two work days left . on the farm . pictures . systems .

Life is filled with systems we design to keep our lives running smoothly. Recognizing that they are systems with clear scenes and steps helps us adjust them to suit changes in our lives.

The thunder and lightening last night flickered and roared like an old black-and-white movie - for almost 4 hours. There was a little rain, but mostly it was just this dramatic lightning and terrible humidity.

So I was up early doing housework. Sleep is not easy in this heat.

Much of my work in the house at the moment is literally wiping off the green and silver mildew that’s growing on all the surfaces. We don’t have air conditioning. So the humidity creates a bacterial soup that settles and grows. Without constant vigilance, clear lists and a lot of vinegar the house will be reclaimed.

I have a system for this also but am happy to get in and do the deep clean while I am here due to family and outside work commitments I am moving in opposing directions frequently. That’s fine with me. I love to travel.

The house itself was built on land that was a drained swamp and so it is a bit of a battle to keep plants and trees from reclaiming the house itself. Let alone ordinary rot on untreated timbers. Much of the interior is built with reclaimed barn timber. So you get the idea.

The back steps have not been dry since I arrived so I will go up and clear the gutters too. Actually I should do that today. I will get Our John to hold the ladder.

Can you see the big fellowship forest? There in the distance. There are two little forests that will hopefully take over when we are gone.

It is hard to get a picture that will cover the whole area - the mulberry forest is a long strip on the side of the field about 10 trees wide. We’ve been planting that for years, all kinds of trees not just mulberries, and many of the trees are still young so hard to see from a distance. I will go in there tomorrow (my last work day) and mow in between the trees to keep the weeds and grass down so they get a good start. But I need the rain to let up or the tractor will just make a mess.

It’s actually a relief to be outside. Where I might catch a breeze and it smells cleaner. We are a long way from town so the air is lovely. I am not naturally a house bound person so time out in the farm is a balm for my travelling soul.

When we first put up these fences, I made sure that the posts were nice and flat at the top so that I could put my coffee cup - and later in the day my wine glass - on the posts as I walked about, working. And even though the posts are sudden and green with moss, I can still put my coffee cup on there in the morning.

My friend David says farming should come under the technology category because we develop systems. Systems and routines that cover all aspects of farming and living. I design and write very simple systems and lists for the people who work on the farm when I am away. And they are seasonal and always have a preparation component to prepare for the change in season. The next season.

Much of our work this trip is to prepare the farm and house for winter.

Do you see Lollypop there between her two angus cross cousins. She was once just a round blob on skinny legs with terrible digestion but is now the biggest of the lot.

The hen house is finished and reset for winter.

I am not farm fit so yesterday’s chicken shed clean up was a proper work out in 90% humidity.

I give instructions simply. Describing every step. So we took down the summer walls.

Cleaned the floor. Mixed the old compost in with the new then added new bedding and replaced the walls again. Loading a Wi tee wall in the inside. It was so hot and humid.

Bikram yoga farming. Challenging but good for the body and the hen house in the long run.

It took a number of hours with a long cold shower to finish. But is very satisfying!

Big Jude gets attention today.

Today’s work of the day is Jude’s bed. He lives in a root cellar in the summer with an entire field to himself. So I will fill his root cellar with more straw and check that he is not chewing on the hen house from the back side. Check the fences. All that stuff. Jude is a very mild tempered easy going old hog so he and I will have a nice day.

I will take him through his route to the barn too. When the weather gets colder he is coming into the big barn this year with Tina and Wai and the cows. He will have access to a big field too - everyone does.

Ok. I will push on. Don’t forget that I love this work. I love the farming. I am not a sitter and literally have a plan in place to come back a few times a year to work on the farm and house. We have 400 organic acres of small grains too but that is a separate team and we have worked together for many years so they don’t need guidance from me. Just discussion and field walks.

You have two more farm reports after this then I fly back out to California and we go back to weekly posts about the food we eat and the simple systems we use to provide that food and lifestyle sustainably. I hope you are enjoying your farm catch up.

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Love Celi