Photo Dispatch From Around the Homestead

Wild lupines

Mounds of rosemary

Boysenberry blossoms

New Spanish lavender is growing well

Potatoes are pushing their way up

Yup! Just another day in paradise

Scream of the Red Fox

I was reminded, for about 40 minutes last night, that we do indeed live in an area of true ecological diversity.  At night I hear hooting and screeching owls, coyotes, and now this strange noise:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk1mAd77Hr4

Whomever our fox is (the one above is just a clip from YouTube I found) I assume he or she is lookin' for love, as it's spring. Plus it went on far too long to be a cry of alarm, and it was a fairly regular call, happening about once every 5 seconds or so.  

But on the downside, by the time it stopped it had brought me into full, wakeful consciousness, unable to go back to sleep. But I still consider it a treat to have been able to hear this in real life. I've seen red foxes around the neighborhood, but this is the first time I've heard their call.

The Hill and I

Yesterday I was extremely tired after watering all our new permanent crops and spreading compost on some of our new trees and our blueberries.  If you think that sounds wimpy, well, you are right -- it does.  Normally this would not be considered a huge cardio workout, by any means. Except when you farm on a very steep hill.

It's the kind of hill where a zipline would not look out of place.  It's a hill that you can't ride your bike up (I actually saw some walkers going up backwards yesterday, probably so they didn't have to look at its looming presence as they were trudging along).  A hill that could be serious trouble going down in a car with bad brakes.  Fatally serious. You get the picture.

Hills are actually great for grape growing, since the slope really helps with drainage, so when we finally put in our vineyard, it will probably do great.  But right now we're doing the orchard and berries, which need quite a bit more moisture, and so every other day or so, I "take the hill" and get after it.

So as one could imagine, manually watering on a hill involves dragging an extremely long and heavy hose up and down, up and down, then standing around for about 5 minutes each while each tree and bush is soaked thoroughly.  Watering generally takes anywhere from 2 - 3 hours, depending on how vigilant I am and how bored I get with the whole enterprise of standing around watching water soaking into the ground.

Even just halfway down, it's a long walk back up

Composting involves dragging full buckets of compost down the same hill, mixing it in around each plant, then trudging back up the hill for another load.

And now that warmer weather appears to be here to stay I'm doing this more and more often, since all the plants have been planted less than 6 months. Walking around our hill with a hose has become a big part of my life. In fact, if I were an American Indian, "Woman With Hose" would probably be my tribal name. 

Big Ag has promised that soon he will install an irrigation system for me, which will allow me to simply turn on a faucet at the top of the hill and water the whole darn thing simultaneously, but when husbands say the word "soon" one can never be too sure what that means so I'm not holding my breath.

I am especially sure not to hold my breath as I'm climbing up and down, up and down, all day long.

Paso makes the Huff Post and a great video from Paso Wine Man!

Great article on our area with lots of information on wineries, restaurants and places to stay!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-desimone-and-jeff-jenssen/paso-robles-wine-lovers-p_b_2985891.html

And an outrageously funny short course on wine varieties from our own Paso Wine Man:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfTaMzV4oFo

Missing The Kids

I miss them.  But I think the dog misses them even more, as the ball-throwing partners have dwindled considerably with their departure. 

Zzzzz

I meant to post yesterday, but ended up falling asleep around 4 pm or so, and by the time I woke up it was time for the P.M. rituals of dinner, feeding livestock, watering crops, then relaxing with the family for a couple of hours after sunset, 'till bedtime. I blame the nap for changing my schedule around, but have no regrets.

I know people who looooove naps and grab one whenever possible, but in general I am not one of them.  Big Ag can nap anywhere, anytime -- on a bench at a ballgame, definitely in the car, and often on the sofa in front of a blaring television. So can all the kids. But if I fall asleep during the day, it can pretty much be safely assumed I am sick, or fighting off becoming sick.  And I'm usually grumpy and disoriented when I awaken.  

But in spring, for some reason, I take to my bed at least one afternoon a week for what I can only describe as a sweet nap.

It's heavenly, even if it does sometimes wreak havoc with my chore schedule at times.  It doesn't matter.  At a certain point in the afternoon, it's difficult to keep my eyes open, and it's then I head for my bed, with its soft sheets, and I drift off to sleep quickly with windows wide open and the sounds of birdsong and the wind in the trees as I sleep, for about an hour or so.

I would guess my ancestors who lived the farm life took full advantage of napping season, whenever they were able to....or maybe not.  We Americans, after all, come from Puritan stock, who may have scoffed at sleeping during the day without good reason.  But the cultures of southern Europe build siesta time into each afternoon, just in case a nap strikes their fancy.  And maybe we'd be a happier and even more productive lot if we did the same. 

I'm lucky, because in living a fairly independent and rural life, I can nap when I want or need to (spring!). And I firmly believe it has probably made me healthier. So along with other seasonal behavior, such as fall allergies, Christmas shopping, and fireworks on July 4th, I guess I can add Spring Napping to the things I observe and celebrate.

Happy Nap Season, everyone.

End of the day

Well, Easter 2013 has come and gone.  At our house, I was in the kitchen most of the day, and while the results were great, the day was not without drama.  My first batch of fool-proof dinner rolls ended up getting chucked after I discovered I hadn't added any salt to them. Blech! The ham was done long before anything else (but luckily, it stayed warm).  But the spinach casserole and chocolate-coconut cupcakes were fantastic.  

And now we're watching the marine layer move in from the sea, over the hills and gliding east toward our property.  By morning we'll be in the fog.  And the kids will head back to college and work, all going their separate ways and I will be sad for awhile, until I get the house clean and tidy and realize it will actually get to stay that way for the next several days.

That's a small consolation, but it is something I guess.  I love the chaos and laughter the kids bring, no question, but getting back to the usual routine is good, too.