The Riley Factor #59

The Riley Factor May 9, 2010
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

FORT PLAIN NY, May 9 -- Last Friday night brought a business financial planning meeting with Aaron Miller at E&A Fence LLC.  Sales are not the fence company's problem, but receiving and reviewing reliable financial statements seem to be absent from Aaron's regular activities, primarily owing to his accountant who finds little time to meet with Aaron or to provide him with monthly financials showing how the business is doing.  I would have been more helpful if I had thought to bring along my abacus, but the meeting went well.

The 16 Jumbo French Guinea Hen chicks (the Keets) that arrived Friday morning are all doing well in their incubator in the barn.  How they have grown in their second day of life -- we remember when they were so small and frail, at just a day old.  Now at two days of age, it seems as if they have grown so much so fast; we remember them when they were half their current age; they seem so mature as they crawl all over each other and gurgle as they march through their water and feed.  Oh well, the cycle of life circles on.

Saturday's Annual Amish Equipment, Tack & Tools Auction was another hit, despite the soggy weather.  In addition to the many 'valuable' auction purchases (including some concord grape plants, work lights, tool cabinet, benches, horse-head hitching posts, decorative grasses) we also met someone who wanted to sell some laying chickens, the exact same kind that we already have.  So after the auction, we went over to Ruben Miller's and bought 12 that had just started laying eggs, so production should be back to normal with the dozen new Mrs. Cluckworthy's.  We added them to the chicken coop and the new family of 22 seemed just like they had always been together.  By night-time, they were even squabbling about who lost the remote and squawking, "She touched me ... Don't talk to me ... I hate you ." ... But, the red fox shall never triumph.

And let's talk fish ... one of the best purchases made at the Amish Auction was four buckets of goldfish, pond carp actually.  About 35-40 fish, mostly orange, with some white, black, and silver mixed, in four to five inch lengths.  With great reverence, all were ceremoniously dumped into the lower pond mid-afternoon by Susan as the thunder-clouds once again approached.  In an unrelated story, a local dining establishment, The Charter House, announced a new fish fry every Friday night.

Lastly, and rather unbelievably, Nancy reported snow flurries as she and Susan fed the Herd of Five on Sunday morning.  And this as the 300 tomato plants, 100 cucumber plants, 100 corn stalks and a few squash plants are 'enjoying' their new homes in the garden outside of the greenhouse.  And speaking of the greenhouse, there are a dozen lemons hanging on one of the two lemon trees, and both lime trees are flowering.  The two olive trees growing but not blossoming yet.