Thursday, September 13, 2007

A Peach! (and a Pony)

Barn entrance...before cleanup





and after (right)


Before I tell you about the peach I have to say that this is the first post to the blog FROM THE FARM!! Yesterday was the day...Mr. Satellite guy was here for 3 hours installing the internet and I'll be gobsmacked, but it works! It's a little slow but faster than dialup. And in the first hour of having internet I bought a pony. More on that later...

Back to the peach. ..I was mowing the lawn last weekend and happened to see two peaches on the ground. Here's the thoughts that ran through my head:
"That's a peach."
"What's a peach doing 100' from the house?"
"Did I throw bad peaches out in the middle of the night?"
"Did I have any peaches recently?"
etc....

I never stopped the mower to investigate further but on my next pass I saw my friend Scott standing near a tree, eating a peach. I stopped the mower and it dawned on me that the little tree I had been mowing around was a peach tree. Duhhhhhh. Scott handed me the peach and said it was pretty good. I took a bite and it was excellent! So who knew....La Bella Vita Peaches.
I'm going to have to get a label designed for a crate so when I take fresh eggs or peaches to my friends it'll be properly branded.

Scott has done two tours of duty on the farm now; both involved significant clean up. It's the only way I get to see my friends....they need to come to the farm and while there is usually work involved, I'll feed you! So two weeks ago, with a shovel and a lot of scraping and teamwork, we cleared out the weeds from the horse entrance to the barn. The photos above show the difference.

Now the horses can find their way in to the barn. And, now that the entrance is all cleaned out I'm going to need some flower boxes. I'll put that on the winter list.

The other news is the barn pump was installed last week. I left my camera up north at my Dad's house so didn't get a photo of the gigantic machine they brought in to dig a trench. Why they had to bring a back hoe that was probably used to clear Ground Zero to dig a 12" trench is beyond me. They dug a 150' trench and in the process, dug up a 150x80' swath of the yard.
Joe has a plan to put the yard back in order..more on that in the next entry (stay tuned for "Arena!"). The entire area that was the pond is now just dirt. Looks bad but nothing a little grass seed and tilling can't fix.

And the pony....so I was looking for a pasture mate for Oscar and I posted an ad on Craig's list. A woman called who had a pony named Little Red. For lots of reasons, I needed to get this pony. Barbara loves ponies, I had a horse named Big Red, and well, this pony is the cutest little thing ever. Who doesn't need a pony??

So little red will be arriving the same day as Oscar. That'll be a blog entry for sure!

Time to get the dog out...cheerios for now.
becx

6 comments:

Mooneybat said...

Little Red is the keeeyootest pony ever. Just adorable. I hope she is a little bit naughty too - just because she's a pony.

Your barn looks super. It appears you have an entrance for piggies too! (don't let anyone talk you into pigs)Let me know if you want a goat or two to keep that nicely trimmed back. Goats good - Pigs bad.

And used tires - whoever bought a farm and didn't find a stash of crappy ugly, expensive to dispose of, used tires? If and when we ever sell our respective places, we'll have piles of old tires to hide in the weeds for the next starry-eyed schlub owner to find and justice will be served.

Congratulations on the peaches. Homegrown are the best, sweetest most delicious things I can imagine right now. You so lucky!

Anonymous said...

lol!! I'm trying to get ready for work but your note cracked me up. 10-4 on the pigs. I was going to close off that pig door to keep the drafts out. A goat would be fun. Got an extra??
Yes, dang tires. Joe offered to burn them and I said "but that would pollute!" and he just smiled. I think I'll make a few tire swings for the barn. Bumper swings...could be amusing!
Must go to work now...more later

Lady Barbara said...

Whaddayamean - "Barbara loves Ponies"? That's it? Ya didn't say Little Red is supposed to be MY pony? And I said your dad can't ride it. You didn't say I have her picture framed in my entry at Vine Cottage already? You didn't mention that I'm planning to knit her ear warmers and make her a flowered halter and all that? And what about her name plate you promised with my name under hers? And how about me bringing her into your house (No, not to MOOCH!) while I make your dinner before you get home? Was that all a dream? I finally get a pony. I go to sleep and dream about my Little Red pony. I even dream I let your dad ride her (didn't turn out too well with his feet still on the ground) I wake up and find books to buy on Red Ponies (Dont read Steinbeck's - it's too sad)and I finally check out your blog and pffft! Just "Barbara loves ponies". If you're not careful, I shall personally send you a whole HERD of pigs.

Anonymous said...

It's your Pony!! :)

I think I'll change it's name to "barbara's pony."

hee hee!!

Lady Barbara said...

Ahhhhhhhhhh! Acknowledgment!
That's better! "Barbara's Pony"
We can call her "BP" like British Petroleum all gassed up, or "BP" As in the archaeological time scale meaning "before present"- even though she IS the present. (get it?) Or just "BEEP" for short (And short sure is appropriate for that cutie-pie) So now you have the best of all worlds - your nieces and nephews and neighbors can ride her even if she IS mine. And I won't have to send you any pigs after all. Ah yes, "Barbara's Pony" does have such a nice ring....

Anonymous said...

Barbara's Pony (Beep) it is! Love it!!