Little Pleasures

Abraham read his two pages today more swiftly than normal. Isaiah focused on his math problems and I knew that he knew what he was doing, as he nears the end of fractions. Joe put on his little gardening gloves, both hands, all by himself. Jadon grinned at Isaiah's claim of craving "red zinger tea and green olives!" (Can't say I've ever craved that combination myself!)

Phil had the older boys shovel out the wood chips from the cattle trailer. Phil moved the water trailer up near the metal building.

Then he managed to pull the runaway trailer out of its jammed place without difficulty.

Do you know how many things we've done here that have been without difficulty? Do you know how wonderful it is to write that he had no difficulty?!

I have started to feed the two swarmed hives this year. They each ate 6 cups of syrup, and in 24 hours were completely dry of feed. I've done this before. I wish I had enough forage for the bees that they could effortlessly provide for their own needs, and supply a surplus of honey. But we don't, yet. So I am thankful I know enough (I think) to keep them alive.

My picnic roast boiled dry. Much of the meat wasn't burned. What wasn't fit for human consumption was joyfully nabbed by Biggles. He had been almost scary skinny (allergic to the feed we have?). But I've been finding bits of meat to feed him, and though he's still not a chunk, he doesn't feel like he's about to keel over, either. I like all the animals we have around the farm.

Have I ever liked all the animals we have around the farm? Do you know how nice it is to see all animals and have no irritation (to say nothing of loathing)?

I continue to work in the comfrey patch in the greenhouse. Several of the rows I dealt with today had only perhaps four sprouts out of 15. Horrible, horrible take rate. But I have pieces to transplant, and when I was running low on energy and comfrey bits today, I came across a large root, a piece from one of the earlier dug up plants, that supplied enough bits to finish what I had hoped.

A little comfrey gift, unexpected. What a pleasure.