Thursday, August 06, 2009

Back on the Farm 2009

Well, I made it to Temple and got everything set up. I had to put my pump in the pond and connect up the electricity and hoses to bring water into the cabin. I took the lawn mower out of the cabin, mowed the grass and parked it underneath to clear some space. Then I moved in what I would need to set up housekeeping for a while.

Everything seems in order, although a few mice have moved in and set up housekeeping as well. Looks like they consumed all my D-con and survived. No evidence of the snakes that sometimes follow them. No problem, just a few minutes of cleanup and a note to replenish the rat poison. Also a note to self to try to find out how they get in. It seemed like the place was tight as a drum when I left.

The corn has been harvested, and from what I can see, it looks like we had a decent crop. So, I should get a nice check. I was a bit worried, since extreme drought in the area was prominent in the news, but it looks like we may have been on the edge of it and were lucky to get a few extra showers that prevented a disaster. I can see a significant deterioration of the crops even just a few miles to the south.

Speaking of crops, many people ask me what crops are grown here on the farm. Most people recognize the top two, corn and wheat. But many are unfamiliar with a third, milo. So, I thought I would include this picture taken of a nearby field. Unfortunately it was taken just a few miles south, so you can see the crop is marginal. Just a couple of miles further south, it looked even worse. And, I think milo, also know as maize or sorghum is a bit more drought and heat tolerant than corn. I’m not completely clear on its uses, but I think it is mostly hog or chicken feed.


Across the road, I saw a new crop. Looks like they are raising sunflowers for seed production. I picked a head, and have been savouring the snack. But, with the small amount of edibles from each seed, I wonder about the economics of sunflower seeds. Wild sunflowers certainly thrive around here. In fact, where I come from they are considered weeds. Check it out: it looks like they are ready to be harvested.

I made a quick trip to Houston and picked up my Houston Texans tickets, taking advantage of the opportunity to spend a long weekend with the luxuries of cable and internet service at Jon’s apartment and great meals with several friends. Jon’s apartment is very nice, including a view of downtown

Now, it is back to the farm and some more mowing and clearing of brush plus addressing a few other maintenance issues. I’ve tried a bit of fishing with moderate success. The pond is less than half its normal depth and size, due to the drought. We could use a nice gully washer, although that would mean I’d be marooned here for a couple of days. There is no way out after a heavy rain.

I planned on a big steak over mesquite for my first night here, but pork chops and sweet corn will have to do until I find some reasonably priced steaks.

That pretty much brings you up to speed on my travels. After reading through this post, it looks like it is back to the Mundane Monthly instead of Max’s Adventures. Oh well, stay tuned. Maybe something really exciting will happen soon. Could be there is a 10 lb lunker lurking in the cooler water at the deepest part of the pond. I better go check it out.