10/2/07 TuesdayI’ve been out mowing. Mowed till I ran out of gas so figured that was a good time for a break. It’s slow going with the weeds and grass so high. The mower surprisingly does better with the weeds than the grass. I guess that’s because the grass is denser. I’ll have to sharpen the blade again when I’m done. I look forward to tilling the whole area up and planting regular grass. It will look so much better in addition to being easier to keep up. First on the list though is going to be the Johnson grass wars. I was calling it crabgrass because I’ve heard the name before and it seemed to fit. At the compost seminar the extension agent referred to Johnson grass so that may be it. I don’t really know but it’s nasty stuff and everywhere.
I took a pain pill and will do some more research for the business plan as I lay down and rest a bit. Cherie said that when she talked to Don’s wife, Cynthia, and she said that his foot was hurting and when they had it X-rayed there were two fractured bones in it. I hope it didn’t happen when he loaded the mower on his truck to bring out here.
Yesterday Cherie ran into a lady we had known at the first church of Stanton. Cherie was surprised and happy when she was greeted with enthusiasm and invited to come out and visit. I am glad to hear it as well. It gives me something good to write about regarding that arena.
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12:21 – That’s the second tank of gas I’ve used with the mower. Got the apple orchard (Only nine trees but I’m calling it an orchard. Just feels good) mowed. I’ll focus on the back yard and perhaps the melon patch after that. Haven’t decided on mowing the melon patch yet. Thinking about saving that for the tiller so the weeds get tilled into the soil, thus enhancing the soil. For sure I want to mow on the north side where the school bus is. It’s getting pretty warm but I’m gonna push through. Will make sure to stay hydrated with Gatorade. We want to return the mower tomorrow. Cynthia called Cherie and asked if we would join them for dinner when we returned the mower. I told Cherie to ask if their lawn needs to be mowed. Would love to do it and besides that Don’s foot is in a cast or something because of the fractured bones. So I’m setting in front of the fan and Cherie is heating up some tomato soup and making a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch.
The more I research RV parks and campgrounds the more I see what a valuable part of Westbrook farms that would be. In fact it excites me. Looking at the ones that are listed for sale I find twenty acre sites going for up to two million dollars. It is a rapidly growing industry and there are whole websites dedicated just to investors because it is so lucrative. I drove through the property yesterday, just looking and visualizing how the whole concept of Westbrook farms can come together. It’s all beginning to gel, to become clear. So here’s the big picture. A model farm that is self sufficient using the latest technologies. It will have a pick your own orchard with apples, peaches, and whatever else grows well out here. The one in Lubbock has 6,000 trees on twenty two acres. There will be several large greenhouses where organic herbs and vegetables will be grown. They will incorporate aquaponics, which is a hydroponic system that uses fish raised in tanks to fertilize and feed plants which in turn clean the water as it returns to the tanks. Thus we have fish such as Tilapia that can be harvested along with the crops. Chickens that will also be raised organically thus providing income from their eggs and meat. Goats for both meat and milk. An RV park and campground with a fish pond and swimming area as added attractions in addition to bringing in customers for the orchards greenhouse produce. There will be a large building that will house the store and a restaurant in addition to a food processing area where we will make and package products from the farm under the Westbrook Farms label. I envision lots of fruits and berries. Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and anything else I can grow. Part of the concept is to partner with a land grant university such as Texas A&M to provide an educational entity, thus tapping into a powerful resource to help create all this. Yeah, I dream big. If nothing else I will have a nice garden.
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It’s been a long day. Used five tanks of gas in the mower. Just kept going till I couldn’t go anymore. I was getting pretty lightheaded towards the end but pushed on till the mower ran out of gas. There is still a little left to do but that’s too bad. Maybe I’ll finish it up tomorrow. Maybe I won’t. Depends on how I feel. We are returning the mower tomorrow so I have to clean it up. When Cherie asked Cynthia about their lawn she said that Don had borrowed his daughters mower and mowed it today. With two fractured bones in his foot. He’s about as stubborn or whatever you call it as I am. I’m going to work on the business plan now. Dug up some good information on what is called Agri-Tourism. Got a paper on it from the state of Virginia. They call themselves the commonwealth of Virginia. Lots to do so enough writing on this.
4 comments:
puppie getting big
Yep, Rascal and Trixie stole a steak off the kitchen counter yesterday. I walked in and Rascal was on his hind feet licking steak juice off the plate. We're gonna have to adjust now, not put things were they can get em.
Har har! I'm having to do the same thing with the IB now! Those puppies are just like kids.
My dad used to spend the summers at a RV campground up in the mountains of N.M. The campground had about 45 spaces, a stock pond and little store that sold home baked pies. The stock pond was one on those pay by the pound places and attracted a lot of business outside the campground. They made good money... Good Luck with you vision!
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