Early Morning Musings

The much anticipated visit from the Parkinsons is happening this weekend.  They pulled in last night late.  Hannah and Luke are beyond excited to see their "cousins" from Kingston.  Mom, Dad and kids are all camped in the barnyard with the White Boys.  The dogs have been very considerate and hardly barked all night.  Hannah and Jared are both 14.  Lindsay and Luke are 10.  It was so cute watching them get re-acquainted last night.  Wish I could have been a fly on the wall in Hannah's trailer when they finally bedded down.  We are all going to the Hamilton Farmer's Market this morning, where we will await the arrival of Auntie Mia.  A swim in the pond is planned for the afternoon along with a campfire tonight.  It's been blistering hot but temps are forecast to come down with lower humidity.  I don't want them to come down too much with haying beginning tomorrow. Very excited about that.  Had a call from my very-best-sheep friends, Lisa and Marie Merian,  who cautioned me about angora goats and baleage.  There is a high risk of listeria, which I've already experienced and don't want again.   Julia will be doing round bales for me instead, with second cut square bales later in the summer.   I'm trying to figure out where to put the round bales.  Matt will buy a spear for his little tractor to move them around and give out to the sheep/goats.  Pray the little 1946 8N can carry them.  With a farm there is always something to worry about, always some obstacle to overcome, and always something to sink too much money in to.  I try not to think of enormity of it all.  I won't live long enough to do everything I want to do, but it's the quest that counts, isn't it?   Like I've said many times before, I wish I started this grand adventure when I was 25 and not 55 but here we are.  We are swimming upstream but still afloat.