Apple Blossom Time.

I mowed the front yard yesterday and the apple tree was just gorgeous when I was out there. I've got I'll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time by Chet Atkins in my music collection and started humming it while I was mowing. I thought I'd put that up here to go along with my photo but I came across this version by Allison Young.

I'd never heard of her before but she's got a lovely voice and I like this arrangement. The song's been around a long time and it's been covered by countless artists, most notably by the Andrew Sisters. I like the Mills Brothers version a little bit better, personally, but it's nice to hear young artists covering some of the old standards.

"My" farmer guy was here last evening as the sun was setting getting the field out front ready to plant. Maybe not as pretty a scene as a mountain vista or a beautiful lake, but to a flat-lander like me, this is what a beautiful spring day looks like.

Outback, it's a different story. The farmer was combining again on Monday. As you look out across the field, that's last years crop you're looking at.

Here's a better look of the field taken just on the other side of my fence line. If you look carefully you can actually see some soybeans in the field. This guy has to be the world's worst farmer. He "no-till" farms this field, relying on chemical inputs for weed control and fertilization. I'm not a farmer but I think he'd be better served by planting a cover crop and let the field have a chance to recover. Since it's fenced, maybe plant some good pasture grass and graze a few cattle on a rotating basis. I know my brother could come up with a way to bring this field back to health. I can't see how this operation is any way profitable as it is. If he ever gets the beans out, he'll plant corn and pick a windy day to blast it with Agent Orange, or whatever he uses and then I'll get to deal with the drift again.

The weather is supposed to be decent again today, cool but nice, at least until later in the day. I'm planning on doing some more yard work while the weather holds. Frost warning for Friday night. Hope it doesn't screw up the apple and peach trees. I'd really like to get a decent crop of apples this year so I can make some more cider and maybe a batch of wine again. Maybe experiment with some hard cider or figure out what I would have to do to make Calvados - like I need something else to fool with.