Fingerpainting

 This past weekend we started painting trees. It was like fingerpainting when we were little. Dip your hands into a glob of paint and splatter it all over. Except this time we were using gloves, and we had a mark to aim for - the tree trunk. We paint the trees the first 2 years to keep them from getting sunburned and to protect them from sprays. In some orchards you will see collars around the young trees. We looked at this option and decided it wasn't for us. The suckers till grow up those collars, and you have to remove each by hand to the get suckers that grow there. Plus that bark doesn't get accustomed to the sun if it has a collar on it.

 Painting the trees is one job my kids don't mind doing too much. It goes quickly and we can have fun while we work. We wear a rubber glove on one hand with a cotton glove over it. We dip that gloved hand into the small bucker of paint we carry and coat the lower half of the tree. 5 seconds or so per tree and on to the next one. Thankfully we only have to do this twice in the tree's lifetime. So, this month we will paint 6000 trees, only in the new orchard. The old orchard is big enough to have plenty of canopy (leaves) to shade the trunks. 

We planted a cover crop in between rows this year too. Once the sun finally came out the clover took off and grew beautifully. It will provide nutrients back into the soil once we till it under, it will help with retaining soil as the rain beats on the hillsides. And it makes a great snack for our bunnies. As you can see in the picture it is almost as tall as our dog. It will be mowed down soon, before it goes to seed.

Mother's Day was a lovely celebration. My kids pooled their resources and presented me with a really great basket of gifts. Chocolates, Chik-Fil-A, a handmade potholder (I love handmade gifts!) and a certificate for a massage. These kids know their momma! I also got to spend the day with my mom; we had a BBQ at our house with her and a few of my siblings. And our pool is open! We managed to get it ready to swim in before the really hot weather hit. My girls were in it a lot this weekend.