We got rain

When the rain came and the wind blew out of the north it was the perfect time to burn the big pile of brush left from the firewood I cut up.

8/10/10 Tuesday
We got rain yesterday. Wasn’t much and it came down gently so it was an answer to prayer and we are grateful. I’ll pray for some more despite the forecast of clear skies and hundred degree heat.

Woke up at 5:00 this morning with one of the splitting headaches I often must endure. It’s a rough way to start the day. Kind of like a hangover in that my eyes are extremely sensitive to light and sounds just spear through my head like an ice pick. I’m squinting at this laptop’s screen because it’s bright and have the sound on the TV turned down to just where I can hear it. Even the cat’s meows are loud. I am so grateful I no longer drink as this is a reminder of just a part of the consequences of alcohol. It is sad to hear other’s declarations of “I need a drink” as a response to some problem that came up. That used to be my approach to life and problems, just party till it went away, pretend things were fine and put a big fake smile on my face, laugh and joke and be happy for a moment. But I always had to go home, or go somewhere, and wake up the next day to face reality. Now I have Jesus, faith in God and I deal with the realities of life as they happen.

I worked till ten last night preparing over five hundred peat pots that I plan on planting with seeds today. We’ve learned that with this bad well water we must start many types of seeds ahead of time this way. I dug up composted manure, worm castings, and some other soil to make the potting soil. It’s a shame I missed out on buying peat moss from the Walmart’s and other places that sell it for they always put it on sale and dump their inventory after spring planting season is over.

All week I’ll be pressing to get seeds in the ground. It’s fall planting time so I need to move. There’s more drip irrigation to install and always weeds to hoe down. How I look forward to the time we can afford to have a permanent employee. That will greatly increase my ability to produce profitable crops and is basic business. As long as I am a one man show I’m seriously constrained and can’t keep up. Headaches and seizures don’t help. This headache is getting worse now. Aspirin and the pain pill haven’t phased it. I’m typing much of this with my eyes closed or one eye open. Hope it clears up cause there is so much to do.
The baby swallows are now all living under the veranda so that makes six birds. They're cute and eat lots of bugs and mosquitoes but they all poop a lot. Oh well, the good and the bad of it all.
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Cherie has left for work and the headache is gone. Without a wind blowing it should be safe to fire up the other pile of brush that’s on the other side of the house. Just need to be careful for sure. I need to get on the tractor and disc things up before the sun evaporates the little bit of rain we got. By discing it under we will save some of the moisture. Then it’s time to sow about two acres with the corn poppy seeds Tana gave us. Must hurry and do this while there’s still moisture so the seeds have a chance to germinate. Tomorrow will be too late. So no more time to write, am under the gun time wise.
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Tired already. I probably won't do the fire cause the wind is blowing to the north again and that would send sparks to the grassland. Discovered that the "Oil" that was under the truck and causing smoke is transmission fluid. That's good news, providing it's leaking from the rear seal like I think, because that seal is easiest to get too. Odds are it's that seal because I've needed to replace the universal joints twice, requiring me to remove the axle from the transmission housing. Normally you're supposed to replace the seal when you do that but I was too cheap and in a hurry so didn't. Almost didn't make it back from buying diesel fuel because the tranny ran so low on fluid it didn't want to go into gear.
Some of the dirt I mixed in the cement mixer to be placed in the peat pots, some of which you can see there.

Been out on the tractor discing up where we will plant the corn poppies. The ground is already dry so didn't get out there quick enough. I'll spend time with the hoe cleaning areas already prepared for fall planting. Plus need to run more irrigation hose. There's tons of work to do. It's always frustrating to be a one man show for a job that requires at least two. We're just on the edge of success, with thousands of dollars to be made sitting there just out of reach no matter how hard I strain to get there. But we will get there, one step at a time or much quicker if some help arrives. Help we pray for. We have had needs graciously met but here's a thought. What's better, to give someone who's hungry a fish, or to give them a fishing pole and teach them how to use it? The fish takes care of one immediate need but soon they will be hungry again. The fishing pole helps them provide for themselves so they will never be hungry again, at least not as long as the fish are biting.