Another week on the farm

I was asked to put together a rag quilt from the blocks that were signed at the baby shower for my nephew and his wife, Isaac and Kate. Valerie gave me the blocks and all the other flannel she purchased.  I finished the quilt and got it all clipped last Wednesday.  I gave it back to Valerie to wash and dry it to fray the edges or else she can give it to Kate to do that.  Their baby is due in just a few weeks. 

 

 

When Valerie came out last week she also brought me two grocery sacks of tomatoes that she picked from her garden.  These tomatoes were the most dense I have ever seen for large tomatoes.  Roma tomatoes are this dense but they are small.  I took all the peppers from my freezer and made salsa.  I ended up with 33 pints and 3 quarts of salsa from this.  I will have some good eating *snacking* this winter.  I will share some with Karen as she always shares hers with me. This year her garden was not so good. 

 

 

This past week I also helped Dad and Mom build a corral in the north pasture in order to make it easier to load the cattle out of there instead of trying to walk them home across the field which is usually planted to something.  Dad decided to make it from old grader blades and make the corral permanent.  Those blades are solid steel, 8 foot long and 6-8 inches high and (I'm guessing) 3/4 inch thick.  They are heavy!!  They are hard to handle.  Dad started out working on this alone.  Why is it so hard for a man to ask for help?  Mom went out to help the next time he worked on it.  She can't really lift but she could place the bolts in and put the nuts on.  I went out to help the next time.  I helped did post holes (my tractor skills are not so smooth when I am to backup only an inch at a time).  I helped lift the blades and carry them to where they were to be used and then held them in place till bolts were in place.  Dad finished up the gate and moved some of the cattle home so they could be taken to the sale. 

 

I had a lot of sore muscles after helping on the corral Thursday evening and Friday morning then standing at the sink working tomatoes and peppers for salsa.  I am not used to that kind of hard physical work all on one day.  I now need a couple days to rest but that won't happen for a few days.

 

Rose