Raspberry Patch

After several days of rainy weather, I put on a sweater this morning. And quickly took it off as the temperature went to the mid-80s with high humidity. Phew! I felt soggy all over!

It's taken me a few days to readjust to being back on the farm. With all the changes, I felt like I was not quite in sync with the pattern of life here.

As much as I (usually) enjoy our life, it was a bit of a shock to return to a 224 square foot construction trailer home, without running water or a standard bathtub (Rubbermaid storage container or dedicated cattle trough are the current options, though I did shower in my in-laws motor home, and that was VERY NICE). It was a shock to remember that my kitchen has no cabinets, that I have no sink for dirty dishes (let alone a dishwasher), that dirty laundry requires a trip to the laundrymat and not just a trip to the basement.

It's taken a bit to remember that, despite these "hardships," we are still better off than most of the world. Amazing, really. And how foolish of me to be ungrateful.

Walking away from the mixed-up bees, I crossed the swath of just-grazed land, minutes after Phil had moved the Babydoll sheep off that part of the pasture. There was almost nothing but bare ground, nicely fertilized, devoid of stalks or prickers. Our plan to graze the sheep to avoid Monsanto's RoundUp around the trees is working! A thrill of joy.

I went out to begin my raspberry and blackberry planting. As I dug a few small holes, Phil pointed out that I should probably clear the 12" weeds before planting canes that need to be pruned to 4" (nothing like shading out the plants before I even begin!). So Phil scythed, and mother-in-law Cheri raked the forbs (usually called weeds, but used for cattle feed). She became quite the popular lady with the cows! Gramps cut off the 6" trees, and I started to plant.

This all took much longer than I expected. We got 12 raspberry plants in the ground, and five hours had somehow passed.

We took a break and drove an hour to the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton.

I planted four more raspberries before dark fell.

And that's the story today.