Last Day of Spring

Phil spent Tuesday finishing backfilling the trench. It took a long time, but he finished at last.

The last three weeks have been wonderful late spring weather, often in the low 80s. We haven't needed the AC much.

Phil went out to move the cows this morning and said he was immediately drenched with sweat. There's a big difference between 85 and 95.

After the cows moved, he called about concrete and a pumper truck: we're aiming for Monday.

And he called about a yurt. There's a lot of decisions to make, but it's helpful even to know what we need to decide (door opens in or out, from the right or left, for example).

The boys and I celebrated having a bit less stressful life: we went to the pool with friends from church. Last year the idea of leaving the farm on a workday, even for three hours, was about as reasonable as going to the moon for a family vacation. It's a measure of my margin that we got away today.

I was glad we went. Jadon can paddle around all over, and happily played. Isaiah worked on floating, but he sinks like a stone even if only a foot or two away from the wall, so he stayed in the shallow end.

Joe is fearless. He clung to me at first, but figured out how deep he could go and walk. Then his favorite thing was to stand on the edge and "Geronimo!" jump to my arms. He usually only got out the first syllable ("Ger!") but it was impressive to see his enthusiasm.

And then there's Abraham. He volunteered to stay home with Phil, and came along under protest. "I'll just play on the playground." No, Abraham, you have to come in the water. I carried him in, sobbing, pleading with me not to make him go in the water.

After some time, he relaxed enough to sit on his own on the steps without trying to sneak away. And he once dunked his head. It was progress.

The pool is not restful: there's no lifeguard on duty, and I felt the responsibility of making sure the three youngest children never got out of their depth. But it is a classic summer experience, and I'm glad we went.

Back on the farm, I have spent some time the last two days weeding the asparagus patch. It is slow, but clearing a patch inch by inch really allows me to see the worms, the soil structure, the bug life. I wait until about 6pm, and then have a few hours of good work before the sun sets.