Down on the Farm

April went by so fast; I didn’t even have a chance to wave as it flew by. Busy Busy Busy!!
Here’s what I’ve been up to:

Friday April 17th: I took off work at noon to help my parents finish the bulk of the moving. It was a long and stressful night, but we got a lot done and they are in their new house. FINALLY!!

Saturday April 18th: Sarah and I worked at the farm in the beautiful weather. We took care of weeding a huge patch that will be used for sunflowers. After, Sandra asked us if we minded cleaning out an old bee box that had been donated to them. They wanted to use it, but it still had all the old honeycomb and dried nectar in it. It had to be scraped out with a putty knife. The bee box had nine slats. The old honeycomb was really interesting to look at. Bees are architects, indeed. The slats have guide wires to help the bees form the comb, but they really do not need them, it just helps move things along faster. Each hole in the honeycomb was the exact same size as the next . . . that classic shape was absolutely perfect. They really are amazing creatures.

I will have the opportunity to harvest honey in the fall. I am not a big fan of bees and tend to jump and swat like an ass when there is one around me. This will give me a good reason to get over that. The Farm really helps you get over any anxiety caused by bugs and flying insects. I used to be absolutely terrified of spiders. Morbidly afraid. I would get all weak if I saw even the smallest one. Now, when I sit in the garden and weed and see that a spider has crawled on my leg…I don’t scream or jump like I used to. I just swat it away as if it were an ant. I am so proud of myself for that achievement! I don’t know if this will be the same case with those big black hairy jumping spiders, but we will see. It’s one step in the right direction.

Saturday April 25th: Back to the Farm. The weather was so beautiful; we decided to get there early so we could get some good sun. In the early hours, we sat in the cutting garden and weeded the Peonies. We took a break and walked up to the barnyard to get some duck and chicken eggs to sell at the welcome center. I had never in my life eaten a duck egg (that I know of) and certainly had never held one in my own hands. They are huge – twice the size of a Chicken’s egg. And they won’t come clean to a bright white like chicken eggs do. Duck eggs are used for baking since they are so big. I did not know this. The Farm head, Tara, told us that they taste the same to her as a chicken’s egg, but most people can’t get past what it is, thinks its weird, and wont touch it. A six pack of farm fresh duck eggs are $3 for a half dozen. We stopped and watched the dog herding clinic before we took the eggs back.. They allowed people to bring their dogs to be trained as herding dogs…even if it is just for fun and get the dog some exercise. I would have loved to take Biscuit, he listens to every word I say and is still an eager learner at 10 years old. I think I will take him the next time they hold a clinic.

Then the rest of the afternoon was working in the Irises. They still had the winter mulch/wool mix surrounding the bottom of the plants. Though the plants were big, green, and healthy, the roots needed to be exposed to allow more water and sunlight to get in. Since we finished that achievement, the Iris will likely be blooming when we go this Saturday. When Sandra saw the work we had done, she was very impressed and told us that she couldn’t believe how good of a job we did. The head gardener for the farm, Denise, told us it will be a sad day for her when we decide we are bored and tired of the place. I laughed and told her she wouldn’t be getting rid of me anytime soon. Since it’s volunteering, they do not expect you to work yourself to death. They appreciate any help you can give them. I enjoy sitting in the sunshine and working with Mother Nature. She is a good partner. I told Denise that I didn’t like to half ass work – that if it were my garden I’d expect it to be done right. She smiled and said if only all volunteers felt that way….Its such a good feeling to know I am helping and making a difference. It feels good having your hard work recognized and praised. Its nice to hear, “Thank you thank you so much!!” I don’t get it that often at my day job.

Speaking of which… I’m not going to devote a bunch of my time and energy talking about it, but things at my day job have gotten very rocky. We have been told more than once that the industry we work in is recession proof. Kind of like being a doctor or an attorney. There is a need for both no matter the economy. We all felt good about it, but then we got an email from our CEO stating that after a first quarter loss of 121 million, they would be restructuring the organization and jobs would be eliminated. People have been let go every day this week so far. Yesterday there was a security guard on our floor to escort people out as they were let go. There is no rhyme or reason to who will be next…there is no pattern. We have seen newbies go as well as people who have been here 12 + years. It is everyone’s worst nightmare, yes, however I have no say over this. I have decided that whatever life has in store for me is meant to be. I am grateful for my job. I am grateful for the opportunities life has given me. There is no reason for me to get all worked up about something that I have no control over. Life is too short.

I plan to be back on the Farm this Saturday – if the weather holds up. There are no scheduled events, so it will give us a chance to try other things. I will post pics as soon as I fix my Vaio. Take care until next time!

Love Tracy