Getting Away

   As I sit to write this post the rain has finally starting to slack off a bit. I've been waiting for a rain like this most of the summer and although for many with gardens it comes too late, I'll take it. I have already mentioned that we still have plants growing and this rain will do them good. The kale is growing well and tomorrow I'll cut a bunch to make spicy sausage and kale soup tomorrow. The habenaro peppers are almost ready to pick and I'll probably do that Saturday. There are still a lot of small peppers on the plants and with cold weather on the way I'll have to cover them and hopefully eek out the last bit of fruit they have to offer. The rabbits are gaining weight rapidly now and Justin helped me process seven kits today. That leaves me ten left to butcher, I had planned to do more today but my shoulder didn't want to play along.
    It's been a good year on the farm regardless of the cooler and drier than usual summer. We harvested 32 lbs of onions, 40 lbs of potatoes, 25 lbs of raspberries, 30 lbs of squash, 10 lbs of green beans and numerous uncounted pounds of tomatoes. The rabbits have had a relatively productive year with 34 kits being raised to harvest weight thus far, although there should have been more, I'll take this number since we have had some problems. I can still think of a load of things that need to be done in addition to harvesting kale and habenaro peppers but with gardening slowing down I really feel like I'm ready for a little break. Running a farm, even a small one, is a busy and demanding proposition with little down time. There is always something to do and if Kathy and I are able to get to our goal of having a full time rabbitry and farm there won't be much time for breaks. I do keep this in mind and so I booked a couple of days away in Vermont, where we can celebrate Kathy's birthday and have some much needed down time.
      Getting away is precious and time alone with my wife even more so and I'm determined to put the farm out of my head for a few days. It doesn't happen often but the timing is nearly perfect because the rhythm of the farm is just at the pace we need it to be. I still feel the pressure of the remaining chores and still feel like I'm scurrying like those nut burying squirrels but the chores at hand can wait a few days. The rest of the rabbits need to gain some more weight and the does shouldn't kindle until we return, although they'll have their nest boxes Sunday morning before we leave. The cold weather coming in the next few days isn't really a concern as the does will pull enough fur to keep the new kits warm.  I have several weeks to get the chicken run up and the raspberry canes don't need to be cut to the ground until late November. Kathy and I love to go to Vermont and hope to settle there one day, so when we visit the state we often check out real estate ads for property that might meet our needs for our planned farm and rabbitry. The farm and our goals are never far from our minds and we love what we do, but while we can we also love getting away.