OPEN FARM DAY

Yesterday many farms in Nova Scotia, PEI and New Brunswick opened their gates to non-farming visitors. This was our opportunity to see what happens on a working farm. Of course, it was a highly sanitised version, as it should be since many urbanites (and that includes villagites and townies and even hobby farmers to some extent) could probably not really appreciate the messy aspects of the work on a farm.

The bio-farm, run by Germans, was overrun with vehicles. I counted 30, so I gave it a pass. I went to our local venison farm, and enjoyed the wander around. The deer, of course, ran away and ducked down behind tufts when I tried to snap their picture. I attached it anyway...a typical animal shot. But, it was an interesting operation, and one that could easily support a couple or maybe three other farms in the area. If I was younger, that would be my choice of farm.

WOOD STACKING

Wood stacking is an autumn ritual in rural Canada. We ordered 4 cords of wood, cut and split. It arrived while I was at work, so I cam home to find two piles of wood on the side of the yard where our wood was delivered last year. This is the opposite side of the yard to the wood shed. A small problem. I telephoned some friends, and asked if their sons would help with the stacking. No problem, they said. So, I collected two teenage boys, and the wood stacking began.

The going rate (my students tell me) is $25 per cord. I reckoned it would take about 5 hours of work, so the two boys would get paid about $10 per hour, which is quite good wages. It was longer – they worked for about 6 hours, so they didn’t get paid such a lofty sum, but they said they were happy with their wages. They hauled, and I stacked.

Once we got into the routine, it went quite quickly. That pile of wood looked huge until suddenly it was all over. I seem to remember it like that from previous years. It seems to be a never-ending task, and then suddenly we are stacking the last wheelbarrow load. It’s done now.

The wood is stacked in the wood shed (2 cords),

in a row next to the lilac bushes,

and up on the north side of my art shed.

I had to stop that pile because Philip was pushing the wood against the wall of the shed, and this is not good, since the bugs that wander in and through the stacked wood would take the opportunity to get into the walls of my art shed. So, that pile is not the height it should be, but it will be fine. The solution was to create a small pile beside Phiri’s kennel.

The wood must now sit for a year Last year’s delivery will be burned this year.