Other factors enter in

Regarding that last entry, it isn't just politics that has me in this slump; there are several factors.  For instance, this record rainfall we've had this year.  It's no use to complain about the weather, but I have to admit it's been getting on my nerves.

Everyone who has watched me blog about my gardening efforts for several years knows that in my garden, tomatoes are the priority.  Everything else can fail, and if I have tomatoes I will be happy.  I only ask for enough tomatoes to eat fresh, although in most years I have lots left over to can.  This year, I will be very surprised if I get enough for a BLT.  The plants are all blighty, and the green tomatoes, while plentiful, have spots all over them.  Some of them are rotting on the vine when they are no bigger than a walnut.  Someone asked if I had any green tomatoes to spare recently and I had to tell her no; there aren't any green tomatoes out there big enough to use for anything. 

Potatoes and corn have done well.  The only problem with the sweet corn has been the earworms, and they should be less with subsequent plantings, since I've been dusting the silks with Sevin.  I'd trade all the corn for a few tomatoes, though.

I can afford to buy tomatoes, but I've yet to find anyone selling home-grown tomatoes that actually taste home-grown.  The local peach orchard guy is in our tractor club, so I guess I should go down there and harass him, just to see if his tomatoes are decent.  In fact, I think I'll go see what Cliff is doing as soon as I finish this entry.

I long ago stopped expecting any zucchini, since the squash bugs kill my efforts before I can harvest more than a couple of zucchinis.  I hear legends all the time of people who give away so much zucchini that people run from them when they approach.  Alas, nobody has ever offered to share their produce with me.  Every year I plant a few seeds, every year the bugs have a feast.  

Here's another thing, and it's my own doing:  I have painted myself into a corner with the cows.  The timing of their freshenings and pregnancies has made it impossible for me to leave home for over twelve hours at a time.  I am considering perhaps selling one, but I need the wisdom of Solomon to help me decide on which one!  I love them both, you see.  Grace is a wonderful nurse cow, so she is very handy to have around for raising calves.  I don't even have to milk her, as long as there are calves to take her milk.  She is the one, by rights, that I should keep, because that would allow me some freedom.

I force Penny to accept calves, but she has hated the idea from the first; although if she ever has her own calf that survives, that might change.  She is the one that gives the good milk and rich cream and she is gentle and easy to hand-milk.  However, she is timid, and I'm pretty sure I would never get her to accept anybody else's presence in the barn lot, even if I found someone who was able to do chores when I'm gone.  All the time I'm outside choring after the cows, I struggle over this problem, but even as I type these words I know that Penny is the one that needs to go.  

The thing is, I am past seventy, and if there is someplace I want to go, I need to be able to do it.  We can't do a huge amount of traveling because Cliff has a hip that bothers him if he does a lot of driving, but if we could only go to Arkansas for a night, it would be nice.  We might be able to make it to Colorado one more time, who knows?  I can always get another cow in the future.  In fact, I have a five-month-old Jersey/Holstein heifer right here, waiting in the wings.

All this mental turmoil that I've caused for myself adds to my cloudy mood.

If I ever make a decision, I will be letting my readers know.

By the way, life is good.  I won't be doing any more of these "woe-is-me" entries.  When I look around and see people with real problems, I realize how blessed I am.  If I so desire, I can sell every cow and calf on the place; there is nothing and nobody to keep me from doing that!  I need to wake up and smell the roses; I do believe the very act of creating this entry has helped me with a decision.

I still want a good tomato, though.