This week felt like the longest one yet. We made it past Day 70 of Coronavirus stay-at-home and work-from-home plans. Some places have started reopening, but there appears to be a greater impact on kids than originally known. So, we’re playing it mostly safe and continuing to steer clear of people.
In fact, my office announced that not only will we continue to work from home until Labor Day in September – but we’re also starting on summer hours until August. From here on out, I’m off of work by 2 p.m. on Fridays. Honestly, I’m super excited for the extra time outside in the garden.
It was generally a big week for the farm and our family – especially for Isai. Our little guy is working on his top two teeth. He’s also pulling up like a champ and trying hard to catch his balance. He seems determined to walk in no time at all.
To add to the chaos, we spent quite a bit of time adding to the garden this week. So far, I’ve weeded the tomatoes and peppers to perfection. The beds look amazing. I still have a large amount of the North garden to get through – but it really is coming along wonderfully.
Corn, beans and sunflowers are all sprouting in the South garden and it’s epic! We seriously cannot wait for all the fresh produce in the very near future!
I’ve taken tons of photos of the crop so far. Onions, lettuce, kale, beets, potatoes…it’s all looking great. We have a few plants to replace here and there – but generally, I’m super proud of the progress.
Aaron spent the end of the week cleaning the last of the shrubs out from in front of the house. It looks incredible. There is so much natural light pouring in. Of course, now we can see all of the work that needs to be done on the exterior and it only amplifies the renovation anxiety.
On Tuesday, we had a designer and construction contractor tour the house to get more momentum behind our renovation. The ideas were flowing and we’ve been super excited about all of the potential of the house. Unfortunately the renovation quote was well over what we are prepared to spend – so we’re a bit back to the drawing board and seeking more bids.
On the farm front, though, the cows have weaned from the milk and moo-ved to grain. Feeding them grain and water each morning and night has been so much more simple than our three-bottle days. The chickens are getting bigger by the minute and we’re counting down the days until we start seeing eggs in the egg box!
We did finally give into the fact that one of the guineas disappeared last week. Actually, two disappeared but we were able to recover one in the woodline next to the house. That was a fun three-day-long chase.
On Friday, Aaron drove to Freeburg, Missouri, with my brother Chris and cousin Bryce to pick up our new side-by-side. He chose a Honda Pioneer to keep up moving around the farm. It will be used for just about everything – hauling tools around, gardening, feeding cows in the pasture, etc.
While he was gone, Isai and I made a quick run into town to pick up 80 flags. Then, the baby screamed loudly into the countryside while I unwrapped each one and used them to line the driveway. Aaron didn’t see it until Saturday morning – but it was a pretty perfect plan for our newest Memorial Day weekend tradition.
Being a Veteran, Memorial Day weekend is exactly what it’s intended to be – a time for remembering. We are fortunate to share some of the time with family and friends – but we very rarely participate in the over-the-top drink fests on the water.
Instead, it we had long, low-key days in the sunshine. We played in the dirt in the garden. Watched the rain move through. Drove the side-by-side down the dirt roads. Swam in the pond. Filled Isai’s kiddie pool on the deck. Grilled steak and asparagus. We enjoyed our family and all that we have to be grateful for.
To wrap it all up, we welcomed a new family member to the farm. Mackall “Mac” Crossley is our vicious new barn beast. Last week also marks the first time I’ve seen a mouse on the property. It scampered through the barn with the cows the other day. Immediately, we were on the hunt for some barn cats. With any luck, Mac will have a couple of friends this week and we’ll have a whole new family setting up shop near the cows and chickens.