I. Many lights make hands work.
So when the light leaves, my hands don’t work so much. It’s coming into the dark time. I’m struggling with it. My body and/or mind is feeling thwacky. Part of me craves the summer energy that comes from being constantly busy.
Why can’t I wake up on my internal alarm clock when the light fills the room? C’mon, I already slept 9 hours. When mid-afternoon rolls around, I am ready for cocktail hour. By 5:30 I’m ready to eat a hearty dinner. By seven, I feel lost and somewhat ready to implode. What…go to bed? Stay up and read into the seemingly endless night? Go outside and walk in the dim moon light? I’ve tried all of these options. None feel quite right. Perhaps because I’m doing them all alone.
Yes, it’s the time of year to slow down, to not work as much. To go on vacation. Or spend the vacation money on installing a wood stove for the apartment. A great choice and investment, but that far-off beach is still calling. Arm-chair travelling only goes so far. So I’m slowing down and spinning my wheels a bit.
II. So it’s the Learning Season
Went to Animal Powered Field Days in Vermont.
Went to MOFGAs farmer to farmer conference, which was superb. Inspiring and enriching.
Spent a few afternoon with local horsemen, trying to learn the workhorse trade. The art.
Participated in an Ag-related panel discussion the other night; this Friday attending a hoophouse workshop; next week there’s a roundtable on local agriculture infrastructure.
Relearning, too. Trying to refocus. Turning inward, and also away from the garden’s throbbing center, moving out to the property’s periphery, the edges, the transitions, the woodlot. It’s an important season. Offers a chance for reflection, and important element in learning and making adjustments in the system or in the style of stewardship that I am persuing as a farmerette.
Stack of books.
III. Fall notes
Ate fresh raspberries off the cane on November 3rd
55 degrees on November 17th
So mild this month some trees are budding back out.
Lots of Rain- hurrah.
The annual wind storm, last wednesday. This time the hoophouse didn’t fall in.
Hoophouse poly came off today–now they are just bare ugly skeletons.
But still eating greens and carrots fresh from the garden, November 30th.
Poe and I, we’re ready for SNOW!
hey friend. great post. i hear you about the dark… i’m sorry dinner didn’t work tonight. i ended up with a stomach bug of some kind, but am on the mend after chicken soup and ginger ale. come by for tea tomorrow night? i know it would be late, you could sleep over! let’s make a plan soon. i’ll call in the a.m.
Hey! Your stove didn’t bellow dark black stuff!
I was looking for a phone number, trying to find out if you still had anything growing. I met you at the ‘how to make your town farm friendly’ meeting, my wife and I raise tilapia, etc.
We’re dying for some fresh vegetables (maybe we’ll get to that greenhouse next year).
We’re always open to trades, too. Plenty of proteins- lamb, poultry, beef, pork, fish, etc
Let us know if you’re still growing.
Thanks for the panel discussion, I appreciate the effort.
kat-
we were planning on calling you today but this morning i did a search for your farm and came across your blog and thought this would be a nice place to say hello! thanks for stopping by our house and inviting us to the bonfire – we are hope to come (these days it is hard to plan anything as we never know when something on the farm will take precedence to us leaving the farm)! looking forward to meeting!
ryan