A good days work

Got about 1/3 of the fencing done today. Getting the stage set, the corners posts cross-tied and all the wrinkles worked out of our methods took up a good chunk of the morning. Finally got the 8 foot posts driven and ran home for lunch. After baking in the greenhouse at 110 degrees for 20 minutes while I watered the little plants I had to take a short break and then dad and I returned to put up our first piece of field wire. That went ok once we had the tightening mechanism reconfigured for this size of field fencing. We've got the south 340 feet up and the west 165 feet and will finish the other 2 sides in the morning along with stretching the top 3 "jump prevention" wires.

We should be pulling rows no later than Saturday. Normally we'd be doing them tomorrow but mom and dad will attend my niece's softball game in the afternoon. Should be a blast as they are up for a position in the state championship; not sure which placement they are playing for, some uncle I am.

Saw a gorgeous hawk fly overhead after lunch. Couldn't tell if she was one of our red-tails, didn't seem to be. She had distinct white bands near the end of her wings and quite a piercing call. It was hard to gauge her size, I don't think she was as large as a red-tail but she was much larger than the usual gos-hawks that haunt our orchard and the local woods. Flying in wind swept circles her cries filled me with a sense of intensity and concentration.

I always have to laugh when I hear environmentalists bemoan how agriculture is destroying wildlife. They should have to contend with all the critters who constantly draw sustenance from my efforts (some of them are even human; damn hippies get out of my corn field!) It is especially delightful to see the quail, pheasant, wild turkeys and dozens of other bird species that find my domain to be a safe and bountiful place to live. I've one particular gos-hawk which flies past the back door to my barn every once in a rare while that really puts a thrill and stunning moment of silence into me.

And I hope you have such a moment of silence to thrill you as well.