Spring Spraying

We started spraying our winter wheat crop two days ago.  We are applying a broadleaf and grass herbicide, a fungicide to help with disease control and foliar fertilizer.

Spraying is an exercise in patience.  It's the operation that is the most weather dependent of any that we do.  It can't be wet, it can't be cold, it can't be windy.....pretty much what spring around here is!  Some days you can only get a couple hours of spraying accomplished before the wind comes up.  Some days you can't start until noon because the dew is too heavy, (though we're not complaining about damp weather!).  Some days it's beautiful and sunny and warm, but the forecast is for frost overnight so you sit and twiddle your thumbs and get nervous and pace and use every ounce of discipline that you have, NOT to spray!

Thankfully, due to good planning and management by Reynald, we have a sprayer that covers a lot of ground in a short amount of time.  I took a few photos the day we started, to give you an idea of what we are doing.  My job is to drive the truck to the field after I have filled the big 3,000 gallon tank with fertilizer and loaded the herbicide alongside the big tank, all of which are located at our home shop.  Reynald's job is to drive the tractor!

Here we are filling the sprayer with product.

We use Indy to spray with.  It has cruise control which make for more even application.

Another look, this from the sprayer tank.  Seems like a long ways to the truck!

I am always amazed at how wide this sprayer is, 114 feet!!  Reynald travels between 8 and 10 MPH.  This is why he can get so much done in a day, weather permitting.  

After the rain

Oh we had the most glorious rain yesterday.  Nearly an inch fell between Saturday and Sunday.  Such welcome moisture!  Very much needed.

It rained most of the day, clearing just towards sunset.  It was so beautiful outside so I went out to take a few photos.  OK, more than a few......just wasn't sure when to stop!

Rain drops on a cherry branch.

This time with the setting sun.

Baxter wishing he could climb a tree.

This is a common game with Baxter and Leo!

Baxter knows that at some point, Leo is going to come down out of that tree!

Look at how swollen the cherry buds are.  I don't expect to get any fruit this year with this early season.  Surely we will get a killing frost in March or April.

The sunset was setting up to be a good one!

Some daffodils on the west side of the house are starting to bloom.  This clump is always the first.

And the dwarf forsythia burst in to bloom on Saturday.  It didn't mind the rain one bit.

Everything was laden with droplets of water.  So refreshing to see.

It was getting more brilliant as the sun set lower.

Leo did come out of that tree and was enjoying the last rays of sun.  

It was even pretty inside the house!  

Back outside, the eastern sky was as spectacular as the western.

Still looking east.

And now back to the west.

Such a beautiful day it was.  Nourishing rain and an amazing sunset to finish it all off.

Baxter and I went to Spokane today and he got his spring hair cut!  He looks so handsome and will be much easier to keep clean for a few months.

And, here's a photo of Baxter's dog tag.  On Etsy, I found a woman who makes custom dog tags.  I asked her to make something with wheat and this is what she came up with.  https://www.etsy.com/shop/DoggoneTags

Baxter before his haircut.   Kind of a shaggy boy!

And after.  He has a green ribbon for St. Patrick's Day tomorrow!

Missoula Children's Theater

This week two gals from the Missoula Children's Theater have been here, working with students at our school.  It's an incredible program.  The touring kids arrive on Sunday afternoon, hold auditions at the school, cast the kiddos, do a read through of the script, all after school on Monday.

Tuesday they begin rehearsals and on Saturday they put on a play!  One of the kids from MCT acts the lead in the play, with the school kids picking up the rest of the lines.  We had 34 kids, from 1st grade to seniors in high school participate.

Reynald and I hosted the the Missoula kids this past week, and I had the privilege of playing for the production.  It's tons of fun to work with the Missoula kids, our school kids, and especially good for me to have a reason to sit at the piano.

Here are a few photos that Reynald took yesterday.

The stage set up and waiting for actors!  The Missoula kids pack all this in to their Ford 150 pickup truck, and set up at each location.  They also provide all costumes and makeup for the production.

Me at the piano!  The flowers were a gift from the cast!

Posing with a cast member.

Final curtain call!  Everyone did a great job!!

It's raining today!  A beautiful, glorious rain.......so welcome and needed.

Orchid

A year ago Uncle Scotty and family were here at the Rolinco Road Resort.  David and Lisa's kids were playing in a basketball tournament in Davenport.  They brought this orchid, which was blooming beautifully at the time.  We enjoyed it while it lasted and I never expected to see a bloom again.  I have no experience with orchids, so read a little on-line about their care.  Sounded like over watering is the thing that they really dislike.  So, I put this little guy out in the garage, on the plant shelf that is a west facing window and watered at the first of every month.

A week ago I was surprised to see some color on that shelf and went to investigate.  It was that little orchid, just starting to bloom!  I was thrilled!  I think it's so pretty.  I took a few photos to share....

My first attempt at keeping an orchid alive.

I never expected it to bloom.

I think it's so pretty.  

Hope I can get it to bloom again some day!

And We're off......

We started farming today.  I made my lunch and walked a few feet to my tractor, where Reynald was putting a few finishing touches on the harrow.  Got in, turned the key and nothin'.  Turned it again, still nothin'.  The starter went out!  Reynald was able to get me going, with the help of the battery charger, and a plea, not to turn off the tractor, or kill it on a hill!  A new starter is waiting for me to pick up in Spokane tomorrow.

So, that was the start of the farming day.  Harrows are high maintenance equipment.  I broke three clevises that hold the drag harrow to the main harrow.   I had a flat tire, which didn't matter too much, because I could still run with the tires that were left.  Reynald took the tire to Ritzville to have it fixed and returned in time to help with one of the clevis breaks!

At the end of the day he asked me to unhook the harrow from the tractor, so that he could hook up Indy tomorrow while I went to Spokane for a meeting and to pick up the starter.  I would have paid a lot of money tonight for an implement jack that works!  It's bit of a story, but the shorter version is that I had to go get the tonner, and the high lift jack and finally was able to lift the hitch enough to undo the pin and then drive away.  I'm kinda scared of high lift jacks, but I was not going to let that harrow beat me tonight!

My favorite mechanic, trying to figure out what is wrong.

Decided it was the starter.

Faithful Colt has rarely let us down.  He'll be good as new again, after tomorrow.

Finally, I can get started!

The day before yesterday I took a red plate out of the cupboard, and realized that it was well in to March and I had not changed out dishes!  So, now we have green and yellow for the rest of the month!  Looks like a daffodil!!

Yellow and green Fiesta Ware for March!

And, my favorite color of crocus began blooming two days ago.  I really love the purple ones.  Yellow is fine, white is ok, but purple is my favorite.

Also blooming is the daphne bush that Connie gave me a few years ago.  There are some fragrances in this world that just knock your socks off and this is one.  Lilacs are another, mignonette is another, and certain roses.  I think it's wonderful that my favorite flower fragrances space their bloom time throughout the year!

Daphne......so fragrant and beautiful!

I Shouldn't Be.....

doing this!  But I simply can not stop myself.  I have started another quilt, even though I 'm supposed to be working on the feathered star Christmas quilt!  I know I won't finish it before farm/yard/garden starts, since that all starts tomorrow, or started a month ago actually!

Anyway, I've had this pink fabric for a really long time.  I bought it when it was way on sale and have never known what to do with it.  As usual, Beth had an idea, and as usual, I loved her idea, and as usual, color man a.k.a. Reynald has to insert his opinion!

This morning I just had to try making two blocks, to see if I was going to like what I thought I was going to like!  Indeed, I do, thought there is some question as to how to set the blocks, side by side, or on point.  Feel free to offer an opinion.

The start of a new quilt.  

This is the block that will alternate with the pink/rose fabric.

Side by side setting

or set on point?  I'm leaning towards this setting.....

Turns out this block is a little harder to make than I thought it would be.  It's essential that you be accurate and precise.  (Another one of those accurate and precise blocks, like the feathered star.....ugh!)  If you are off, it really shows with the dark brown and the light pink.  I like it though.  It's going to be worth the effort.  My plan for this is a summer quilt for our bed.

A beautiful day today, a beautiful sunset.  It's supposed to be warm all week.  A little bit of farm panic starting to set in around here!!!

An amazing ending to an amazing day.

I really love living at the end of Rolinco Road!

Terrible Terrier Twos

Yesterday evening, with incessant urging from Reynald, I sat down to work on quilting the border of the motor home couch throw.  I wasn't at it for very long, when he came down to my nest and asked how I was doing, and was there anything that he could do to help.  I asked if he would like to try his hand at this particular effort and he said that "yes, he would like to".   So I moved aside, turned the sewing machine over to him and off he went!

Always a little humor with Reynald!

Working on quilting the border with our home machine.

Pin basted border and Reynald ready to sew.

I sat in my chair and worked on a cross stitch project while he sewed away.  Eventually, I grew tired announced that I was going to bed.  I left him with a full bobbin and a kiss goodnight.

When I got up this morning there was a note on the quilt that he had run out of bobbin thread with only two lines left to quilt!  I spun another bobbin, finished the two lines and sewed on the binding.  I finished sewing down half the binding this morning and finished tonight.

Reynald fell asleep on the couch while I was working on the binding.  I threw the finished quilt over the top of him and snapped a few photos!  He didn't even stop snoring!!!

Reynald asleep under the finished quilt.  You can probably hear him snoring even without audio!

A closer look at Reynald's first attempt at quilting.  He did a really good job for his first time.  

 Yesterday was Baxter's birthday.  He is two years old!  I say it is the Terrible Terrier Twos, but with terriers, the terrible twos last most of a life time!  And we wouldn't change any of that for the world.  Baxter is a constant source of laughter and joy.  He's so full of life and energy and trouble!!!  Can't really imagine life on the farm without him.

Happy Birthday Baxter!