Deliciously tired

I finished my round with the heretofore mentioned machine and laid back to take my rest. Every muscle in my arms, many in my back, several in my legs hurt. They remind me how strong, supple, beautiful a body, my body, is. I always liked being strong. Husband says, "Sleek as an otter."

Husband did tons more than me though. Last year we rented it for a week and did all of ours. This year we've rented it for 4 days and mowed the neighbor's field/swamp first and still hope to get most of ours done. It isn't really "sustainable" in that it is still a petrochemical form of muscle. And yes, that is one of the things about so-called "organic" that irks me - use all the gas-guzzling machinery and transportation you want and still call it "organic". Anyway . . . we at least look and plan and MOVE toward management practices that are low tech, muscle powered and sustainable. It is still better NOW for the weeds in the field to be mown than not to be mown but we will improve!

Ah, we (husband & myself) were spelling each other off doing our back pasture bottom and that's when the deliciousness hit me. Not just the resting which was delicious -- laying down on the grass, looking at the perfectly blue sky, the dark green pines, lighter maples with a magnificent grape vine crawling all over the top, the back perfectly supported, the air perfectly dry, the occassional cloud perfectly fluffy. But also the working deliciousness - the ironweed and ragweed becoming food for the nightcrawlers, the clover and grasses getting an advantage, the muscles and bones of man through work and animal through better nutrition being strengthened.

How it all fits together.

Wildflowers: Iron weed, Joe Pye weed, jewel weed, rag weed, golden rod, lobelia, cardinal flower, daisy flea bane, sweet meadow, heal all, others I can't think of now.

Snakes: Copperheads, 3, dead.

Update: Make that 7 copperheads dead. And don't worry, we don't kill non-poisonous snakes. The only poisonous ones around here are copperheads and rattlers and rattlers are so rare I've never seen one in the wild. We've got all sorts of others -- lots of blacksnakes, little ringnecks and indigos, my personal faves the hognoses who play dead but can look alarmingly like copperheads.

Also to the wildflowers: of course the clovers, yarrow and queen ann's lace, black eyed susans, some other yellow flower like that that is some sort of sunflower but I haven't identified it exactly yet, blue cornflower/chicory, various and sundry asters, and more.