Extreme

The first two weeks of April have seen extreme winds, a polar vortex, deep mud, and snow. After a long night of barn doors banging and worrying that the whole farm was getting blown away, I got up in the morning and looked out the window to see most of the farm was still in place! There was some damage and a lot of mess, but eventually the sun came out and the birds started singing again. Shortly after the birds started singing, the people started to make jokes and puns.

An amazing amount of work is getting done on the farm, despite the weather. The new greenhouse is now in use, a lot of the front field is planted and covered, the berries are getting pruned, houses are getting shingled, firewood has been brought in, seedlings are growing, and many other jobs are simply getting done. What a great feeling!

But there is something else happening. This collection of people on the farm is knitting their separate experiences together. We’ve shared and compared, making us all richer, stronger, more resilient. In a truly surreal way, Hyla continues her mural on the delivery van, painting the farm narrative which includes the earthworms, birds, corn, and even a skunk. The van looks like a fantasy farm.

As he was planting, Matheson commented that everywhere he looks, there’s soil life. We are so encouraged by the progress underground. We are also encouraged by all the people who have signed up for a farm share this year. Thank you! It sure makes planning and administration easier when people sign up before May 1. If you are planning to sign up, but haven’t yet, please do, so we know you are interested.