Category Archives: Country Life

Till, the Smell Diminishes

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Yesterday, I posted an animated gif of the neighbor applying liquid bovine stuff to the field behind our house.  The yellow house in the background is where neighbors, Curt and Meghan, live.  On FB, Meghan posted the comment that she hoped the reason the field looked so brown was that it had recently been tilled.  It had.  Less than 24 hours after applying the fertilizer, the neighbor was tilling it under.  That should protect and preserve the precious resource.

Heave ho and under it goes

Heave ho and under it goes

I find it interesting that the farmer plants corn.  At harvest time he chops it up and hauls it to storage.  That corn will feed his cattle for the next year.  The solid waste from the cattle is spread on the field the next spring.  Thus continues a cycle.  (Or is it a recycle?)

Of course the farmer doesn’t grow corn here every year.  He alternates corn and soy beans.  (Does that make it a bi-cycle?)

The field was tilled on Tuesday, and that night we had rain.  It [for the most part] washed the air clean.

You can avoid a few hours of seemingly unpleasant odors by living in suburbia or the city.  I wouldn’t want to miss all of the goodness of this rural setting.  As a farmer friend says, “That, Chuck, is the smell of money.”  I would add that is also an essential step in bringing good things to your dinner table and mine.

B A I K !

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Have you seen those letter (B-A-I-K) before?  According to the story, a fellow was wearing a large badge with those very letter on it.  When asked what it meant, he replied, “It stands for Boy Am I Konfuzed!  The questioner then said, “But confused isn’t spelled with a K.”  The response came quickly.  Well that shows just how confused I am.”

I was here in the office sitting at the computer.  Sylvia was doing something in the kitchen.  As I surfed the Web, I heard a loud thump.  I ran to kitchen to see if Sylvia was okay.  She was, and she hadn’t heard a thing.

I returned to the office and looked out the window.  That’s when I saw this . . .

A ring-necked pheasant had apparently flew into the side of the house.  I captured this picture and then left the office heading for a closer window.  When I arrived, he was gone.

I’m still trying to figure out why he did that. :thinker:   Maybe it was part of a fraternity initiation rite.  What do you think?  Do birds even do things like that?

An Encounter on the Road

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Deer on our lawn.

Her attention was on something in the ditch on the left side of the road as our car topped the rise. Sylvia was driving and we were going to Good Friday services. Sylvia immediately moved her foot from the accelerator to the brake pedal and the car slowed to a walk. She heard the crunch of gravel beneath tires and lifted her head.

Curiosity got the better of her and she moved toward us, crossing the road as she neared the now barely moving vehicle. Her head was up and all of her senses were at full alert. She continued to approach.

Then, for no apparent reason, she whirled and starting trotting down the right side of the road away from us. Suddenly, she took a hard right. With two bounds and a graceful leap the young doe cleared the old woven-wire fence where it was broken down a bit. Quickly she disappeared into the brush.

We continued on our way as we thought about the brief encounter on the road.

Recent Sightings

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Wednesday afternoon, Sylvia and I went for a walk. As we went out the door, we noticed that the hyacinth was beginning to open. I’m sorry, but a strong wind was blowing it around so the image is a bit fuzzy. We stopped to admire its beauty.


We walked around the house where some crocus blossoms were open. The earlier (more protected ones) are through blooming, but these are in full glory. The we saw the bee as it went about its busy work. Can you see her there on the right? Isn’t that great?


Our walk resumed and we continued to see the signs of spring everywhere we looked. However, the wind was strong and cold, so we returned to the house after about 20 minutes of discovery and shooting photos from the four corners. I’ll try to post them next week.

Other Sightings

Later we saw the eagle again. I first saw it as I sat here at the computer two or three weeks ago. While looking out the window toward the barn, I saw a huge bird come sailing around the barn very fast. It quickly disappeared behind the garage. What a surprise! What was it? It wasn’t a vulture, even thought they will be here in large numbers in a few weeks or days. It looked like an eagle. I’ve seen it several times since then and there is no doubt.

Grackles have come back and I’ve seen a couple of eastern blue birds. Warm weather can’t be too far away.

The grass is beginning to turn green and that means the snow blade and front-end loader will come off the tractor and the mower deck will go on.

Finally, the lead-gray skies are giving way to the beautiful dark blue skies that characterize our summers. Life is good!

What It Is & Misc.

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On Tuesday, I asked you to identify the following:


Sharkbytes at My Quality Day nailed it first. Okay, it was on her second guess — but she had no feedback. It was strictly self-correction. I’ll host her badge on this blog as her reward. She said it was this:


You should identify the close up as being the mane of the lovely Belgian mare on the left. Her gelding harness mate helps her pull the sleigh at our church’s annual sleigh ride and chili dinner, which is held each January. It’s a lot of fun for everyone. And it’s good exercise for the horses.

Coming Attractions

Starting Monday, Sylvia will be our guest blogger as she shares a three-part story of her mission trip to Honduras. I’m looking forward to it, and I hope you come back, read and enjoy.

Sylvia’s new digital camera arrived today by UPS. We are learning how to use it. The UPS delivery guy also took my camera for delivery to the warranty repair service. We should soon have new photos for me to post.

Life on a Dirt Road

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The road in front of our house.


Life on a dirt road is different. First, you’ll find that there is little traffic along a dirt road. That means that folks look up when a vehicle goes by. Second, traffic moves slower on a dirt road than on its paved cousins. It has been estimated that those of us who live on and travel over dirt roads will spend up to an extra thousand dollars a year on vehicle maintenance. The reason for that is the rough, uneven surface that rattles your car until it develops rattles of its own.

We who live on these secondary roads have learned to identify different driver styles. Among these are:

Speedster — flies down the road. Hits only the high spots.

Sight Seer — enjoys the view. Calculates the potential yield for the crops in the fields. Sees the first leaf of skunk cabbage in the spring.

Lost Soul — appears to be lost. Weaves down the road in an effort to miss as many bumps as possible. Eyes are darting everywhere trying to find a clue. Seems to be thinking, “What am I doing here?”

Farmer — goes about his business quietly and efficiently. May smile, nod or even wave, but all that is optional — unless you’re a friend.

Hired hand — drives the truck or tractor down the road as if he were trying out for NASCAR. Usually not a problem unless he’s hauling manure. In that case you drive down the road like a Lost Soul, trying to drive on the “clean” part of the road.

The usual protocol for driving along a dirt road is to drive down the middle of the road. You keep your vehicle centered. There are no lane markers. When the center portion of the road get all rough and develops holes and chatter bumps, you learn to drive with one wheel on the shoulder. You can frequently find a smoother ride by doing that. (Take care in the early spring when the ground is soft.)

One of the most important protocols involves what you should do when you meet your neighbor on the tractor pulling a full road-width of equipment coming toward you. The correct procedure is to back up and into the first driveway. Wave and smile at your neighbor as he, or she, drives by on the way to the field or back to the barn. Say a prayer for farmers’ safety — it is a dangerous occupation — then proceed on your way.

Perhaps more of us should live our lives that way. Keeping to the middle of the road, but going carefully along the edge to avoid the big pitfalls that sometimes are found in the middle. When another person with a big load comes our way, give them space and a friendly greeting and say a prayer before we continue on our hurried way.

A Spring Walk

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On Saturday, we grew restless. I picked up our old (very old, low res) Kodak digital camera and started for the door. Sylvia asked, “Where are you going?” I replied, “I’m going to walk along the road to see if that log down by the low ground is still poking out of the roadway.” “Mind if I come along?” she inquired. “Get your coat, and let’s go,” was my answer.

Years ago, the county placed some 3 to 4 inch diameter logs across the road to stabilize it where it went through some low (usually wet) ground. Winter freeze had popped one of these up to where it was clearly visible in the middle of the road. Because my main camera is not functioning, I had not captured a photo.

When we got down to the road, I could see that the county road crew had recently graded the road and had put down a new layer of dirt and gravel. It proved to be just as I feared, the log was no longer visible. Sylvia said, “Let’s walk around the corner and see Meghan’s new lambs.” I was all for that as I could already picture the day when one of them would end up in our stew pot.

A few minutes later we could see the lambs and the ewes enjoying the early spring sunshine. Unfortunately, they were on the other side of the pasture lot. The old Kodak camera only has a 2 to 1 zoom ratio, and with low res I wouldn’t capture a suitable image.

Soon the pasture guard came over to check us out. The guard is taller than we are, but she lives up to her name, Grace. I took a couple of steps back as Sylvia greeted Grace.

Honduran sun gave Sylvia a good tan.


Soon our visit was over and we cut across a field to our yard and back home. It had been a very pleasant walk.

We wore our winter coats. The air was cool.

Earliest Spring

Lead-gray sky above,
Thick clouds sent from the great lake,
Earth is cold and damp.

I was late posting today. I woke up yesterday with a lot of pain in my lower back. Today, I’m feeling better.

Last Day of Winter

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My neighbor’s fish pond sans geese. The corn field is in the upper left.


It is March 19, 2009, sunny morning. After I wake and dress, I charge the coffee pot. Then I don coat, cap and gloves. As I go out to feed the cats, I see Pepe on the driveway. Chubby is exploring around the barn, but bounces over to greet me with a loud “Meooow.” I rub her head and she purrs loudly. Then off to the barn for kitty breakfast.

Later as I leave the barn, I’m aware of the frosty air against my face. From across the road I hear the raucous sound of a gaggle of Canada geese that have spent the night along the small stream. Silently two Canada geese glide across the nearest neighbor’s fish pond. If they are looking forward to fish for breakfast, they will be disappointed. The fish died this winter. Lack of sunlight getting into the water caused oxygen producing plants to perish.

About a tenth of a mile away, past the pond, I see a large black spot racing through the corn stubble. What can it be? A dog? It’s big enough to be a coyote. No, dogs don’t move that way. It is, in fact, a large tom turkey running across a mostly open field. He is seeking shelter now that the sun is up. He nears the barn and assumes a more dignified gait now that he is no longer in the open.

A variety of bird calls fill the air. Spring is nearly here.

I enter the house, hang up my coat and go to the kitchen sink to put away the water jar. As I look out the window, two mourning doves fly to and land in the ash trees. The trill of a red-winged black bird wafts on the air.

It’s the final day of winter. It’s good to see it go this way.

January Thaw in February

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Winter came early this time around,
The air too soon was frosty,
And I walked on frozen ground.

January brought no joy no thaw,
As winter clamped us in its vice,
But now it’s February and we stand in Awe.

The winter has eased its grip,
the snow and ice just melt away,
No gripes, I’ll just zip my lip.

The other day brought the first of blessed relief from the bitter cold. Unfortunately, the camera cannot handle the high contrast ratio. Reflections on the rivulets looked like sparkling diamonds. I’ll have to get a refraction grating for my camera. (If I can save some money.)


As I turned to take the mail back to the house, I heard the sound of my neighbor’s tractor. It was headed my way. Here came neighbor, Bob, and he was carrying hay.



So soon he passed with food for his cattle (aka: steak on the hoof). It’s a common sight to see this hard-working older fellow. A good man, and a fine neighbor.

How many days to spring?

Good Neighbors

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After breakfast, I came back into the office to prepare this post. I was going to tell you about my neighbor and her blog. Surprise! She is now following this blog. Welcome Meghan!

You’ve seen pictures of our bird feeder, but I don’t usually include Meghan’s barn, so here it is as we see it from our dining room.


We love to watch her lambs play. We enjoy the eggs from her hens. I saw the cow this morning. One of the neatest residents is a llama named “Grace.” She is indeed tall, curious and graceful.

Sheep graze. — Picture by Meghan taken from her house.

In the above picture, the barn is out of the frame on the left. It’s nice to have good neighbors like Meghan and Curt. Take a moment and check out the Beacon Bay Farm blog. Meghan has posted some pictures of this year’s lambs.