Mama and Kimberlyn are meeting at the farm this morning for a shopping trip to Denton. Kimberlyn is bringing feed from Muenster which was picked up on her way here. I am told it is not out of her way since she prefers to make her way to the farm on backroads that bring her within five miles of Muenster. That friendly help in picking up feed saves Mama and I both time and money, so it is very much appreciated. Plus, the two of them get to spend the day together doing the shopping Mama was going to do regardless of the company while Kimberlyn gets access to stores that she would not typically drive to in her routine outings.
With the price of fuel, Mama and I are very aware of the cost
involved in the round trip but the play day for the two of them is more important
than the fuel that could have been used to travel somewhere other than to the farm.
The feed being hauled to the farm should last us well into May when Mama and I will
have to make plans for another purchase. As for prices, they are about ten
percent higher than last month, and we are being told by the feed store that
prices will inflate even further over the next several months. It may become prohibitive
at some point in the very near future to maintain the herd and flock we are now
tending to, but we are not there yet. If Victoria was not covering the cost of food
required for the dogs, it would already be prohibitive to keep all of them. Such
as it is, we are managing but the expense to feed all our animals is more challenging
to our budget than any time in recent memory.
On the positive side of the recently inflated costs on
everything, Mama and I are finding more creative ways to supplement our needs.
That is one of the primary reasons Mama is so focused on the garden. She has
been faithful to water our plants and trees every morning and it is bearing noticeable
results versus past years of questionable returns on our efforts. We have high
hopes. In her efforts, to thwart our furry bandits from stripping the fruit
trees, Mama has purchased rough ribbons and bubble wrap to loop through the
branches of the nectarine and pear trees to hopefully discourage those thieves
from stealing the ripening fruits on those two trees. Fake snakes will be added
to the trees to complete the defense. It will be interesting to see if that works.
To make our fuel go further we are simply driving less. Right
now, it costs about $85 to fill the Sequoia and about $130 to fill the diesel
truck. I am not complaining per se. Everyone is subject to the same expense but
the only way we can mitigate it is to use less fuel in our daily lives. Staying
home more gives us the time see and do more of the chores that sometimes get
overlooked in the less sedentary days of our very recent past. That is a
blessing on may counts. So, it is not all bad. It never is.
We are currently forecast to get about two inches of rain
over the weekend. That would be a huge blessing. However, an all the recent
forecasts when such a prediction was made, nothing has come of it. We will wait
and see what rain makes it to our little farm and be thankful for whatever we get.
I am hoping to treat the beehives again Saturday, but I would happily postpone
due to rainy conditions.
In the coop we have had a rat inhabiting the walls for so
long that it has learned our routine and will watch from its hiding place while
we tend to the chickens mornings and evenings. Mama has even become somewhat accustomed
to its scrutiny. I have tried several methods of trapping the rodent, but it
has outsmarted me on every occasion. However, when I made the final repairs to the
wiring the rat had destroyed, I set a sticky trap in place in case it went back
to gnawing the new wiring. Well, this morning, a rat was entrapped in the pad I
had anchored in place, and I will be able to dispose of it once and for all. Whether
or not it is the lone invader remains to be seen, but I will celebrate at least
this moderate success.
Saturday Mama has another marketing event. This one is in
Bowie at the Trade Days facility, but the event is a classic car show. Mama will
not need my help with the canopy because she will be in the covered pavilion available
for vendors. It is forecast to be windy, but the pavilion has tarpaulin walls that
can be drawn down to block the wind. Mama is told she will be one of thirty
vendors so it could be a good opportunity to sell the nail sets she still has
in stock and to advertise her Color Street business. Time will tell. I will spend
the day getting the little things done around the farm that need to be attended
to in advance of the storms forecast for Sunday.
It will be a busy weekend for both of us.
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