Last night I was coming home from Columbia by way of Gilbert (stopping off for a quick pig slaughter strategy session with my co-conspirators) where I had picked up 11 bales of rye straw. The weather was threatening, but I was lucky, within 7 miles of Bethany, I hadn't seen a drop...but then the torrential downpours hit-so hard I missed the short cut home. No tarp on the straw, so it go wet. We laid it out to dry today, and just barely covered it before the rain hit again tonight.
How welcome is this rain. I can't water the way a couple hours of rain can. While most our garden has wilted in the heat, what remains looks absolutely revived by last night's (and now tonight's) storm. Praised be God.
And now the corn! Of course my sons have been working a few mornings a week picking okra for a neighboring farmer. I am quite proud of them. One side benefit is that they bring home some okra which is quite good, but too big to sell. (This IS a benefit. Mrs. Curley has (finally) figured out how to cook this Southern staple, and it is quite good.)
This week the same farmer needed some extra help with his sweet corn harvest, and yes, they brought home a sack of sweet corn.
There is NOTHING like sweet corn cooked the same afternoon it is picked.
Further benefit, the sweet corn which is not fit for human consumption (too small, picked at by insects, etc.) the boys get to collect for our pigs. Wow!
And I think they are beginning to feel they are contributing to the family economy with their work.
Pig slaughter has been put off for a week as we make sure we have everything ready. We will do one pig next weekend and then evaluate how to proceed with the last two.
In the meantime, I pick up my next set of pigs ... tomorrow! And we have 50 chickens arriving in next week. We have lots of stuff to do to prepare...and oh yes, I still have to make some money ....
Oremus pro invicem!
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