Better Today

I've been enjoying William Zinsser's book On Writing Well lately. He quotes an author: "The reader has to feel that the writer is feeling good." And then adds, "Even if he isn't."

Ha! Clearly I don't follow that advice. Ahem.

I think my doldrums yesterday sparked several productive conversations today. We happened upon an article in our WoodMizer magazine on Timbergreen Forestry, a farm in Wisconsin. They take out their diseased and small trees on their 200 acres, and their land keeps growing more productive. One of their claims: "we put one person to work for every 50 trees cut in one year."

When I think about Phil, if we could make that work, that would be just about perfect. When he comes in from lumberjacking, he says, "I love lumberjacking!"

As I think about it, he says that about nothing else around the farm. Oh, he enjoyed laying block before he broke his finger. He likes our cows. But weeding, mowing, spraying, moving animals: he does it all with a good will. But he doesn't come in glowing.

It also felt productive to realize that I want him to be able to earn a particular amount a week. And, thus, we have an approximate income he should be aiming for per hour. If, with our cows, they won't produce that, either due to breed or forage quality or whatever, well, milk isn't a prudent product.

For some reason, I don't know that I'd thought of it that way before. Previously, I had wanted a certain dollar figure per year, but simply glommed on all the minor income streams and assumed it would all work out.

I think it makes sense to raise cows for beef, and maybe extra cow-calfs for other potential homesteads, plus milk for ourselves. And I would like to continue trying with chickens. At six months old or so, our Hollands have still not done anything productive, but we like them. And we like eating soy-free birds. It is worth it for us, if not financially, at least in quality.

Really, though, I spent some time on the trampoline with Joe and Abraham. It's impossible to jump in the sun with those two without laughing hysterically. We got our energy out, and fresh air in, sun on the skin, and happiness in our hearts.

Isaiah somehow accidentally jammed Phil's splinted finger this evening, and Phil again saw stars. It looks like broken fingers take about four weeks to heal. We'll have to come up with creative work opportunities for Phil.

Today the creative opportunity was to have Phil instruct Jadon on how to install a new truck alternator. Jadon did it, and the truck turned over.

That's pretty creative!