I smell money

And 500 tons of organic compost.

Shift change

The first day of plowing we did together, seated side by side, learning the nuances of a new tractor. We had a blast working together.

Then it was just time to get the work done. So we split up into shifts. Nathan taking nights and me the days. Or parts of days rather. (There are still other things besides plowing to get done, if you can believe that.)

The changing of the guard.

Nathan is doing the lion's share. I just relieve him so he can cat nap between plowing marathons. So very thankful for this man's work ethic (and a working tractor). You can't fake that out here. The field either gets plowed or doesn't.

Pape tells me my grandfather did the same thing back in 1952 to break out his land. Add this to the list of things I didn't really understand until it became my own reality.

Plowing

Yesterday was our first day plowing in the sweetest tractor you ever did see.

Our progress toward the end of the day.

That may not look impressive, but you have to remember we're driving between two and four mph, and the plow is only 7.5 feet wide. One pass (in one direction) takes about ten minutes, so you're looking at six passes total in one hour. But that's okay because not only does the radio work in this bad boy (a first for the tractors we've used so far), but it also has an MP3 player and a CD player.

The tractor drives itself. Literally. About 80% of the time. That allows the operator time to focus on adjusting the depth of the plow because we lack the guide wheel.

Drives a pretty straight line if it does say so itself.

Aslan made himself quite comfortable in the roomy cab. The windows are floor to ceiling so he gets a great view when he's not napping.

We anticipate three more days until completion. 

Oh, and if your interest is piqued in owning a tractor like this, you'll need to pony up $190,000. Such a deal. We're thinking of buying two. <Insert sarcasm here.>

Seems like installing a cupholder and CD player in Big John would be cheaper. 

Hail Mary

It's been a rough few weeks on the farm. Big John still isn't back from the shop. We're so far past Plan B at this point, we've run out of letters.

T-minus 15 days and counting until the peanuts have to be in the ground. And the field isn't even plowed yet.

Meet our Hail Mary.

It's like the Lexus of John Deere tractors. Rides smoother over the rough field than my car does on a county road. Has four cup holders! (Big John has zero.) Two seats. (Big John has one.)

It's starts up like a car. Has GPS. And not a single gear to shift. It's all done by the push of a button.

Makes for an unexpectedly fun Hail Mary.

My day in pictures

Evelyn invited folks to post their typical day in pictures. We don't have typical days here at the vineyard, but today went something like this.

Nothing says vacation like unpacking all the dirty clothes.

And doing the requisite laundry.

Then there was the peanut innoculant delivery. For those of you unfamiliar with that product, it's what you put on organic peanuts to help them produce--like an extra shot of nitrogen.

Meanwhile the repair person arrived to fix the poor old dishwasher in our rental house.

He had to order a new part so I was left to hand wash dishes. And y'all, there's just no sexy way to photograph dirty dishes in the sink.

Then came a long conversation with our home builder. We are delightfully close to a final floor plan. We're hopeful there will be a house on the vineyard within the year, for which we are so, so very grateful.

More laundry.

And then work on a top secret project.

[[Flash photography prohibited.]]

The day ended with another pig-hunting excursion. (If you're new to this blog, please read the backstory before you run away horrified that we gun down little Wilbur's.)

So this is the lesson I've learned: In order to make things happen on the farm, someone's got to make things happen at home. Though I've never been the domestic type, I now fall squarely into this latter category. 

Heaven help us all.

Found

Nathan found Aslan this morning, sitting in the front yard of a home a couple of miles from the barn.

He covered Nathan's face with wet kisses and then fell asleep.

One down, two to go.

Missing in action

Our furry family is missing. All three of them.

After hours of searching, we're just shell shocked.