Power Out = Awesome

Ok, it's not really awesome to have no power, but my school was closed yesterday and I got to spend a day back at the farm! What a wonderful gift!

Woo Hoo! We're Famous (Again!)

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Things I wish I had known

I had a lot of questions this time last year, so I'll do my part in passing along a bit of knowledge, or at least experience (some of which was learned the hard way).

What to bring?

You need really good boots. We all have the neoprene and rubber muck boots, either from Muck or from LL Bean or one of the other places that make them. Imagine walking through muddy water with manure in it that's higher than your ankles.

A really great set of rain gear. I have a gore-tex rain coat which I love and I really wish I had a pair of the carhartt overall rain pants. I have non-overall rain pants which are fine, but I have to wear suspenders with them. Another image? Bending over to harvest and having rain run down you pants because your jacket is above your waist. It makes it a completely horrible day.

Theo would like to add that he wishes he had a set of warmer rain gear and then something lighter for when it's hot out. He has those carhartt overall rain pants and says they're great, but they're too much for the spring and summer.

Speaking of having rain running down your pants, if you're living off the farm for the year, I highly recommend keeping a complete change of clothes either in your car or at the farm house. Not just dry socks and stuff like that, but shorts and a tshirt for if it suddenly gets warm, warm clothes for if it suddenly gets cold, something comfortable for sitting around the farmhouse for class and never, never leave your rain jacket at home.

A lot of people wear carhartt work pants (or deluth- there's lots of brand loyalty and comparison). I'm a fan of carhartt because they make women's clothing and it's really comfortable.

Multi tool/ and or pocket knife. I got mine from Chainsaw Bill (who you will meet and love any maybe win a pocket knife from) but I wish that I had the kind where part of the blade is serrated.

Work gloves are also a good thing to come with. Theo likes the $4 Ocean State Joblot kind and I like my leather Carhartt ones. It's funny that none of us really wear gloves any more, probably since we're just used to having poop on our hands and getting our hands pretty beat up everyday, but we wore them all the time in the fall. Also bring a pair of lined gloves (I got Kinco ones) because it get's colder sooner than you think and I wish I had had some from the beginning.

For the winter? I loved my wool shirts and my onesie LL Bean long underwear. Quilt lined overalls are good but I really wish I had (and might buy for myself one of these days) the full body coveralls that are quilted. So warm and cozy! I also got a winter work coat (also from carhartt... seeing a trend?) since I didn't want to ruin my nice ski coat.

Bring warm blankets for the winter since the farm house is pretty cold, and slippers since nobody wants work boots inside (or sandals for when it's warmer).

Bring musical instruments and board games and cards.

Bring a really, really good hat and really warm socks.

Some general advice?

There is so, so much food at the farm which is such a blessings. Part of what I'm saddest to leave behind is the meals we all ate together. However, if you have a non local or out of season food that you really like (for me, avocados and for Theo, any type of fish) you can expect that you'll have to buy that yourself.

I also think a real strength of the program, and the management is their willingness to accommodate what each person wants to learn. Obviously, one person can't change the whole curriculum, but the staff is really supportive if you want to go deeper into a certain subject. Advocate for yourself- it's really helped me when I wanted to do more welding and Theo when he wanted to spend more time canning and preserving.

One other tip for the few weeks left? Come to the farm prepared to carry heavy things. I wish I had spent more time building strength- you'll be carrying 50 lbs of turnips down a rocky path and lifting it into the back of a pickup. Also heavy? Throwing hay bales, lifting two five gallon buckets of water and 50 pound bags of grain.

A final thought: leaving the farm school is hard and figuring out what to do after is even harder. There was a lot of stress in March and April about everyone's next step. Wm (who you will also meet and love) told us that it happened every year and hearing that made it a little better. Throughout the summer we've met many, many farmers looking to hire us. Theo and I had many opportunities of where to go to start our own farm. And who knows, maybe we'll need someone this time next year.

I'm sure there's other things and if I think of any, I'll post them later. Off to go shuck the corn for dinner!

Dear Boots

Dear hiking boots,

You promised me you were waterproof. I wore you all over the white mountains and you stood up to stream crossings in late spring, puddles around the farm. Unfortunately, you were defeated by morning dew as we moved the sheep to a new pasture. I'm disappointed in you.

Sincerely,

Wet Socks

Sigh

Well, as you all have noticed, I haven't been faithfully posting lately. I could blame it on the busy summer season on the farm, which would be true, or that the weather is beautiful and who wants to be on the computer when they could be outside (also true). However, the fact is that writing about my life right now means facing the sad truth that my year at the farm has come to an end. I'm excitedly starting a job teaching in a Montessori school and while I'm looking forward to this coming year, it has been very, very hard to say goodbye to the farm.

It's sad to leave what feels like an unfinished season- the tomatoes are ripe on the vine, the eggplants are just coming in, and the pigs and chickens are getting bigger everyday. And while I'm still around a bit, since Theo is at the farm until the end and my days at school are shorter, allowing me to pop in for breakfast or dinner, my own commitment and responsibility on the farm is over.

I've been lucky to feel very welcomed at my new job but that doesn't make me less homesick for sitting around the table in the farmhouse talking about vegetables and local meat with no caveats to explain what I mean when I talk about the weed pressure in the brassicas or the amount of forage for the cows.

I'll say this, both to my class and future classes: the farm is a special place. It's a wonderful little bubble and emerging back into a more conventional environment is a harsh reminder of gender roles and a certain brand of self criticism. There was never any presumption over the last year that a woman couldn't do something a man could, or that the men should be building and on the tractor while women focused on canning or fiber arts. In just a couple of days away from the farm, I already miss the assumption that I can use a skill saw or even just hammer a nail into the wall. It's striking to walk back into a world that cares how you look and that a bit of dirt isn't a badge of a long day but something to be avoided and immediately cleaned. It was hard to appreciate the culture of the farm while in it- we were so immersed in a place that supported and nurtured our values, it just felt like that was how life always was.

I'm sure I'll still write about the farm (and there's exciting news coming about our own, brand new farm that we're starting) as the summer ends and the fall begins. And I'll say again that I'm very excited about my new job: I love working with kids and the staff has been incredibly kind and welcoming. I'll just always really, really miss those days when we were at the farm, instead of just memories.