Invaders, experiments

Sunday afternoon we discovered our little herd in the meadow. We keep them out of that area for a variety of reasons; we want the ground to be used for hay production, the fence at the south end is not in the best of shape and the long horn herd across the south fence needs little excuse to invade our green meadow. It turned out that we should have probably been more proactive in getting our cattle back where we normally keep them – but it was Sunday.

Yesterday afternoon Mama called me in a panic. The long horn herd was in the meadow grazing their way to the other fields on our property. I told her to get our few head back into the pasture where they should be and shut the gate to the meadow so the long horns would not get too far onto the property. I am not worried about them doing any damage but they are far less predictable than our bottle raised herd and the further they got onto our farm the more difficult it would be to get them back home.

We called the owners and they came right away to get their herd back onto their property so no real damage was done but it highlighted the fact that we need to get the fence repaired at that end of the property. The actual repair is slated for when Grandpa, Norman and Seth come late next month. I have yet to purchase the materials but I have money set aside for them.

Mama was no worse for the exercise she got getting the herds separated. In fact, she was baking up a storm when I got home. She had some type of pineapple cake in the oven along with some fruit muffins. I am not sure what has gotten hold of her but I am certainly enjoying the benefits – as long as I do not overindulge.

When I got home I started on a simple enclosure for the flower garden we are planting just outside the apartment. If we are to have anything grow I will have to cordon the area off with some type of physical barrier to keep the dogs from making their beds in it. I feel a little pressed to get the barrier built because we have plants that need to be placed there rather than sitting too long in the pots they are now in.

We bought some elephant ear bulbs several weeks ago and I have been anxious to get them planted in that area so them have time to get to maturity before the first frost kills them back. Mama also has some annuals she wants planted in the same area. It is all part of our larger garden strategy. We put all of our efforts in the garden plot last year when we should have placed plants in different areas of the farm to have the best chance at actually succeeding. This year we are going to try different areas for different types of plants and see what works best.

Over the next several years we should be able to get the routine down pretty well.