It’s finally summer! Four pigs (only two of whom are already spoken for–it’s not too late!) and one beef cow left for the butcher yesterday. Swimming has become a multi-weekly event. Best of all, the newly-ripening blueberries and gooseberries are being devoured by Ada, my little berry-vacuum. Whenever she sees (and can reach) the far-from-ripe peaches, pears, apples and our single fig, she cups them in her hand, and so far has not pulled any off. Sometimes she even kisses them.
Gooseberries!
Peaches!
Twice-hilled potatoes
Slow but steady sweet potatoes
Our major dedication of time lately has gone towards the quintessential summer endeavor of non-nomadic herdspeople: making hay. Making hay could be summed up as cutting grass and then treating the dead grass well enough that cows and horses will want to eat it all winter long and will be able to get the nutrition they need from it. It involves a lot of weather-watching and a lot of circling around, and around, and around–there are generally four passes over every field–mowing, tedding, raking and baling–starting at the outside edge and working inwards. That’s the news, with more to come soon…
Triple-stacked hay
