rain in the forecast...
It seems as is most of June is going to remain mild and wet. Feels like everything ahead in the forecast leads to overcast skies, rain, and border-line hypothermic nights. Even Litha may be soggy, but that’s how it goes. We don’t get to choose the weather, just how to dress for it.
I am hopeful for more hot days on a clear river, with afternoons kissed by passing thunderstorms... The truth is those kinds of days are rare. They seem normal because they feel perfect but in truth are rarer and rarer these days.
As a child growing in the humid Northeast, summer days were always hot and sticky. My childhood in PA was strings of sunny days, all ending with a gentle storm to cool things off before and encourage the fireflies. But things are different now, thanks to a constantly changing climate, and it's anyone's game. Maybe 4 days of wildfire haze? Maybe 2 weeks without rain and burned lawns? Maybe a month that drowns the fish? Can't say it's boring!
A rainy June can make or break a hay harvest if the sun can't get in there, too. The river gets too high, fields can get flooded or too wet to work. Animals that need to rotate grazing get less and less options or poor fodder. It really is a dance between sunshine and rain, and as our weather patterns change with the Climate Crisis we all need to learn how to adapt. I just hope we do.
I’m always talking about weather, and that’s because it’s the most important news of the day. There are atrocities in the news, but like most of you, I’m focused on getting through the day and possibly what’s ahead with the commong weekend. Right now, my entire focus is on catching up on work and making sales. Because it’s Monday, and I still have that Monday morning “back to work” mentality.
That person I was counting on to pay for art never did, but I paid for the last piglet from my mortgage-saving pool because I promised the pig breeder I'd send the money yesterday. At least all the pigs are now paid for, and I can focus on paying off their feed bill at the granary. When you're one person without a lot of money trying to juggle the responsibilities of being a homeowner, farmer, business owner, and neighbor - you need to just figure it out or give up. So far, I haven't given up.
I really try to take my weekends off of emails and freelance work. The farm is as much a part of my life as breathing, and I can’t choose to take any time off of the endless tasks the animals, gardens, and property demand. I kinda like them, waiting on me, knowing I am needed. I know I need to weed the corn and mulch the potatoes. I know I need to tend the woods path, which is already thick and near overgrown in some places from spending less time outside because of all the rain. But on the weekends, I need to take a break from constantly thinking about work and money. So this weekend, I basically did the human equivalent to how armadillos curl up in a ball? Yup, that.
If I don't take the weekends off I go kinda nutty. This weekend I mostly worked on stuff for my church group, weeded the kitchen garden, ate meals I made with intention using ingredients I raised, and caught up on sleep. I need that.
Yesterday, I took my first nap... in months!? I'm not a good napper. Taking time off to literally check out during the day feels insane with goats that might escape, horses on the lawn, neighbors stopping by to barter or chat, errands, etc. But yesterday I ended up sleeping in the shade next to my cat for a solid 25 minutes and it was so lovely. I feel like it added another 3 years to my life. I hope I don't wait another year to do it again. That's a proper Sunday afternoon activity.
So! Today it's back to work. I am making soap, getting out illustration updates. I am still waiting to hear back from 4 of you on logo feedback, so we can wrap up your projects. I am going to try and catch up on as much as possible, possibly squeeze in a trip to the laundromat and avoid grocery shopping till sales come in, and on that note - I am back to work right now.
Hope your Monday is less stressful!
Wanted to add that the thing I hoped wouldn't happen, has. The same 2 or 3 people are contributing a dollar a day to keep the blog going. If that's you, I appreciate you so much, but please stop, and let someone else encourage the writing!
I want to see if this blog can become something that once again contributes to the farm in a real way. If it doesn't, I can't put the time into it I have been this past month. This is hours every morning, and hours not spent on work people paid for and are waiting for, sometimes impatiently.
I won't keep writing daily for $3 a day indefinitely, and I stop, I will announce it in advance so those ladies aren't spending another dollar. Because I need to earn a living, and if writing here isn't how I do it, then onto other things!
If you appreciate what you read, I encourage you to contribute towards my writing with a tip. To be clear; no one has to pay anything. I will still write here and it's always available for free. But if anyone wants to volunteer to venmo/paypal at least one dollar, it means I will write a post the next day. If no one does, then I'll update when I feel like it. Might be the next day, might be in a month.
Please understand, that I do not mean a dollar for every post or from every reader! I mean, quite literally, if a single person anywhere in the world sends a single US dollar, and that's all the money I earn that day, I'll write tomorrow.
Venmo: jennawog (preferred)
Paypal: dogsinourparks@gmail.com