One more session of grousing about the “blog format” I suppose, and I’ll be done. The issue this time being that I must be “connected” to the web in order to write this up. In our “interface” situation, this means I no longer can sit at our kitchen window. Alas, speaking of birds, I was just there and got to see not three but four hummingbirds jousting at the feeder. What joy! Earlier this morning as I sipped my cup out on the porch, a single rufous male came and hovered not a foot from my head, attracted by the bright red-checkered coat I wore. This added a certain buzz to the coffee…

Meanwhile the house wrens are back, chatting up a storm and busy gathering nesting material. Some of the flycatchers have already nested and bluebirds have followed us, or us them, along the fields regularly. April here in the Methow was as warm as about any I can recall. What we lacked in moisture we got in sun and though we had the customary windy days, not a steady diet of them. Still and all, the soils are pretty darn dry. Thank goodness for the mountain snow-pack that will give us the pure irrigation water when needed.

Once we began field work in early April were aware of the dry profile immediately and have been protective of it as much as possible. When we’ve had to disc or plow we’ve followed soon after with he packer to hold in the moisture we bring up with tillage.

So far, we drilled in spring peas as a green manure crop on about 35 acres and they have the moisture to come up on their own. What’s more, the winter peas that we sowed last fall on a larger acreage, and that I’d given up for naught by golly look like they are still alive!  -15 FH, no snow and the little buggers are still coming to life. I turned the water on them and they may make a crop after all. To watch them fighting for life, literally, sanctifies the power and energy in one single seed. Mother Nature never ceases to amaze me. Perfect in every way…

Now that we’re putting down our main fertility and much of our seed-stock is set-aside and the moon is beginning to wax again, with a little more cultivation, the stage will be set for planting. I’m not sure we’ll get all our crops in around the full moon, but certainly we should be able to get in a good portion.

That said, Mother Nature can weigh in at any time, of course. And she will always have the final say. Maybe we will get some May rains? The past two springs have also been pretty dry and we’ve had our crops in fairly early fashion. By the next news, I mean blog-letter, we’ll know the story.

May is a beautiful month to work in; the hills a lime green and shot with deep yellow balsamroot. Soon the lupine will be up.

Then the bitterroot, then… it goes on and on with the building, beautiful daylight. Good thing there is a lot of daylight. There is a lot of work to do!

Here’s to full on spring. Here’s to hoping you all get out to take in the the sights, sounds and smells of the warming earth. Cheers.

Your farmer, Sam