Bills, Burns, Birthdays and Birds

Hello from the Farm! Well, we've been on the go since my last posting. Now it's Sunday. Time to visit with the neighbors and share all the goings on. So pull up a chair dear and join us. Now, This first picture is the view from the shop/studio where I write this blog, fix leaky garden hoses, sharpen chain saws and record audio for The Production Room. Not too bad a spot eh?


This is our fine automobile. Every year, we're required to get a vehicle inspection on this lovely 1995 Dodge Caravan. This year, she failed miserably. Rusty doors, worn tires, bad front suspension, cracked windshield were all on the list. We decided a few dollars for repairs and another summer of driving made more sense than borrowing money does these days. So, in exchange for less debt and a provincial stamp of approval, we slapped on some used parts and were on our way. Nice, huh?


Well, the title says, "Burns", and it was bad! A week ago today I was rushed to emergency Hospital in Montague for 2nd degree burns on my leg and foot. No fun!
I was brewing tea - for iced tea - in preparation for bringing hay from the field into the barn on a hot day. Two liters of boiling water shattered the glass pitcher I was brewing in and landed on me! The pictures aren't pretty so I'll just post this snapshot of the toolbar/table planting rig we used to set in plants a couple of weeks ago. It worked like a charm. I'm on then mend now and feel fortunate not to be scheduled for skin grafts!


Susan and I celebrated birthdays this week! She one day before mine. We always feel glad to be home on PEI and lucky to see another summer as we whirl around the sun each year. Perhaps this year seems even more special as teenager gets another summer closer to leaving home and the other "youngfella" heads into grade three this fall. I hobbled into the field to pick Susan a bouquet of wild flowers on her birthday. Just this morning I was greeted by this bank of roses and their gentle perfume in the front yard.


We also had a lot of bird news this week. Our little black hen, named "Black Magic Woman", was dragged off to her doom late one night by something wild. It was either a coyote or a fox, both of whom have been noticed skulking about in the night. Annie the wonder dog dozed through the entire affair, being less than clued in about the entire shepherd/farm dog thing. Teenager heard a loud "squawk" and that was all the certain evidence there was. But now we have three ducks to add to our menagerie. They come to us from a friend who said these drakes we're being picked on at his place and could use a break. So we herded them down the lane to the pond this morning (Annie, showing us her herding skill) and into the pond they went. They took to it just like...well,like a duck takes to water!

This week we'll be picking herbs, sweet peas and possibly some beet greens along with a nice steady supply of salad greens. Sure could use some rain! Everything is a bit dry now. But the tomatoes are "comin' good" and a bit of dry heat is pushing them into flower already!

Until next time, best regards from Dunn Creek Farm!

The Worm Forgives the Plough

This picture is for Katie in Montreal who wrote a kind note to say that I made her miss her island home!


Katie can probably tell you what that picture means better than I. And I expect she could even tell you how it smells. Really! There's something about opening the earth on the island in the early spring. The scent that rises after a long winter rest says, "I'm ready - let's get growing!" It's a mixture of mossy wetness, the final breath of last summer's grasses, the meaty tang of worms at work and just a hint of diesel from our little tractor.

I took my old plow out behind the tractor yesterday and made the sods turn over across the two acre field we started working several years ago now. Island farmers , the real ones in their big rigs, like to see the bright red island soil come up to greet them as they pass over the land. I like the intimacy of the open air atop my little John Deere and I've learned to read the soil as I pass over. I know now that when the sods turn from grass green to the rich color and texture of chocolate cake that I have a healthy field full of life.

A man who encourages low till farming once was asked, "Why do farmers plow?" He said, "Because they like to." He's right. And as eager as we are to reduce the need for tillage and to preserve soil structure, this field is in need of some help to repair my earlier mistakes. And so to get the ground ready for the effort to control weeds and feed the soil for another season, I chose the plow to prepare the ground for the green manure and cover crop that will hold down the soil and feed it until our next experiment.

Katie in Montreal noticed that I'm from the US and wondered how I found my way here. Well Katie, the answer is my wife and her, "kindred spirit", Lucy Maud Montgomery. As a fan of, "Anne of Green Gables" she cam to PEI with her grown daughter and they fell in love with the island. The next year we came back up from California and had the notion that we could find a little place for not too much money. Perhaps a cottage near the shore. We found this farm and after much discussion about how impractical it would be - we bought it.

Neither Susan nor I had any kind real experience that would lend itself to taking on a farm. Susan grew up in Wisconsin, and I fell in love with the country life as a part time hand on a cattle ranch in California. So starting with very little practical know-how, we jumped in. And here we are. Now our plans are to graduate our oldest boy from High School in Santa Barbara and then move our family full time to PEI.

It's an interesting life we've chosen. The challenges are many. We know we're fortunate to have the chance and so we're determined to make the most of it.

Well, that's all I have time for tonight. I have a green house waiting for me to plant full of seedlings and time won't wait. I'll post more as time allows. Till then, best wishes from Dunn Creek Farm, PEI.