Fresh Mulch

I was able to get a truck load of mulch today. It is always hit or miss with the guys at the sawmill. They don't work any particular schedule so when we find they there we have to jump on it. The only problem is today after 2 weeks of beautiful weather it started to rain. Of course J needs the truck every day so I'm out there in the rain trying to unload it so he can have it back tomorrow. I won't mention that I couldn't get as much mulch this time because there is no tailgate on the truck. I'll just say it wasn't my fault and V doesn't drive the truck so only one driver left.

Anyway, I love how fresh mulch makes everything look so perfect. Too bad the weeds and grass still find a way to grow up through it. Of course there is always Round-up.
I managed to get the mugo pines planted. They are suppose to grow 4'x8' slowly.
I only got half of this flower bed finished before I ran out of mulch.
The biggest problem with cheap mulch from the saw mill is the chunks of wood they leave behind. I pull out the largest ones then just throw them in the wood stove. Hope I can get another load tomorrow although my back is hoping otherwise.

Work Day

It was time once again yesterday to work the cattle in our fall calving herd. The last 4 to calve all had them within 48 hours.

My job while J rounds them up is usually to stay out of the way.
These cattle pens have seen better days. It looks like we might have to replace them before too long, but they did manage to hold together yesterday.
J and I vaccinated and dewormed the cows first, then vaccinated, castrated and implanted the calves. I was glad when the last one came through the chute. Next week we'll have to work the load of calves that will be going out west next month.

Fall Yard Work

The weather was beautiful today so I took the opportunity to do some fall yard work. (It beats making more pear sauce, only 2 buckets left.)

We didn't get around to carving the pumpkins for Halloween so I'm using them as yard art.

I finally got the garden cleaned off. Looks like there will be plenty of tommy toe seeds for next year.
I had too much of a curve in the day lilly border so I straightened that out. Now I'm left with a huge tub to give away. I also move some peonies. When my sister was remodeling her house my grandmother's flower bed was in the way so I rescued as many peonies as I could. I didn't have a place prepared for them so they got stuck everywhere. This is the last bunch that I had planted among the shrubbery. I'm sure I could have spread them out more but I got tired of digging up sod.

The sun was setting when I finished (ok, so I rode Hank a little bit first), and the burning bushes were really burning.

I think my back will be killing me tomorrow.

Eagle Eye

Not only does J do an excellent job checking for problems on our farm, he also manages to find problems on other people's farms.

Today when he came in for lunch he looked out the window and saw water running down the hill on the other side of the valley waaaay over near that barn with the silver roof.
The farm owner lives in another state and as far as we know doesn't have anyone checking things on a daily basis.
When we drove over there J found the float to cut off the well pump was missing and water was pouring over the side of the tank.
Hopefully, they will be around soon to fix the problem with a little bit more of a permanent solution that what J did.

Hokie Football

Just got back from a nail biter of a Virginia Tech football game. Hokies won in the last minute beating Georgia Tech 28-21. They held on through another GT possession and intercepted a pass in the end zone with seconds left. Some friends with season tickets invited us to go with them. The temperature was in the 40's but with ski pants it was comfortable. The seating is a bit tight in Lane Stadium but since everyone stands up most of the time I guess I doesn't matter that much.

Go Hokies!

Mugo Pine

In the spring Lowe's finally had the dwarf mugo pines I had been wanting.

On an impulse I purchased three.
I have managed to keep them alive all summer in their pots which means they must be very drought resistant. Hopefully, I will get around to planting them before the ground freezes.

Turning Out

We got Lady back from J's dad last week. He was headed back to Florida so we are horse sitting for the winter. She had recovered from her laminitis last spring and Frank was able to ride her this summer without any problems.

We kept her in the barn lot for a few days before turning her out uneventfully with the other horses.
We also turned the billy goat out with the herd today. We took up the electric fence net that had made his lot and J commented that he wished we had about a 100 acres of this grass for the cattle. You can clearly see the pasture where the cattle are vs. where the single goat was. Hopefully, we'll have lots of kids come April.