The Riley Factor #56

The Riley Factor May 1, 2010
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

FORT PLAIN NY, May 1 -- Riley & Gabby went swimming several times on Friday, well wading, in both the upper and lower ponds.  Warm temperatures and warm water made for a perfect canine beach day -- no sunscreen required.  After noon, the Holstein triplets were walked to the orchard and spent the afternoon grazing and running around their new playpen.  Surprisingly, at dinnertime they returned in an orderly fashion to their pasture, and were perfect gentlemen as they were put away in the barn for the night.  The Dexter brothers missed out on the bovine outing, as they were too ornery to allow for being walked on a lead to the orchard and back.  On Saturday afternoon, Riley made his first attempt at actually swimming, in the upper pond.  No drownings were reported.

Chris began Friday with a tractor trip down Highway 163 to Hill Top Tire, trailer in tow, to have new tires put on the hay wagon acquired at the Fort Plain Equipment Auction last Saturday -- always a treat to roam the New York State thoroughfares in a 55mph zone, crawling at 12.4 mph with flashers on and the ubiquitous red & orange triangles in full display on the tractor and the trailer.  No incidents to report, and Dave/Mork & Mindy Webb were entertaining as always.  Chris returned to the NY Compound at noon and plowed an acre of the field next to the garden shed and new barn, surrounded by the wheat crops, probably for planting of corn and potatoes -- exact layout to be determined in a few weeks by CEO Susan.

Really a routine day -- Susan and Nancy uncovered the outside tomatoes and cucumbers, and mowed the lawn and fields.  Nancy finished painting the library bookcase and filled them with books.  It remains to be seen as to whether any available time exists to actually read said books.  There is probably a hidden (or perhaps obvious) message in the four categories that we three agreed represented all the books we own ... farming, building, religion and science.

Saturday brought a new gate for insertion between the pasture and the orchard ... a new gateway for the steers to roam through.  Installation to be completion later.  Associated therewith was an hour long discussion with Aaron Miller (the "A" of E&A Fence) on the business side of the fence business ... riveting.  And Saturday also brought an afternoon with Ephraim, repairing the plow which had been compromised by a certain female farmer racing through the corn field with plow in the earth.  Guess what happens when the plow hooked to a two-ton tractor hits a thousand pound stone under the ground?

And lastly, the red fox continues to roam -- last seen at dusk Thursday, sitting in the middle of route 163 about 100 yards up from our driveway.  Mocking us.  His time will come.