Unity Farm Journal - First Week of March 2016

I’ve been traveling this week, so Kathy has been carrying the full weight of running Unity Farm.   Here are her notes from the past few days:

“The mother coyote is raising another litter of kits and she’s clearly anxious to feed herself and them.   She’s leaving the den twice a day (during daylight) in an attempt to grab a chicken, duck or guinea (the geese are too big).   As usual, all 60 guineas gather into a flash mob as soon as she arrives and chase her back to the den.  There is definitely strength in guinea numbers.    We really do not want to harm her, but we also do not want to lose any poultry.   A neighbor suggests a paint gun - frightening but not damaging  - as a coyote deterrent.

The salad greens are growing nicely in the hoop house beds and the germination area.   The peas have sprouted and our late winter crop is enjoying the warmth of the approaching Spring.

The geese are laying every other day.  Both Gabrielle and Hercules are using the nest box near the front door woodpile.

We’re creating a new summer pig paddock in the barnyard which means relocating the wood splitting area.   There will be cool shade, plenty of mud and  breezes coming off the drumlin to keep the pigs comfortable in summer.  Since they do not sweat, they cannot stay in the sunny winter paddock

All this activity is its own fitness program.   Who needs a spin class when you’re running a farm!”

This weekend I’ll be moving wood to clear land for the new paddock, rebuilding one of garden ponds that leaked over the winter, and harvesting vegetables that have matured in my absence.   The post HIMSS week is relatively sedate but next weekend, I’m flying to Austin for a South by Southwest keynote, then leaving for Hong Kong for a few days of teaching/mentoring/planning in  nearby Shenzhen with side trips to Shanghai and Suzhou.    From China, I’ll fly back through Los Angeles to keynote an American Dental Association conference, then return to Boston.   April brings a 2 day trip to the UK to join Bob Wachter and colleagues for an IT review of the National Health Service.  May includes a weekend commencement speech in Texas.  Thankfully there will no travel between May and an October 28 New Zealand keynote.    Kathy’s days alone on the farm will be very minimal this Summer, which is great because our daughter’s wedding is coming up in late May.

It’s good to be home.