Summer Time
Whew, summer sure is a busy time on the farm. The long days allow us to get a lot of work done, but they are not so conducive to sleep or getting blogs written. You may be wondering, what kind of work are we doing? I mean, really, isn’t farm life all about dropping some seeds in the ground and then sitting back to watch them grow? Oh, if only life were so simple. I thought some of you might be interested in hearing a little more about what we’re actually doing with our time, so here’s a little summary of just another day on the farm.
Note: After years of living and dying by my calendar and watch, I’ve quit wearing or carrying around devices for a while. On the farm we pretty much gauge the time of day by how high the sun is and what kind of mood the kids are in. As my dad likes to say, “we’re on ranch time here.”
Dawn
Wake up, shake out the sore joints and muscles from yesterday, and head out the door to check on the livestock. This is a critical moment in the day. It’s our first opportunity to assess the health and mood of our animals, and usually tips us off to any issues we may need to deal with later in the day. Sometimes, it’s even the start of a new project, like earlier this week when we found a yak had mangled the electric fencing. This called for immediate action to prevent the heard from dispersing, and thoroughly disrupted our plans for the morning, but sometimes that’s what the day brings. It’s helping us learn how to “roll with the punches.”
Before Breakfast
After morning feeding, I sneak in a cup of coffee and we usually spend time irrigating, weeding or inspecting the garden. Irrigating sometimes turns into a much bigger project, like throwing on waders and jumping into freezing water to clear an irrigation ditch, but again, we roll with the punches.
Breakfast
Probably our favorite meal of the day. The kids generally are in great moods during the morning, and it makes breakfast a joy. Whether we’re fixing fresh eggs from the chickens, sourdough waffles or the simple solution of yogurt, granola, almond butter, honey and cinnamon (the kids are very specific), breakfast is usually a collaborative effort and one that ends with a bunch of full bellies and energized bodies.
Morning Project Time
Mornings are the best time to get work done. The air stays cool for a few hours after sunrise and the winds are generally calm. Sometimes we find ourselves working together on projects, and sometimes it’s a time for individual activities. Usually the kids like to be involved in morning projects. We keep a running project list on our refrigerator, which helps us prioritize and stay organized. But, as I’ve shared, sometimes the farm has it’s own plans for the day. On numerous occasions our morning project has been dictated by the early morning inspections. Whether it be dealing with an irrigation problem, fixing something that broke, tending to sick, injured or dead animals, or helping on our house construction project, you can’t always predict what will become the priority of the day.
Quick tip – morning projects with kids work best when they are turned into an adventure. Searching for treasure (i.e. turkey feathers), using our walking sticks to “hike,” or staying on the lookout for lions, and tigers and bears (oh my!) is much more exciting than “walking a ditch to move a few flood gates and check siphon tubes.”
Meltdown
We usually know it’s about time for lunch when the kids start losing attention and we creep into meltdown mode. We aim to avoid disaster by getting lunch on the table before anyone decides to roll around in the mud or push their sibling into the mud, but both have been known to happen. With the hot days we’ve been having, a cold smoothie, small salad or even just a cool glass of ice tea is usually all we need to be ready for the afternoon.
Afternoon Project Time (or Hazard Management)
We know rest is important this time of year, so we always structure a quiet time for the kids in the afternoon. Usually, this requires the complete engagement of at least one parent, but the other one of us will try to make the most of the time by taking on a small project like cleaning the kitchen, laundry, weeding, cleaning the garage or building another animal shelter.
Afternoon is also when we have a lot of guests visit, and it’s always fun to use those visits as an opportunity to share our vision and dreams for the farm. Getting to pet some of the yaks is always a highlight!
Cool Down
I always know it is almost dinner time when the air starts to cool just a touch. We’re blessed to have a great outdoor kitchen and dining area, and this time of year we’ve been enjoying most of our dinners there. We’re finally getting enough produce that we can pull together some pretty nice dinners straight from the garden, but we cannot wait for some of the sweet crops (tomatoes, summer squash, cucumbers, etc.) to start coming in with the greens and root veggies.
Bedtime and Evening Chores
Getting the kids to sleep when the sun is still out is always challenging in our home, but by the time we get to the end of dinner the kids are usually wiped out from a full day of working and exploring. One or both of us take time to help the kids get cleaned up after a full day outside (some nights are a much bigger process than others), and then we wind down by reading a few goodnight stories, saying prayers and singing a few songs. We close the door and cross our fingers in hopes the older kids will actually stay in their beds.
But, that doesn’t mean the day is done. Our evening chores are sometimes our most productive. From the time the kids fall asleep to the time we no longer have enough light to see the weeds we’re pulling, Emily and I try to hammer out the final touches on a project or take on some aggressive cultivating or pruning in the garden. The last chore of the night, usually under the light of the moon, is to make a final check of the animals to ensure they are safe and where they are supposed to be.
After Dark
These are the few minutes or hours we spend each day reading mail, paying bills, checking e-mail, researching a farm topic or writing a blog post before collapsing into bed with sore bodies, but full hearts and challenged minds. Nothing makes you appreciate a night’s rest more than a full day’s labor, and we’re so happy to be experiencing that every day. Summer days are long, which means extra work and less sleep. But, one of the things we love about the Rocky Mountains is the seasons we get to experience, and we know rest will come when the days shorten and the mornings get colder. So, until then, we’ll continue making hay while the sun (or moon) shines.
It surely sounds exhausting and gratifying. Thanks for the post, Steve!