It's early Sunday evening before our fifth week of work for the season, and it's a week I'm really looking forward to.  Spring has finally started to seep into the landscape here in North Central Iowa, and everybody is itching to get into the fields.  Even the corn farmers have been getting nervous about the on going cold and wet, sure that delayed planting will mean decreased yields.  We've seen a number of clear days, though, with more in the forecast.  Winds in the 40 - 50 mph range don't make it very comfortable to be outside but they do help the soil dry out.  Whoever said talk of the weather was boring was most certainly not a farmer.  It occupies much of my conversation and thought these days, and it hasn't bored me yet. 

The weather has put us over two weeks behind schedule here, so dry soil and clear days means one thing this week: PLANTING.  There are radishes, green onions, storage onions, peas, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach and broccoli my oh my SO much broccoli just begging to be plunked in the ground.  Our fingers are crossed that the weather will hold, the soil will continue to breathe, and our backs will be ready for some good old fashioned bending and hunching. Hopefully for the whole week.  Getting a little sore just thinking about it, but in a lovely I-just-accomplished-something kind of way. Oh, farm thrills! 


Speaking of thrills - my biggest thrill of the week came today, and it looked like this:

Asparagus! Finally!  We don't produce it commercially so it's not exactly the most well tended asparagus patch, but it's there and it is starting to grow, and I am oh so excited about it. 

Another consistently big thrill looks like this:

The man I love and our garden plot. It really, really is thrilling to be pursuing a common passion with the person you share your life with. I count myself lucky, 50 mph hour winds and all.