Dusty Days

 Around the May long weekend the parade of tractors rolled into the neighbourhood.  Many of the fields were once a single property with the homes situated here but were severed and sold.  Most of the farming land is now owned by companies/corporations and rented by local farmers. I think the tractors and equipment are also then rented.  The reason cars avoid travelling on the local roads when the tractors are parading through is the breadth of the tractor due to two sets of tires in the back and three sets of tires in the front - so no room on the roads for anything else to pass. Three tractors work on a field at one time to plow and then others come for spraying and seeding.  After about two weeks the sound of tractors in the valley and the dust trails they kick up are gone and it is quiet once again  - until crop maintenance time I suppose.  I am eager to see what crops have been planted.

It is very dusty living on a dirt road.  I prefer days of north wind when I can work outside without having to duck away whenever a vehicle comes by (which really isn't that often).  I am fortunate that cars need to slow down close to my place because of a sharp curve in the road, which means I don't get as much dust as my neighbour. In Waterloo Region I remember they used to spray oil on the gravel roads to keep dust down; I doubt that meets environmental approval these days.  I have been told occasionally calcium will be put down on the road in front of homes to help minimize the dust - property tax dollars well spent!

The robins have hatched and are growing quickly.  My earlier vegetable plantings are sprouting as well. And the lilac bush is finally starting to flower. A week and a half ago we had snow; now we are into days of heat warnings.