Readying for Spring

I feel like I should be blogging.  It seems like a while since I've posted anything...then again, its been a while since anything really blog-worthy has happened.  (We went and visited my family in Tama...great fun, but, alas, I forgot the camera.) 

We (meaning mostly Josh) have been able to do a few odd jobs to get the yard ready for spring.  But the BIG task so far this spring has been readying the fields for the seeding. After the fields are prepared (using the disc and (I think) field cultivator), the fellas are ready to plant. The previously mentioned "seeding" is a mixture of oats, orchard grass and alfalfa that is drilled and will eventually be mowed and chopped for haylage for the silo and/or agbag.  This will be used along with this year's corn to feed the livestock all through next winter and spring.  And the "drill' is a piece of equipment that allows a farmer to plant more like a broadcast instead of by rows (so the hay looks like a yard instead of a garden row).  I bet you're thinking "Boy, it would be great to see a picture of THAT!".  Well, I wish I had one, but I don't.  All the action took place when or where I didn't have the camera.  Thankfully, Josh was able to finish up the very last of the seeding last night, so with a few 'showers of blessings' and a lot of 'heavenly sunshine', the hay will grow and the cows' bellies will be full all next winter.

While seeding, there's still the livestock to care for, feed to grind and a farmer's natural fertilizer (manure...and lots of it!) to spread, among other tasks.  I keep telling them that if they stop grinding the feed, they can stop spreading the manure...but somehow, it just doesn't work like that!  The next "big" task Josh and Loren will do will be to ready the fields for the crops.  But that will be another post, hopefully with pictures :-)

So, back to the odd jobs I mentioned before:




We weren't able to mow the yard the one last time it needed it last Fall, so our yard was in desperate need of some attention.  Josh was a sweetie and trimmed it up for us so the little kids would finally be able to start running through the grass without always tripping on the tall, flat dead stuff.  We joked that we have the best looking yard around...for now.  And you know that summery smell of a freshly mowed yard...yeah, it smelled great :-)



We had to get some grass planted in the area that was disturbed during the construction of the machine shed.  You can see that Josh has a little helper finishing up the project.  Oh! And you see that long white thing in the background?  That's an agbag. Its a tough, durable plastic bag that allows haylage (chopped hay) or other feed stuffs to be stored without the weather and air getting to it to spoil it.



Zoom...there they go again.  Back and forth, back and forth until it was all done.  Caleb had a blast!




We also got a spot ready for the Lily of the Valleys that we're going to plant.  And Caleb and Sarah thought that it was also the perfect spot for their pinwheels.  We watch the noon news everyday for the soil temperature so we can start planting when its warm enough.  I know we could go the old fashioned way and just "know" that its time, but it gives us something to look forward to during the ag portion of the news (its become an ongoing joke since I've been wanting to plant since February!).

  We have alot yet to do in the yard. Alot of winter debris to pick up.  Alot of cleaning to do in the spot that Josh cuts wood during the winter.  And the garden spot has two HUGE tree trunks that are immovable (is that a word?) by the tractor... so there's ALOT of work to be done there before we can even start thinking about planting.  But its plenty early and we're looking forward to warmer temperatures and sunshiny weather to do it in.  Its almost here and we can't wait!!!