Many people come to our farm and say, "I'd love to have a farm like this." We just conceal our blood, sweat and tears, smile politely, and ask, "How can we help you today?"
Starting at dawn, which at this time of year is right on the heels of dusk., strawberries need to be picked, but the young ladies we hired have other commitments. Martin to the job. By the evening he has 40 pails - just not all at once.
Martin's heroic efforts in the strawberry patch have a few interruptions. Who knew? We might have known.
Numerous pickers ask for assistance and directions. No problem, he takes a few minutes to visit.
James calls to consult on a used cargo van he's picking up in Winnipeg. Issues must be discussed with the dealership, which takes more of Martin's time.
Checking on the cows, a young mom with her first calf is having some problems keeping track of her newborn in the tall grass. The pair needs to be moved into the barn to help with bonding, free of distractions. The little guy won't budge, so Martin heaves 70 pounds of calf over his shoulder, only to have him do "his business" down his arm. Time for a shower now.
Oh, the sheep need moving.
"Let's go, girls. Where's Bonnie and her triplets?"
As the flock file out of the corral, Bonnie is at the feeder looking at Martin like, "I'll come when I'm good and ready…thank you very much."
Meanwhile, the rest of the flock sees its opportunity to scatter in every direction. "Whoo hoo! No shepherd. Let's fly!" And they do! And so does time. Dealing with it, Martin is ready to make lamb chops out of every one of the rebels.
He returns to the strawberry patch to pick more berries.
Now, Farmers' Market is only a couple of days away and much still needs to be prepared. As well, adding a second booth and new banners means designing additional components to make a presentable display.
Keep picking berries - they're needed for the Farmers' Market.
"Forty pails. I'm done here."
A quick bite to eat – no casual sit-down dinner tonight – and it's off to plant carrots because it's supposed to be windy the next day. Thankfully, the half acre of carrots can be seeded more quickly by tractor and mechanical planter. With our late sunset this time of year, Martin still has time to get the job done – at our latitude, sunset isn't till about 10:30 P.M. Lots of daylight, but little rest for the farmer.
Just another day on the farm...nearly 24 hours of it….
