Its going to be ramble of a post this morning folks..
1) Yesterday morning was the first morning that I looked at the bucket of grapes, the half bushel of tomato’s, the green beans, the peppers and the corn that came in the night before and thought.. enough already!, then I got busy and made grape juice, lamb pasta sauce, and a huge batch of chili sauce, along with making a big batch of bread, now between those and the regular chores that should have filled my day, but fate it seemed had different plans for my day..
2) the closest farm to me has horses and I looked out the window’s to see what was getting a soft grunting woof from the hounds in the living room, and there were the horse’s grazing on my grass in the front lane, so out I went to catch them, no go, they were not going to let me catch them yet and down the road they went, the third horse is kicking a fuss so I head over to see if there is any chance that farmer T is home, and ring the bell, now normally she is a happy gal but she greeted me at the door in tears, and a look like “not now” so I said, horse are out, and what is wrong! Well, I won’t share more then two things, the big one being that it was her birthday, and that she was having to put down her 16 plus year old dog, and she was having a when it rains it pours couple days.
So I helped get the horses back, talked to her a bit and she asked if I might stop by after she got home, so she would have someone to talk to as mate is working away at the moment, so I said yes, trotted home, and tried to get this canned, and that baked and the pressure canner was done (I was freaking out a little that I had left everything going but I had only expected to be gone for a few min only)
So after I got everything at a break point, I headed to town, and picked up a small birthday cake, a card and a multi picture frame as a gift for when the time is right for a collection of her puppies photos, so when she got home, she beeped me, so over I went with my little gifts, I know from watching my mom, when my dad was working that, its hard to be home on the farm with the children and that sometimes just having someone come with a garden basket of fresh stuff, and b-day cake can be a little high spot in a bad day..
3) So headed down to pay farmer R for my hay, and I have been saying for a number of years now that I am going to stop in at a certain farm that must have a thousand plus rasberry canes but they keep their farm as tightly locked down as I do, but the gate was open and someone was working out in the lane and a itty bitty tiny sign on the post said, local honey, so I pulled in and got the same look I give when someone I don’t know pulls in, and even got the “can I help you” so I said, do you have honey for sale? Well 35 min later, I have a jar of really amazing truly local raw honey, a trade of some compost for all the canes I want to dig out and move to my place, a trade of some lamb meat for some fresh pressed jugs of organic apple cider, and a shirt full of hertitage Russian Black Krim tomato’s from the garden to bring home, a offer to come help with his maple syrup in the spring, turns out he is the one across the road that taps and has the suger shack there, and if I want it, the chance to buy organic (non-certified but nothing on his land for 14 years) hay if I want it. He was hoping that he might get to have a walk-about in my own gardens etc.
4) Spent the evening giving my guest rooms a good once over, as my Dh’s ma arrives soon for her visit and DH’s uncle is coming up from about southern part of the province for a visit as well, so heaven help me, I am going to be trying to fit in visiting among all the fall work, I figure I will just drag them around with me, and see if I can’t put them to work just a little bit in helping..
Wonder what they will think of my plan.. welcome, want to snap beans? want to help build a new jug for the barn, want to help bed down the fruit trees? guess we will find out..
Just another Day on the Farm 
I can tell you that being home alone with the kids all day can be awfully lonely, and I’m sure your neighbour appreciated your visit and the gifts more than you can imagine. 🙂 She’s lucky to have such a considerate neighbour.
On the hand, if it’s hard for you farmers to pull into strange farms and ask what’s for sale, imagine how hard it is for us town folk! That look you give and got – that’s enough to send some people packing. You should hear me when I talk to a new farmer about what they have for sale, I’m stuttering and stammering like a fool. We usually have no idea what to even ask about, since we’re used to stores with products and prices listed openly.
Hi C.D.
It does not happen often to me, but there are times that being home alone for 12 hours a day can get a little to quiet, so I can certainly understand.
I can certainly see your point about talking to farm folks, you have to be able to have the right touch when introducing yourself, I am always the one that goes in to talk to folks, never the DH, until after I make the first meet and greet.
Its a trick to find your way around prices, its not easy to get a price figured out, even with him and the honey, we had to the do the farmer price dance, I wanted an idea of how he prices, he wanted to get a feel for what I would pay, I want to pay no more then I am currently paying and if possable a touch less would be great.
In the end, he told me the cost of his jars currently, which puts him 20 percent under the one I buy at normally, which means that is perfect, so I got my discount, he got to charge full price.. both happy but it took at bit to get there, and even better, he does not charge more for his spring apple blossom honey then he does for later honey, wow, his buckwheat that he was growing for the bee’s looked great!
Sounds like a roller coaster of a day. Great score, the raspberry canes and such! Oh, and regarding your family; there’s no shame in letting them earn their keep by snapping beans 🙂
You know, I had a neighbor like you once…she was our ‘Granny’ Magdalene and I loved her so much. She was actually a very distant cousin, but she loved us like we were her own kids. The day Isaac started kindergarten, I stood out at the end of the driveway sobbing and over trotted Magdalene, covering me with hugs and sugars and telling me how proud she was of our family. She passed away last January and I miss her so much…but I’ll never forget the little kindnesses she performed. When the ache of losing her dog subsides, all she’s going to remember is her dear friend who took the time to brighten a sad, sad day.
It was a busy day that was for sure, I am thrilled with the different barters, It will be great to have the rasberries staggered like that, and goodness know’s I have enough compost out of the barn that giving some away in trade is no issue for me at all.
its wonderful when you have good neighbors, it makes a world of difference in how you feel about your area, I am glad that you had many good years with your Magdalene, but sorry to hear that she passed away, what is it about farmers and the bringing of sweets or food of some kind along with the hugs, its like its built into us that we don’t show up empty handed 🙂
I hope you are right, I hope that when she looks back on it, that it helps just a little bit.
Funny, isn’t it – the little dance that goes on with farm conversation? There’s a certain way to approach; a set pace with special things “that must be said” before getting down to brass tacks. You have this that he needs, he has that in exchange… It all works out. No contracts, perhaps handshakes are exchanged. But it’s not really necessary because your word is your bond.
People depend on good neighbours to be there when they’re needed: without having to ask. That’s how it’s been down through the generations and farmers are farmers, no matter where they live or what language they speak.
Yup, it is a dance a back and forth, and don’t rush it, have to agree, no contracts are ever given, rare to even give a hand shake this way, (it was more common in alberta) but out here, its more of a head nod, and Yup in my little neck of the woods.