Farm to Table

I woke to thunder. I’d been sound asleep; it was 5:00 am. But it wasn’t thunder, it was an epic downpour pounding on my tin roof.

Within seconds I was up and outside in a coat with a hood, slippers and my underwear. I scurried to the shed and got a tarpaulin and went out to cover my huge pile of soil that arrived yesterday morning. It as God awful; it was coal back, I was soaking wet and the bloody tarp would not unfold.

Sheba, bewildered by this unusual morning behavior, came out with me. She soon wanted back inside; it’s been ages since she saw rain like we had this morning. Once we were back inside, I lit the fire and some incense and made some tea.

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Yesterday, I worked earnestly from the moment I rose until 3:00 pm. 

The part of my yard I called Section Three when I was tilling is the largest of the three sections. It is roughly 44% of the total area of my yard that I’m re-doing and my goal yesterday was to finish covering and seeding it. But I didn’t make it. I have about three wheelbarrows full more of soil to add and all the seeding to do. 

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I noticed the spa was running a lot yesterday, so I took a look at the controls. The temperature was at 104° and rising. Something was wrong; it would not stop heating. It’s the kind of problem I don’t like dealing with because I am not at all mechanical.

I called the place where I get my chemicals and explained the problem. Gary responded with, “Is it our spa?” That’s code for ‘I don’t want to help you if you didn’t buy your spa from us.’ So I turned off the breaker and re-started the tub hoping it might work in the same way rebooting a computer can fix glitches.

It started endlessly running again so I re-set the temperature, turned it off again, and turned it on again … and waited … and worried. But this time I had hope. When I woke up this morning, the temperature of the water was where I want it and the spa seems to be working normally. Phew. Bullet dodged.

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It’s shocking, this dramatic change in the weather. It’s not cold outside, but everything is absolutely soaking wet. I’m sure there’ll be a break in the weather and so I’ll finish Section Three. I think today is going to be a day of rest for Mr. Packard Mule, Esq.

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Last night was the Farm-to-Table. It was fabulous, of course. It was great food this year, and lots of it and it was a glorious night. But I was really tired, so I came home early, long before the band and dancing started. But what a great, great night!

It’s an amazing event. 450 people are fed a remarkable dinner on nice tablecloths and under twinkling lights—all cooked and served by volunteers because the money raised with help buy a reservoir for The Commons. It’s how things get done here: I am proudly part of a really wonderful community!

Here are some photos:

The Bar