Tractor Work and Irrigation Drama

So far this week we've had long busy days of great weather and we are trying to make up for all the time lost to the rain. We've planted so many different crops! Beans, cowpeas, melons, corn, more tomatoes and peppers.... Chelsea planted a lot of it while learning how to drive a tractor straight. Here she is trying to drive straight and backwards at the same time. She's really good at it. I was down by the pond for most of it and only heard her cussing a few times.




I was down by the pond because our ramshackle irrigation set-up was failing, presumably because I was using an old jacuzzi pump to pump pond water. I guess I wore out the impeller, it just stopped pumping. This whole irrigation thing is eating my lunch. I've been through three pumps now, one was donated, one was salvaged from a jacuzzi headed for the dump, and another was purchased for $6 at auction. Sometimes I think we try to nickel and dime too many things. Well, we got sick of it and finally bought a brand new jet pump with a pressure switch and everything. Now everything seems to work fine, but after all that headache and hassle, when I looked up at the pond this is what I saw!



The good news is that after about three weeks of hassle trying to find new tie rod ends for my tractor I finally found them and got them installed. This is a photo of my hat and I next to the tractor with no front wheels or axles.

Chelsea will be at the Wednesday market tomorrow morning from 8-12. We have beets, baby red lettuce, snap peas, shelled peas, snow peas, strawberries, kale, and turnips! Holy cow!

-Don