a man and his hoe

every day is a good day

  • The Cows Are Back

    Back in May, I mentioned missing the cows on a nearby farm. Today when I was pedaling home from the post office, the cows were back. I stopped and talked to the owner. He was looking pretty good, but did say he wasn’t sure what his prognosis was. He will be keeping the cows on the farm into fall. He didn’t think he would winter them there.

    I wish him well. At one point, he had lost use of his right side, but he has regained use of it. He still sleeps much of the day as the chemotherapy wears him out.

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    His farm is such a magical place. It is like something you would read about in a fairy tale. His wood stacks are works of art. The flower beds, fruit trees, and rambling vines look like illustrations out of a children’s story book. I look forward to bicycling by the farm every day.

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    See: Cancer Strikes and Now I Miss the Cows

  • What Summer Looks-Tastes Like

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    This is what summer looks and tastes like at A Man and His Hoe®. The cherries are ripening early this year. Often, the birds finish off the cherries before we get a chance to enjoy them. This year, the birds are leaving them alone. Hurrah!

    The raspberries are inside the hoop house, safe from the birds. They are most delicious picked in the afternoon when they are warm. Only a few make it into the house to be served.

    It’s wonderful being able to eat these fruits directly off the vines and the trees. With most people living in dense urban settings, it’s a privilege to be able to walk out the door and enjoy them without having to go to a store to get them.

  • Summer Musings

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    Every evening, many of the chickens end the day grazing on the grass next to the chicken yard. This time of year when the sun sets after 9 p.m. and dusk lingers until past 10 p.m., the chickens take their time getting to bed, especially the younger ones.

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    Morning colors this time of year are so soft yet brilliant. Getting up early is the thing to do this time of year.

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    The two hens sharing the two chicks continue their shared co-parenting. At times, each one takes one of the chicks for some “quality time”. At other times they are side by side. It’s interesting observing them. Will this unusual child rearing make a difference for the chicks? Probably not, but time will tell.

    See also:

  • More on the Interracial Lesbian Moms

    The black and white hens which are raising the two chicks seem to be OK with the situation. The two chicks go back and forth between the two mothers. The two mothers haven’t gotten into any big fights. Sometimes if two mother hens get too close, they can get quite testy with each other. Mother hens can be fierce protectors of their chicks. I once had to rescue a chick which got trapped and the mother hen, thinking I was after the chick, attacked me ferociously. She came flying with her claws in front of her. I managed to rescue the chick without getting beaten to death by its mother, but barely.

    In the pictures below, you can see one of the chicks go from the black mother to the white one. So far, they haven’t ventured too far from their sleeping spot. They’ve taken the chicks to a sequoia tree close to the chicken yard. It will be interesting to see what happens when they start taking the chicks a long ways from the chicken yard.

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    Since the two hens bed down side by side at night, they must be used to each other. Chickens mellow out in the evening. Roosters who fight each other during the day, will often roost next to each other at night. It’s as if all is forgiven once the sun goes down.

    See also Interracial Lesbian Mothers and Two Mother Hens.

  • The Return of Sweet Annie

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    While weeding the garlic patch with BB, who was along for moral support, I spotted Sweet Annie (Artemisia annua) coming up between the garlic stems. If you are going to encourage any weeds, this is a weed to welcome. It will grow tall, six feet or more so be forewarned. The great thing about Sweet Annie is that the intricate leaves are as fragrant as the tiny flowers which appear toward the end of summer.

    Let it go to seed in the fall, and next year, you will be guaranteed to have beds of tiny Sweet Annie seedlings. This is not an issue. It’s a delicate plant and you can easily weed it. The great thing is that while you are weeding the extra seedlings, you will be bathed in the most wonderfully scent imaginable. Just brushing against the plant will fill the air with sweet perfume.

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    Saria Stevens who co-founded Chuckanut Transition in 2009, first introduced me to Sweet Annie. That was three years ago. Every year I look forward to spotting the first seedlings in my vegetable beds.

    In late summer, early fall, I cut whole branches of the lacy leaves and hang them inside. Their fragrance lasts for months. It’s perfect to hang a dried branch in a closet.