Well, I believe mother nature is reminding me it’s good that I don’t have to make a living off my land. Seems everytime I try to venture into “farming”, mother nature has a way of laughing at me. This spring, I cleared, prepared an area, then purchased & assembled a small hobby greenhouse. Yesterday, the greenhouse was flattened by an EF-0 tornado that started about 1-1/2 mi away, crossed the Snake River, took down some trees back in our Riparian woods & disassembled the greenhouse. (It was losing its appeal anyway, given our persistent SE ID winds).

In previous years, my start of an apple orchard literally became a beaver dam one night in the Snake River spring channel that goes through our place. An attempted garden provided vegetables to resident deer for several summers. And, one summer pasturing steers, I ended up reimbursing sev neighbors for their gardens that my cows consumed. So, sticking with birding & fly-fishing as my hobby pursuits.

Today, while clearing trees off my fence line, did do some birding & found a MacGillivray’s Warbler. Also, more Wilson’s. And, one each Chipping & Lincoln’s Sparrows. A surprise was a lone DE Junco, usually have gone to higher elevations by now. The BH Grosbeaks & Lazuli Buntings still persist.

“Not-a-Farmer” Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot