friday, May 14, 2010

Spring on the homestead

Spring has finally sprung here in northern Idaho, and with it the gardening itch. Our garden fences were pretty pathetic last year (as we found out) when it came to keeping the deer out. So this year, in addition to disking the soil, we'll beef up the fences.

We hooked the disker up to the tractor.


Garden, before:


And Don started going over the garden portion.




Garden after:


Next project: a milking stanchion. For some reason Matilda, my gentle sweet Matilda, has been an absolute pisser lately when I try to milk her. There are times she dances and kicks so much I simply can't milk at all without risking a concussion or broken toes or something, and it leaves me furious. (One of those red-hot push-my-button issues.) Don, bless his heart, is building a milking stanchion to keep the little pisser...er, my beloved cow in one place while I milk her.

We put the auger on the tractor, a devilishly filthy, greasy, and heavy job. We both always come away with minor injuries (this time two blood blisters and one set of bruised knuckles) when getting this implement on. Despite it, though, this auger has been one of our most important pieces of equipment. It's astounding how many holes one has to drill on a homestead.


Poised and ready to go on hole #1:


Hole #2:


Hole #3:


First pole in:


Three beefy poles, cemented in place. We can't do anything more until the cement dries, but let's see Matilda get out of this.


Next project: Beefing up the garden fence. Don tore out some weak or downed sections. Then we moved some railroad ties in place to use as gate posts. I chain up a tie, he lifts it with the tractor, I guide it into place.


3 comments:

  1. I gotta ask......did you have to REwash those clothes on the line after they got good and coated with all of the dirt flying around?!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nah, the clothes were pretty much dry by then...

    - Patrice

    ReplyDelete
  3. hahaha I was wondering the same thing!

    Tina

    ReplyDelete