Life on the farm

I have a lot of chores to do and I’m starting to feel the pressure of that. I need to get one thing accomplished and that is all it will take to ease the pressure. Which will it be? I should concentrate on the painting and trim for our Study (we used to call it our office), as that is something that can be accomplished without having to buy more material. Or…I could build the storage closet in the garage so that I could put even more stuff away. But that project may require a trip to Lowe’s for more drywall and trim. Or…I could install the new faucet and instant water heater in the kitchen sink. That would make Laurae happy. Or…I could borrow some hedge trimmers and finish the hedge cutting. (my trimmer broke) Or…I could install the two new sprinkler heads I bought to replace the ailing ones. Or…I could mow the front yard and the orchard. And of course the walnuts continue to fall as the wind shakes the trees, all demanding attention as well. The wind is a little bit lighter this morning. Maybe I can clean the pool today. The leaves and rose petals were littering the surface yesterday and I couldn’t remove them as fast as they were falling. As you can see, I have plenty to do! And I haven't even mentioned the hobbies that I would like to get involved in again...once the chores are complete.

I guess I spoke too soon about the wind as it has returned once more, with vigor. It’s too dark to see, but I imagine that there are hundreds of walnuts on the ground now. Not that that is a bad thing; on the contrary, “on the ground” is where you want them. The chore of harvesting is lessened when the wind does part of your work. The work now begins with picking them up and sorting the good ones from the bad. Then it will be the cracking and extracting of the nut meats. And after the wind dies down, I will have to shake all the limbs where the nuts remain, trying to convince the last stubborn nuts to make the plunge.

I am convinced that one walnut tree will give you enough walnuts for an eternity of nibbling. Yes, hundreds upon hundreds of nuts are produced by one tree. And I have 6 of those trees. Three of them are mature trees, at least 20 feet tall. The other three are younger and smaller. But they are doing their best to emulate the older trees by producing as many nuts as possible.

The life of a “gentleman farmer” is not as easy as I once envisioned it. The darn plants grow and grow, like crazy! I have two trees filled with pomegranates that are beckoning for my attention. Also, I have a persimmon tree that is loaded with ripening fruit. My garden, which is minimal this year, competes with the orchard for my time. The cherry tomatoes, which I love, grow and deliver fruit at an astounding rate. Will they ever stop? The only plants that leisurely do their work are the pumpkins. We have a dozen assorted pumpkins growing and they won’t be ready for about a month. And that’s a good thing!

Retirement. Only the brave and the strong should apply...