By Leslie Neff
I’m sitting inside a tad more than I care for lately. Winter has set in hard. This morning makes several weeks of barn checks around 10pm and again at 7am, if I’m gone one of the children does the noon time check. Kidding season is a month later than I’d prefer due the older billy having a front shoulder issue that never seemed to resolve.
We had two warm days that I took advantage of to install the string lights on the eve of the barn. That task had me moving pots and planters from around the front of the barn where I have a few flowers and vegetables. A friend gave me seeds last fall for a miniature cucumber named “mouse melon” it indeed looks like a tiny watermelon. You don’t peel them as they are the size of grapes but what a little beauty in a salad and a light sweet note when eaten straight off the vine. I’m just giddy at the idea of seeing them grow again.
Ive been trying to visit more often with my dear godmother and two friends of my father. My momma as she’s always been, is like me, we’re both hiding inside as much as possible till spring comes. I often refer back to my years growing up with her. I know the names of hundreds of flowers and soil conditions, sunlight requirements and the deep commitment it takes to grow a garden. I’ll never have the vast gardens and flower beds she did. A full plot dedicated to potatoes, one bed along the fence row her Rose collection. Names like “show biz” and “the yellow rose of texas”. Mom being a Texas native yellow roses always remind me of her, that and anytime I see a striped potato bug. I’m pretty sure I developed some work ethics picking potato bugs off with her in the summer heat.
Dad’s friends, live nestled in the hills of Greenmount. We’ve enjoyed a cup of coffee and have swapped a little mechanical junk over the last month. Their friendship growing more dear to me the last years. He’s a Marine, knew my father and both he and his wife, the most darling people.
The man we hired to help with the cattle and the new genetics came in the first part of January. We pulled the CIDR,s a device used to help bring a critter into season. Gave injections and had seven of the eight scheduled bred and done with help of a few folks in our tribe. The last cow having now been through the head chute three times prior and she decided to forge her own path over the wood rails and bolted for the field. By passing the chute, the hired man and ending cattle working on a flying note.
As for our agricultural calendar. We’re gaining two minutes of daylight each evening. I’m still waiting for that spring Equinox and seems March 20th can’t get here fast enough. I’ve noticed some of the braver early plants have poked their sprouts. The Seedum in the flower bed has little green rosettes already. I’m on the lookout for the tips of the daffodils.
After my last article I decided to just go on to Florida, back to fort Pierce. I went to Okeechobee where I spread my father’s ashes. We had a short talk and told him I brought his granddaughter. It was her first time going south. I Visited my grandparents’ place. Almost unrecognizable with the housing and construction. We picked sugar bell tangelo off the tree and grabbed star fruit or carambola it’s other name at a roadside fruit stand. It was a good road trip and as always seeing my friends and loved ones there made the miles worth it.
Peace
