JUNE ALREADY

“Hey, you’re back. Haven’t heard anything from you for awhile.”

I know. I haven’t been able to find my voice. Like when I’m talking to myself in the kitchen or something I’m channeling this English woman in a book I’m reading. Can’t quite sound like me, whoever she might be. Maybe that’s just an excuse.

“Talking to yourself? Where’s Larry?”

At the BBI. That golf thing he’s been doing for years over at Black Butte. Five men staying at our house — got a panic call when Larry couldn’t find the queen-bed fitted sheets for upstairs. You can imagine. But they figured it out, put two flat sheets on the bed and called it good. Crisis averted. You’d be better off just not imagining the scene at breakfast.

“So you’re staying at the farm alone? How’s that working out? Remember how Allison said she’d NEVER stay there alone out in the country like that.”

So far, I’m good. Got about 75 cows for company, after all. This really good book, called Everyone Brave is Forgiven. I can make weird things for dinner, like Thai cabbage salad, which Larry might like, but would not consider a complete meal.

But now that I’m launched here, there has been a lot to tell you. Remember the photo of those boards I showed you? Thanks to Gordon, they’re now a beautiful shelf:

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On the same trip, Gordon helped Larry install overhead fluorescent lights in the barn, which I think Larry loves as much as the shelf. Don’t have a photo, because, why would I? Still, I’m sure come winter when we’re cleaning hoses or whatever farmers do in their barns in winter, we’ll be very happy.

Mike, the guy with the big grapple on his tractor came back and busied himself roaming the property picking up the huge fallen oak wood, making giant piles for future burning. Meanwhile burning the earlier mountains:

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A woman, driving by, stopped to enquire why we weren’t composting instead of burning. Hmm. I understand her concern, but seriously? How long would that take?

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The landscape people have faded, gone on vacation (great time of year for landscape people to take vacations, we find).
And we do have a large party coming up this month. Could we please have a little attention? Main guy came over yesterday and we walked the place determining which plants might go where. This morning, I went to the nursery and with some good help, “sourced” most of the plants. They’re piled onto two carts, awaiting delivery on Monday the 12th. As the party is on the 25th, they will hardly have had time to settle in, but at least they should be in the ground.

About the party. There’s this disconnect between the image of this farm in my head, and reality. Is it really so beautiful as I think? Will people mind staying off the grass, because it just got planted the prior week? What if it rains? Will the band be okay on the porch? I love my band! Last week Jon, on bass, asked me how long they were meant to play, and when I said one hour, he commented that it was a long way to drive for just one hour. Went to practice this Saturday morning feeling defensive, but, would I mind, Jon asked, if a smaller group of them played longer, maybe after lunch? Maybe just guitar and bass and vocalist? Mind? Wow! I sure hope they do!

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Yeah, it’s pretty beautiful! See you next time!