So Proud!

I know Veterans Day has passed already, but it's always in season to be patriotic.

Are you proud to be an American?

Well you should be. And you should be displaying that patriotism constantly. With one of these.

GO AMERICA!

This coaster's gonna crash

I should have spent my time sewing my costume.

Some 'Awws' for today...

Get your 'Awws' on. I'm directing you to another blog. It's awesome...way better than this one. And I stumbled on a post that is just too adorable not to share.

Super cute farm cakes await.

So about that Halloween interview

I had an interview on Friday and I wore Halloween socks.

I thought a full on costume might detract from my winning smile and thoughtful answers, but I figured I could swing the socks.

Sparkly spiders and webs. It was a good decision.

Talk about sacrifice!

Recently my love for Halloween and my hatred for job hunting hit head on. For better or worse, my sense of obligation won out and Halloween lost.

Here's the play by play:

I LOVE Halloween. Absolutely. It always ranks as my favorite holiday. I spend weeks of my life thinking about it and preparing for it. Selecting a costume, making a costume, encouraging others to wear costumes, planning parties, attending parties, promoting and decorating parties with clever invitations and too much crepe paper. In short, it's awesome. I <3 it.

I HATE job hunting. I find it demoralizing and boring. My eyes hurt from staring at the computer for too many hours in a row. My ass hurts from sitting on it all day. And my soul hurts from the near constant rejection. Plus, I don't have any money and thinking about how I'm going to pay my bills causes me physical pain. This is not my idea of a fun time. It's the opposite of my idea for a fun time.

Thankfully, I've had several interviews. It's a key step in getting the job hunting to stop for a while. Unfortunately these interviews came during the holiday season. This meant that instead of sewing a horn, ears, and tail for the fabulous unicorn costume I had dreamed up, I spent the week preceding Halloween researching and preparing a presentation for an interview. It's just not right.

Despite the neglect I showed Halloween, Halloween showed me a great time. I wore a pirate costume from a few years ago and it looked good if not unique. I went to a birthday party and saw friends I hadn't seen in a very long time. I drank free beer. Ate amazingly delicious mac and cheese. Walked about town with a zebra. Watched Hocus Pocus. All good things.

And I have a sweet Halloween costume idea for next year. Hands off the unicorn costume...it's mine!

Speaking of organic dairying

I absolutely LOVE this.

It's fun, it's funny, it's clever. All good things. Plus it's about organic dairying, treating your cows well, and combines two generally opposing things -country life and hip hop. More good things. I don't know anything about Yeo Valley Dairy (except what they mention in the music video) and I'm not here to shill British yogurt.

I just want to bring a little sunshine to your day.

Here and now.

As you know, I'm back in Minneapolis. I've actually been back for a few weeks now. And things are good.

I'm living with some old friends and some new potentially future friends. Everyone seems very friendly. And I'm loving being back in the city. The buildings are tall, the people are plentiful, and the weather has been fantastic enough that I can get outside and enjoy all of the sights and sounds that Minneapolis has to offer. This could be the start of a great new year.

But it's hard to throw myself into it all. I spend nearly all of my time writing coverletters and that makes for a simultaneously boring and tense life. Thankfully, I've had some success and I've gotten a few promising interviews, but they've been out of state. Knowing that I might be moving away soon makes it seem pointless to put effort into being here. I haven't finished unpacking -what's the point if I'll just need to pack it up again. I can't bring myself to live in the present -all I can think about is the future. And yet, not putting effort into being here and ignoring the present is going to make the here and now a disappointing place to be.

So sue me.

Yeah, yeah. I know you're judging me.

Monday I made ratatouille and zucchini bread. Chock full of delicious farm fresh veggies and organic goodness. It was amazing and there are still leftovers.

Yesterday I made eggplant parmigiana. Chock full of delicious farm fresh veggies and organic goodness. It was scrumptious and there are still leftovers.

Today. Well today, I picked up a $5 pepperoni pizza from Little Caesars. Chock full of things I don't want to know about from places I'd rather be ignorant of. And it was tasty.

So you just keep on judging.

I want to milk your cow.

Seriously. I want to milk your cow.

Now I realize that you probably don’t own a cow. I don’t know many people who do. And the cow owners I do know probably aren’t reading this. BUT. If you do have cow, this is for you.

I’ve wanted to milk a cow for a while now. Mostly for the novelty of it. It seems so quaint and rustic. But I’m sure quaint and rustic don’t quit cover it –I’ve heard it killer on the hands. Now that I’ve lived as a farmer however, this desire has mushroomed. As have my reasons for wanting to do it.

I want to get my hands dirty. I want to meet the cow that is making my food and I want to know the effort required of her and of me needed to milk her. I want to see the process from start to finish –cow to bucket to fridge. That’s right, no fancy milking machines here –that would be too easy. I want my hands to hurt, I want the full experience. I want my hands there when she gives up her food for her baby so that I can enjoy it. If that’s too much for me and if I can’t handle the reality of the experience, then maybe dairy isn’t something I deserve to enjoy.

Also, I want to see where and how the cows live. It’s important to me that they get to lead happy lives and that they have the opportunity to do cow things with their cow friends and families. Being in the sun, grazing, sexing, mothering, socializing. The least I can do to show my gratitude for their sacrifice for my table is to ensure that they have a chance at a decent life.

So, if you have a cow that you will let me milk. Let me know!

Only Happy Cows need apply.

Full Circle

My first week at the farm we spent days in the blistering sun hauling metal stakes out to the tomato field, pounding them into the ground at regular intervals, and stringing the tomatoes up. My last week here we are cutting all of the lines, pulling the stakes up and hauling them out of the field, and ripping up the tomato plants. Talk about a fitting end.

It has been an amazing summer. I’m still hoping to share more of it with you. There is definitely more worth sharing. I met some amazing people, I spent nearly every day outdoors enjoying the summer weather, I worked really hard and amazed myself with the physical capability of my body, I learned a lot - about growing vegetables, about where food comes from, about the importance of sustainable agriculture, and about why everyone should know their farmer or be one. And I plan to take that all with me when I leave. And I’m going to incorporate it into my daily life. I plan on having an amazing garden someday...maybe even get involved with the urban agricultural movement. I’m going to start with a potted herb garden. I can keep you posted on how that goes…hopefully.

As for the near future…it’s hard to think that far ahead. I leave the farm tonight and will spend a few days in Madison before heading back up to Minneapolis to reintegrate myself into the commune I previously lived in. Then I’ll be penniless and unemployed and I’ll spend all of my time writing cover letters or aggressively avoiding writing said cover letters. Which sounds awful and I am not looking forward to it. I am looking forward to meeting new roommates and seeing old ones, having some time to lounge around in my pajamas, and reacquainting myself with an amazing city.

I’ll keep you posted on any changes and in the meantime I should have plenty of time to finally get around to those summer updates.

So Little Time

Farming leaves little time to write posts and the severe internet shortage makes posting posts nearly impossible. I apologize for leaving you hanging. There are so many pictures and stories and experiences I want to share.

For instance...today I saw a free range pig! We have a 450ish pound male pig that was in a large fenced in area. The fence wasn't that secure and he seemed content to stay in his area, so we took the fence down a while ago. Chester didn't leave his area. He likes it over there. He has a creek to wallow in, tone of space to forage, we bring him food there and he has plenty of shelter. Everything a pig could want. Well, today I saw him out and about. He was exploring the farm and walking up the driveway. He found new areas to forage in and tasty compost piles and a soft spot to lay in the sun for a while. Chester is a wonderful boar and I hope he's enjoying his roaming. Most pigs don't get to have that kind of freedom. It is such an amazing site to see him lumbering about the farm on his own.

There will be more to come, but they'll be very delayed. Currently any writing time I have is devoted to writing cover letters...wish me luck!

Until next time...

Another Parsnip Update

It turns out that I may not be more sensitive to wild parsnip, but I am less able to identify plants. I just found out what it looks like when it hasn’t flowered yet. I didn’t know that I was walking through it because I didn’t know what it looked like, so I didn’t know that I should be washing up. Hopefully I can keep away now. And for your viewing pleasure and educational needs, here are some pictures.

Parsnip with flowers. This is the one I've been actively avoiding.

Parsnip without flowers. This is the one that has been secretly leaving me long lasting souvenirs.

Dirty Girl

The old fashioned advice to “wash behind your ears” always seemed strange to me. Seriously, who gets so dirty that they would need to wash extra special behind the ears? Well, it seems that I do. I get so dirty. Here’s a picture of me digging potatoes (on Aug. 19^th):

So dirty.

So smiley.

Absolutely covered in dirt. I will say that showering has an extra special joy. I can actually see myself getting cleaner. It is so satisfying to see the dirt wash off and run down the drain.

I’ve been Parsnipped!

Since my arrival, the farm has waged war on my body. Sore muscles, sun burns, cuts, scrapes, blisters, but by far the worst offence…Poison Parsnip. I had never heard of Poison Parsnip before the farm and it took at least 16 showings before I could even pretend to pick it out of a field. But it’s EVERYWHERE, so it wasn’t too long before I could successfully avoid it most days. And since it’s everywhere, I also learned to be fastidious about washing up with super soap if there was a possibility of contact. Word on the street is, the plant emits an oil when it is disturbed. This oil is sunlight reactive and causes a chemical burn/blister thing. And since the plant is everywhere and we have work to do, running into the plant happens. And even with the most fastidious washings, sometimes it leaves a mark. My lower legs are dotted with poison parsnip burns, scratches, and blisters…it just part of doing business. But dear lord was I shocked to discover a giant blister on my arm. A splotch about .5 inch by 1.5 inch and it was puffier than I’d seen before. Yikes! And that wasn’t bad enough. By the following day it had ballooned into a bulbous nightmare. It was twice as wide and stood nearly a half inch off my skin. G.R.O.S.S. I had to go to market and sell delicious vegetables to people with a disgusting protrusion on my arm. No one said anything about it, but I could feel their horrified stares searing into my already burning bulb. It’s ‘better’ now. After market it started oozing (oozing the oil that caused the affliction in the first place. I was careful to keep it contained.) It oozed for a while as there was a fair amount of liquid packed in. It’s still not looking pretty, but it’s no longer a bulbous protrusion…which is good…right?

UPDATE
I successfully avoided another major parsnip attack for weeks. Then one day I was working amongst some weeds and my legs got all scraped up and those scratches turned to rashes and boils. Apparently I react more severely to wild parsnip than others. Everyone’s good at something…

Update II
A month after the original update and I still haven’t posted it…oops. I am healing quite well, although my legs still look like I’ve been tortured. Apparently, even after the wounds heal, I’ll have discoloration that could last up to 2 years. I’m choosing to look at it as a souvenir of my farming days.

Take a look at some pictures:

That's the good leg.

It's not pretty.

Look at the size of that thing! Yikes.

Old Lady Time

I went to bed last night at 9pm. I could have gone to bed earlier.

Best. Friday. Night. Ever.

Farm Fresh Photos

Enjoy!

In the Beginning

That first week I learned one thing after another. There’s always something to do on the farm. The crops need planting, weeding, watering, harvesting. The animals need feeding, watering, petting. Eggs get collected, coops get moved, fences get erected. And once a week we prep for market and harvest, wash, package, and count countless vegetables. They get loaded into a cooler van and taken to market. And the following week, we do it all again.

My first day of field work left me exhausted and sun burned. We were pounding in stakes for the trellising to support the tomatoes. The stakes were about five foot tall metal stakes (similar to the posts holding up stop signs). We had to haul them out to the field and then pound them into the ground. I was hot and sweaty and trying desperately to not show how out of shape and clueless and I was. I am not ready for this!

UPDATE (It’s another post that’s two months old. Enjoy.)

Apparently I was ready for it. Well, my body was used and abused, but I made it through. And I got a little muscle in the process! Just a little though, you probably wouldn’t notice. You would notice the tan. The hot pink sun burn however has turned into deep golden and it’s all anyone can remark on when they see me. I must admit, it is quite lovely.

These are the posts we hammered in:

Farm Girl

(A note on the following post: I wrote it a while ago. It took me too long to get the post written and it has taken me even longer to get it posted. I’ve been on the farm for over 9 weeks. So much for expediency.)

So, I’ve been on the farm for two weeks now and I haven’t had a lick of time to update anyone on anything. Farming is intense! I hadn’t been on the farm for more than five minutes before I was learning how to put the chickens to bed. And it kept coming.

But more on the crazy hours, grueling labor, and quirky coconspirators later.

First I want to describe the farm:

It is outside of Mineral Point, WI. And by outside, I mean WAY outside. Middle of nowheresville. The farm itself is huge. Word on the street is 800 acres huge. I haven’t seen most of it and there’s a good chance that much of the land will remain unexplored. From the road it’s a five minute drive down to the house. Very secluded. It’s the perfect setting for a horror movie or a naked hippie moon fest…or a horror movie about a naked hippie moon fest.

I feel a screenplay coming on…

It’s set in the rolling hills of southwestern Wisconsin. Day time. A farmhand walks down a gravel road towards a pig pen.

That’s right. They have two pigs. Who will soon be parents! They live in a large fenced in area and get treated like royalty. Yummy scraps every day. Then comes teepee village –where the teepee sits next to a living trailer and the bonfire spot. Further up the road is the packing shed (where all of the edibles get cleaned and packed for market) which is near the house. A few steps up the hill is a large fenced in area for the little birds –chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese. A rabbit and a llama also live there. And further still is another pen for the big chickens and ducks. This is where the egg collecting happens…mmm…farm fresh eggs. The big turkeys and geese get to roam freely along with the dogs. And the hill keeps going. Along the way are fields of growing edibles, a perennial forest (still new so it’s not yet very foresty), some sheds, greenhouses, and random farm implements. Surrounding the fields is a wooded area where the bees live and make their sweet honey and where shiitake mushrooms bloom. There are other fields and green and wooded spaces further out. I’ve also heard talk of a swimming pond. It is quite the homestead. And quite magical.

Oh, and everything the farm produces is certified organic.

Visitors are always welcome, so come check it out for yourself!

Manifesto?

For years now, I've been inching my way towards a more sustainable lifestyle. As I've come to learn about the harmful practices of modern civilization and to realize the power my choices have, I've been making changes to lessen my negative impact on the world around me. Less Easy Mac and more farmer's market, less driving and more biking, etc.

As I've struggled to find a professional calling, I've focused on matching my personal life to the ideals I hold. It sounds cheesy, I know, but I'm living my values - or at least trying! And it's hard. Sometimes. Other times it's fun. It's always interesting (at least to me). Mostly, it's important. I'd feel hypocritical espousing values while not actually trying live up to them fully.

What are these values?
Community - Sustainability - Equality

Broad categories, I realize this. Consider this list a work in progress and expect updates.

So that's what this is. I've made a personal mission to live my values and this blog will chronicle that journey. I won't promise it will be entertaining, or that it will be regularly updated, but it will provide a glimpse.

I hope you enjoy it.

First stop: City girl to farm girl. Coming soon.