Our new toy!

This beautiful blue tractor is the newest addition to our farm. We needed to upgrade to a larger tractor in order to prep and work the planting beds for the veggies. This machine is much more than that. My favorite past time is to disk. I can be out of on the tractor and no one can disturb me. The patterns in the soil are highlighted by the sun. It is such a satisfying pleasure to see the dirt clods become smaller and smaller each time the ring roller passes over them. Now we have a new and better toy. Power steering makes it possible to go around a corner using 2 fingers. There are many more gears than I know how to use with automatic transmission. It has an airtight cab with air conditioning, heater and stereo. Life doesn't get much better than this. One of the main reasons we got the enclosed cab was the recent increase in cases of Valley Fever. Just tonight, this article was on the KSBY website:

Cases of valley fever have been on the rise on the Central Coast the past couple of years.

Valley fever is caused by a fungus that grows in the ground.

When its spores get into the air, they can be inhaled and can attack the lungs.

People are more susceptible to valley fever in dry, windy conditions, like the weather we are experiencing now.

"Valley fever is a scary situation, very scary," Paso Robles Resident John Osman got valley fever three years ago. He still does not know how or where he contracted it..

"It attacked my right lung and my shoulders I have a friend who got it and it attacked his spine and he's paralyzed now from the waist down," said Osman.

Doctors said severe cases like meningitis are rare and that most people with valley fever never have symptoms. Others will feel like a cold or flu is coming on and sometimes people do get a rash.

People are most susceptible to it in the summer and the fall.

"When people breathe in the dirt that's circulating in the air during the dry periods of summer and fall they develop the fungal infection in their lungs," said Michelle Shoresman, the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program Manager.

She added that there are ways to protect yourself:

-if you can, stay away from dust clouds
-if you have dirt around your home, plant ground cover
-or water dirt down during windy conditions
-and people in agricultural areas should take the most precautions.

"We've had a steady increase over the last two years, but we actually have fewer cases right now than we did last year. It's just generally a little higher than what you would consider normal," said Shoresman.

In most cases valley fever goes away without treatment. Otherwise, it can be treated with anti-fungal medication and in the most severe cases, surgery is needed.


The pretty green carpet in the back of our truck is really brocolli and cauliflower seedlings that will be planted this week along with a multitude of seeds and garlic.

I like this quote by Jeff Foxworthy:
"That's the great thing about a tractor. You can't really hear the phone ring."