Unity Farm Journal - Second Week of December 2014

The reality of farming is that it creates dependency on the farmer - animals, plants, and infrastructure need to be supported 365 days a year.    This week, I had a failure of my personal anti-virus software (and my flu shot) and developed the 2014 flu.  My wife, who has been my life partner for 35 years, took over my tasks feeding, watering and cleaning all our animal areas while my energy was reduced. At nearly 53 years old, my endurance is boundless, but the flu does reduce my physical abilities.   Illness has caused us to realize that we have to be careful to balance to the joys of farming with our capacity to maintain what we’ve built.    Farming during winter with its cold, ice, snow, sleet, and wind takes a toll on even the most fit.I did work from home two days this week as a courtesy to those around me - I did not want to infect anyone.   As we head into the coldest part of winter, the tasks turn toward indoors.   Kathy and I emptied the pantry and root cellar then reorganized everything keeping only those foods that were still fresh and appealing.    We’ll do the same with our vegetable and mushroom supplies in the farm refrigerator this weekend. I cleaned out the barn loft and did some electrical work in the barn in preparation for wiring the cider house to the power grid.My father-in-law’s death a month ago provided us with several indoor projects as we go through his belongings and sort them into the donate,...
Source: Life as a Healthcare CIO - Category: Technology Consultants Source Type: blogs