The root of it

Della is coming into her milk.  Tonight will mark 7 days since she went into labor.  Each day she has progressively gotten back to her normal self.  Yesterday, she opened the gate that most humans have a hard time with, and came to the house, after crossing the street.  Tonight she kicked off her hobbles.  These shenanigans tell me she is on the mend.  I tied the gate shut today, and sure enough, when she decided it was time to come home, and couldn’t undo the square knot, she bawled.  Things feel right in my world tonight.  Watching her, and Brooks and Lath, cavort this evening was a treat.  Last Monday I wouldn’t have given you a plug nickel for her.  The last couple of days, Della has acted like a career woman, she goes to a different pasture for grazing during the day (better grass) and leaves the kids behind.  At night she is ready to come home and be with the family.  It’s funny to see her acting all business.  She will kick off her kickers in rebellion, and then stand perfectly still, while I put them back on, even moving her leg into position to make it easier for me.  I guess she just has to remind  me who’s boss.   I love that saying “Still kicking” now more than ever.  I’m so glad she is still kicking.

It has seemed hard this last week to deal with Della, and the dead calves.  I feel guilty for over-scheduling, and not having time for something to go wrong.  We try to focus on home and hearth, but there doesn’t seem to be enough wiggle room for unforeseen problems.   Jan commented this weekend, about her husband being a good farmer, and realizing that you can’t get it all done.  He was so right.  My dilemma now, is trying to keep up. 

These babies are beckoning, they smell so heavenly and are just begging to be picked.  But, I don’t have time.  I’m always torn between harvesting what I have spent so much time growing, or the free stuff, right in front of my face.  And, truth be told, I still have blackberries in the freezer from last year.   So while I don’t want to let anything go to waste, I can’t ignore these brassicas.  The berries will have to wait.
 

I’ve been feeling that urgency of fall, and today I picked tomatoes in the greenhouse, it was 90*, but with the sun not being exactly overhead, it was nice.  Three weeks ago, it would have been unbearable, even the dogs were lying in the sun today, I imagine trying to get the sun into their bones.  The swallows have left, and the crows are coming back, the noises of summer are almost gone.  It has seemed for weeks all I could think of was warm weather crops, and the fact that they aren’t ripening, now my attention has turned towards the roots, that I have been taking for granted just like the sun.

Red Cored Chantenay, one of Della’s grain substitutes.  Getting the grain out of our operation is a number one priority.

Harris Model parsnip, Della’s other grain substitute.  These winter root crops that we rely so heavily on, have to be planted in May and June in order to mature.  We store the carrots, parsnips, beets and rutabagas in the row, mulched with soil, and dig as needed.

Joan rutabaga – these are for me!

Lutz or Winterkeeper beet, a good all-purpose beet for eating, kvass, and livestock.  It stays sweet no matter how large it gets.  I’ll be saving seed from these next year.

Fall Daikon radish – these are for me and the dogs, we are the only ones who will eat them.  The wind blew off the row cover this summer, and then the deer ran through it and tore holes in it, so some of these have maggots.  It is surprising how hot they become, when they are stressed by insects.  Even the parts that don’t have any holes, are so hot, it makes your eyes water.  I think the dogs eat them just to humor me.

We’ve been blessed with hot weather again, and this bodes well for the garden, but now we are right back into fire danger.  This weekend we have been inundated with tourists, trying to squeak out one last weekend in the sun.  Cigarette butts flying out of their cars as they go by.  Last weekend we saw a couple of scuzz balls walk by with backpacks, and then someone came and picked them up.  This weekend they were back again, so we have decided that they must have a grow operation up the road from the house.  So now besides bow hunters, we have these creeps to tend with.  They are soooo cagey, do they think we don’t notice strangers, walking up the road.  I just hope we don’t run into them while we are picking mushrooms.  I am not interested in what they are growing, I just wish they would do it at their house, not mine.  It is legal in Oregon, you know!  BTW, I’m doing a guest post at Women Not Dabbling in Normal tomorrow, which will be my sugar coated dim view of trespassing in general, at least how I perceive the problem as a rural landowner.