farmdoc's blog post number 158

Last Tuesday was the 23rd day of September and therefore of Spring. And here in Mole Creek wet it’s been. On almost all of those 23 days it’s rained. I can’t give figures for the whole 23 days, but in the eight days to last Tuesday 77mm (almost three inches) fell. The 77mm in these eight days (2.2% of the year) is about 6.4% of our average annual rainfall. It feels like the rain will never stop. But I want it to. I’ve had enough. I don’t want a wetter spring. 'Wetter Spring' is a song written by darling Emily. Of the many songs she’s written, it’s one of my favourites – if not my absolute favourite. It’s a poignant musical poem of the effect of drought on a farmer and his family. I find the music dirge-like, yet the farmer’s uncompromising though seemingly irrational optimism is inspirational. I feel privileged to be the father of the writer/composer of this compassionately sensitive track. And I feel privileged to live and farm in a high rainfall part of Australia – and of Tasmania because most of this State receives less rain than Mole Creek. When the sun eventually shines, the grass will grow quickly, producing feed for our stock and abundant Summer hay. Though luxuriant Spring growth doesn’t bode well for the Summer bushfire season, that’s another story.

farmdoc's blog post number 156

‘In the year 2000 my age was 53, born in the first half of the last century’. That’s me. And it’s also Loudon Wainwright III [above] though he’s nine months my senior. I like his music a lot, probably because we’re of similar age, so many of the experiences and feelings he expresses in his song lyrics, are similar to mine. Take ‘Daughter’, for example. I find Loudon authentic, as I do Steve Earle [below] who’s 7-8 years younger than Loudon and me. Steve sings of heroes, he opposes the death penalty and he’s no fan of governments – so he’s my man. The clock of life ticks for us all. These days Loudon, Steve and I each have singer songwriter children. And I’m chuffed that in late November darling Emily is doing a four State Australian tour with Justin Townes Earle. I can’t speak for Loudon and Steve, but whilst I live exactly the life I want to live, I’m 100% sure my most active, productive and contributive days are behind me. Some time in my forties, I came to feel that, well, my options had stopped broadening and had begun narrowing. That’s fine by me. If I had a month to live, I would change little. As Louden sings, ‘I'm the last man on Earth and there ain't nothing wrong with me’.