Spring and Oz

The melt continues and quickly the ground appears.  This morning the sump pump has been heard to go on and then off, every few minutes.  It's working and that's terrific!  With the bare ground I am reminded of the Vet's instructions to begin the deer tick control as soon as bare ground is seen.

We have tapped two trees that are trickling a bit of sap.  Today we intend to boil up what we have down at the cabin.  It keeps for only so long and it is time.  Maple syrup folks are complaining it has not been a good year.  The temperature needs to hover between five above and five below, getting below freezing at night and above freezing in the daytime.  This is ideal for sap flow and we have not had that this year.  Our goal was to sample and try a few trees.  Next year we intend to do a few more.

My heritage seeds have arrived and I need to get some tomato seeds put into peat pots.  I have some well rotted stuff in the lean-to to fill those pots.  In addition I read about how to root sweet potatoes and grow them in our climate.  I have one sweet potato set up as an experiment.

Last night was Ruby's first night to stay outside all night.  The last few nights I have left her outside with Millie until about ten o'clock.  With lambs coming in the next few weeks I do not know how either dog will behave, so I decided to keep her out of the flock at night.  When I checked at 10:30 pm, Millie was sound asleep under the overhang, barely lifting her head to greet me.  Ruby was just inside the doggie door.  All was well.

I heard Ruby barking a few times during the night and then especially active in the wee hours.  When I came downstairs at about seven, Millie was laying down in the backyard and Ruby appeared shortly thereafter coming out of the woods.  Both dogs were wet and muddy.  When I went out with their breakfast awhile later, Millie was at the back door.  She is very stiff and sore again today; she was yesterday too.  She only moved because I had food and she followed me to the barn.  At the Big Barn, I found Ruby back inside with the sheep!  She had climbed back in with them.  I expect both bedraggled dogs will sleep a lot today.



Now for the recent excitement.....drum roll, please.....!


For my birthday in July Hubby gave me this.

He said that a tractor is in our near future, just not at this time.  We had just returned from Europe and we still had not sold the other house, so the tractor had to wait.  And so it did. Until this past week when this arrived.

The Kioti tractor is made in North Carolina but is of South Korean origin.  We assumed it was Asian and were pronouncing Kioti phonetically as in Japanese pronunciation.  However, I did some research for this blog and it actually is pronounced "ky-oat-tee" with the long "e" sound at the end.  I tend to drop the "e" sound when I say the word coyote, as this is how I was taught by the Conways when I was a teen.  As you can see in the photo, my toy tractor and my new "toy" Kioti are somewhat different in size.

This particular four year old model comes to us equipped with a front end loader and a wood splitter.  The CK27 model should do all that we need, and our needs are plenty.

This machine has a lot of wood to split.  I began yesterday and it is amazing how it makes light of slicing through a two foot diameter log.  There is lots of wood piled along the hill near the barn.  I am pleased that the wood is dry and good quality even though it has been sitting for some time.  The plan is to get the hillside cleaned up.  I want to get as much wood split in the next few weeks as I can - before the snakes come out as I know the hillside is riddled with them.

I have dubbed the orange tractor, "Oz" as he has many wonderfully wizardrous tasks ahead of him on Kinnaird Farm. 

The hydrostatic model is great as the mechanism drives similar to a car and there is less "manual" involved.  If you've driven a tractor you will know what I mean.  We have plans to acquire more attachments as we go along.  Each the tractor and the generator cost more than my car.  I will not be getting a new car, or a truck even, for a very long time.


Recently it was said that I am somewhat of a wonder wife - my phrase - since most wives "want the Holiday Inn" while I do not.  I have never wanted jewellery, diamonds or otherwise.  I am thrilled to have land and a tractor.  This covers a lot of birthdays for a long time.