RD summer 09 chronicle 01

Ciaran made his first trip to the farm about a week ago. Luckily, I chose a day when we had the good fortune to be witness to lots of Josh-on-tractor business, specifically, Josh laying down almost 20 rows of bio-mulch for tomatoes, melons, winter squash. Fun with big loud machinery!

...the fact of thinking about winter crops pre-June used to startle me some, but I guess after 7 years of farm-season scheduling, not so much anymore...

Ciaran, however, is startled and engaged with almost anything outside at this point. Earlier this spring, we had a crash course in birdology and we found the Cornell website to be fantastic for many indoor-birding pleasures:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1189

Baba and Joshers had to reel-in the monitor-watching, though. No more than 7 minutes in one sitting. But we got very familiar with red-wing blackbird, chickadee, blue jay, cedar waxwing, pileated woodpecker, goose, turkey, robin, cardinal, mourning dove, mockingbird, crow, gull..(also chickens ducks and sheep on YouTube). Ciaran has startled me all spring by identifying many of the birds we heard and saw online while walking down the street or playing in Leddy or Ethan Allen Parks, or even just in our parking lot or outside our window (many blue jays and robins).

Being able to go outside, though has made our computer searches for wildlife a thing of the past. Though some may think it odd or even crazy, I leased a small plot at the Starr Farm Community Gardens, and C and I do our thing there a couple times a week, just a quick jaunt down North Ave. So far we've put in morning glories, beans, zinnias, and are to plant corn, sunflowers, some tomatoes and husk cherries today. Whatever. It's nice to have a whatever garden.

Though, the farmy farm will quickly become The Place To Be. Plans for a children's garden are in the making, to include fun flowers and edibles in the landscape, shady spots, a water cooler, digging implements and insect havens. Of course, more birds.


But for the day, our work is done.