30 April 07
Chivvying Along the Chopping
They irrigated today.
This means they flooded the field, flooding our driveway. We are in a drought year; there’s water out there for the taking. Not a moment to be lost!
So while Numenius chopped onions, parsley, mint, tomatoes (not ours, yet), and feta for a tabouleh, I started hauling water from the ditch onto the various bits of the garden. The new wildflowers, planted and peeking, probably too late—need extra care (it’s hot now); the fennel; the eggplants; the leeks; the garlic; the parsley; the onions; the butternut squashes; the watermelons, zucchini, canteloupes; what’s left of the beets and carrots and chard and mustard; the lettuces and peas; the artichokes, now brilliant purple and splendid; and the marigolds I’ve planted near the tomatoes to deter nematodes.
I’ve bought two Spanish plastic baskets, ones I grew up seeing used in fields, but that are now available at Peaceful Valley Farm Supply, in recycled plastic. Their advantage is that they can haul dirt, veggies, and water — and because they’re flexible, they’re easy to fill in a ditch.
I was called inside at 8:30 with totally failing light to participate in the Yolo Ham net, which took ten minutes — during which time I became acutely aware of the extent of the caked mud on my jeans. Mud Glorious Mud.
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Reminds me of the movie “Paint Your Wagon”
they have a great song about mud
Song: Best Things
Clint:
The earth is pure muck
Lee:
Muck’s a good thing
Clint:
And oozing with mud
Lee:
Mud is just fine
Clint:
It’s drownin’ in bog
Lee:
Bog is good luck
Clint:
And crawlin’ with crud
Lee:
Crud’s a good sign
The poor, they got hope
The rich can buy soap
Clint:
The rainbows, they got a pot of
And I, ain’t got a spot of
A few feet down, there’s a lot of
Lee:
Just waitin’ to buy, tobacco and rye
From now till I die
Both:
The best things in life are dirty
And nothing in life is…
Lee:
Better to owe than dab in gold
Both:
The best things in life are filthy dirty
Hunks of gold, gold, gold
Clint:
There’s more than just gold
Lee:
Gold is enough
Clint:
That’s buried below
Lee:
Beautiful gold
Clint:
There’s seed in the ground
Lee:
Lovable gold
Clint:
Just waitin’ to grow
Lee:
Spendable gold
A man has his creed
And mine is all greed
Clint, Lee, and Men’s Chorus:
Well bite that bogey ‘en hound dog
And gold I ain’t got an ounze of
Below there’s endless amounts of
Lee:
Just dirty ol’ trash
That turns in a flash
To dirty ol’ cash
All:
The best things in life are dirty
The worst thing in life is…
Lee:
Wakin’ up clean, without a bean
All:
The best things in life are filthy dirty
Hunks of gold, gold, gold,
The best things in life are dirty
The worst thing in life is…
Being content, without a cent
The best things is life are filthy dirty
Hunks of gold, gold, gold, gold
Stinkin’, rotten, chunks of
Grimy, slimy, lousy, lovely
Clint and Lee:
Gold