The recreational farmer

Tractor Supply was mentioned on the radio recently as a strong company to invest in and it was described as a company catering to “recreational farmers.”  Is that what we are–recreational farmers?  Wow, that sounds so la-dee-dah, like we are landed gentry who can just play around at farming while real farmers go bankrupt trying to provide a food supply for the country.  We do have some land, but we keep Tractor Supply in  business because they help keep the old tractor running.  And we ain’t got no money fer a new one.

Today is a real snow day.  That means that John didn’t go scooting off to work leaving us stranded because we didn’t have to get out anyway.  No…he stayed home today to plow.  And he has plowed for about 5 hours now.

Last night's snow

It’s a pretty snow.  But it’s a heavy snow.  When my alarm went off at 5:30 this morning, I could see by the first glimmer of dawn that a tree by the house was bent over double from the weight of the snow.  Around 6:30 a.m., while John was getting wood for the fire, he heard the tree crack and turned to watch it snap.

I never liked that tree anyway

  There are trees that I have grieved over–a beautiful triple trunk white oak that split, my favorite red maple that volunteered in the perfect spot in the yard the year we moved in–but this tree, sorry.  When it got going I wanted John to cut it down because it was blocking the one sunbeam that I could get on the sideporch.  It was a silly little thing and John couldn’t be bothered with it.  But I knew it would get tall and it did.   And now it’s just a mess in the front yard.

This morning's snow view

So, I just won’t look at that mess of a tree right now.  There are plenty of prettier views.

I took a walk up to Mt. Carmel Road today to check out the “rest of the world.”  We are really sheltered back here in the woods beyond the end of the county road.  Although I can see I-83 from the house, I have to take a walk to see if Miller Lane is passable.  Emerging from the woods to the open fields,  I often have to rewrap my scarf as protection from the wind.  Today it was interesting to observe how little snow had stuck to the trees at the top of the road.  Back in the woods, on the down side of a hill, our trees are overwhelmed with snow.

The Maywood yard

Bent over the road

Loaded with snow

While John plowed today, some of us did the domestic kitchen goddess thing.  It smells really good inside–pot roast simmers in the crockpot, fresh baked bread cools on the stove, heart-shaped sugar cookies disappear from racks on the counter.  Yet to appear is a peach-cranberry pie and some home-made rosemary-honey ice cream.  John should have a big enough appetite for it all.

 We’ve invited the GGPs (the great-grandparents) to join us.  They’ll probably walk over, along the freshly plowed driveway.

John plowing out his parents