Wanting to take a little field tour last night, I ask, "What are you doing, William?"
His response, "Cutting ladders," and then says, "Boy, that's not something I've ever said before!" It's not often that a bunch of mangled ladders show up on the farm's scrap metal pile! He had to cut them up to fit in the trailer.
Scrap metal? you might be wondering. That's what this farmer does if he has a minute between crops. He sorts and readies his loads of scrap metal to head to the recyclers in St. Paul. You may remember me telling you that when a young man, William ran the township dump on the edge of his property, and when that closed, he still accepted metal from anyone wanting to get rid of broken junk. It's a bit unsightly as he sorts and loads trailers, but dropping it at Lake View Farm is a much better way to keep junk from accumulating in the ditches around here (the old way of ridding oneself of unwanted items was to make them disappear down a ravine...you know...the old ways).
We hopped in the Kabota and had a lovely tour of the fields. A couple of weeks ago we were worried about the crops, but I am happy to report that most (except some of the corn) are looking fabulous! The barley is spectacular, the rye will be ready to combine then bale in a couple of weeks, second crop hay is nearly ready to be cut, and ....THE SUNFLOWERS are STARTING TO HEAD! We anticipate (if we continue to receive pops of rain without wind or hail) the sunflowers will be showing their pretty little heads BIG TIME the first week in August (5th and 6th could be prime). I'll keep you posted.
This time of year is so spectacular with the wildflowers in their prime. Along the roadsides we see Black-eyed Susans, Milkweed, Monarda, Daisies, Cup Flowers, Tiger Lillies, and a whole host of other little bee-loving beauties.
One of our neighbors, guerilla gardener extraordinaire, took on a roadside triangle this summer and has been hauling water and tending to her beautiful garden. What a contrast from the gray, white and black of just a few months back! Thank you, Leann!
Another neighbor, Rush River Produce, opened for the berry season last weekend. They have a bumper crop of blueberries ready for picking! Check out there website for all the details.
I've got the FARM STORE chocked full of goodies and treats, so take a Pierce County drive, pick some berries and stop in to say hi to us all! I'm down at the Cuddy's helping with berry sales this summer and would love to say hello.
This is why we endure winter!
Sending love from the farm,
Sarah