At this time next week I will be back in my apartment in the city. I truly have to let that thought sink in.
....
Away from here...
Back to the rush of people, cars, subway trains, planes overhead, the sounds of another human conducting the ins and outs of their life just on the other side of your apartment wall.
Noises... well different than those here. The wind, chickens and an occasional car passing, the battery-powered clock on the wall of the office, the coffee maker, my fingers punching keys... ...Space enough to hear only one sound at a time.
I do look forward to being back in the city. I've missed it.
But I already miss the farm.
Before I get too far down the path of a misty-eyed recollection of the season, I'm going to refocus on what has happened since I last posted.
Not necessarily in chronological order:
- My Mom's Birthday was this past week. Happy Birthday, Mom!!!!
- We continue to spend most of our workday harvesting. E and I mostly, save for the weekly volunteers. The crops have been covered in reemay day and night due to the almost nightly visit from the evil spectre of frost. Down to 17 early Friday morning. And even though the reemay protects the crops from damage effectively, even the hardiest of fall crops are beginning to give a little with such wide swings in temperature.
- We've cleared by hand (and consequently piled all the dead plants for composting..): The eggplant rows, The 3 Sisters Field (H and I pulled the gazebo down last week. Boohoo), Half the flower bed, and some ooooold cilantro in D.
- This week E and I took turns drilling Rye seeds with the Brillion on the John Deere. (nts: make sure all bare soil receives seed. overlap sod and existing cover.)
- We made a last round harvesting peppers as a solid half have succumbed to the cold temperatures. 390 lbs in all. Nice.
- Last week about 50 people gathered at the farm to pay tribute to D and the farm's director for 10 years of hard work, community building and wonderful produce. They were each given a plum tree to have planted on the farm proper. Each tree has it's own plaque dedicating it to them. Congratulations!
- Last Saturday, H and I visited the prospective farm I mentioned before to get a more thorough picture of what they have (equipment-and-soil/field-condition-wise) and what they need. We also had a chance to speak further with the owner and their farming consultant. Another good visit.
... and finally
- Last night we had our Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. We spent the day prepping the greenhouse for the occasion. It looked stunning by the time the soiree began. Despite the nasty weather, the turnout was great and the good vibes were floating all around (I'm sure the Gluhwein I made, and handed out to almost everyone at the door, didn't hinder said vibes). D said some very thoughtful words about E and I and gave us both our own Leatherman with the farm's name inscribed on the side. Mad cool. Thanks, man. A truly wonderful time. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who has given their time and energy freely to the farm this season. We could not have done it without you. FOR. REAL!
...I leave you with pics from last night. Dig.
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