I confess! I did a horrible job of keeping you all updated about my life on the farm; my sincerest apologies! I could heap up a mountain of excuses like I worked from sun up to sun down all summer and was too exhausted to keep up with the blog (which is true), but that still does not excuse me from the last, oh, six months or so. But alas, let us not dwell on might-have-beens. I shall quench your thirst of knowledge of the farm life.
First I will point out that I have reached a milestone of importance here. I have been at Prairie Winds Farm for One year and nearly Four months. "What is so special about this?" you may ask. For the past 8 years, I have moved every. single. year. like clockwork. At first I was doing the whole Americorps volunteer gig, which is set up for yearly commitments, then I was trying to find "the right place," a place where I fit in, where my work is exciting and challenging and work that I am good at. When the time of a year of being on the farm was approaching, I began to feel the itch to move on, and I started looking for other work. During this journey, I came to realize how much I love my life here in South Bend and on the farm, and with Helen. In short, none of the jobs I found were able to make it worth my while to leave this blessed place.
"So, Anna, how do you like farming and the farm life?"
I love the farm, still even after a year of working in whatever weather passes our way,
Including the drought last summer which wiped out all of our squash and beans,
Including the absurdly strong gales of wind that annihilated whatever corn made it through the drought, Including the crazy-hot couple of weeks over 100 degrees Fahrenheit,
Including trudging out the in the negative degree winter weather wearing Carharts and three coats (not exaggerating) and still being cold.
This past year and 4 months have changed my relationship with my food, my relationship with the weather and the seasons. And as I start into my second growing season, I am finding myself giving tips to others about how to grow their plants! How did I become so knowledgeable?! Thanks Charlotte :) Prairie Winds Farm is really a little slice of heaven; come see!
A taste of my life: One evening Helen turned on TCM, the Old Movie Channel as we call it, and started watching The Wizard of Oz. I wandered into the tv room and happily sat to watch it with her. Afterward we were singing songs from the show together at which point Helen says to me, " You are really one of a kind. I can't imagine anyone else wanting to sit and watch a kid's show with an old lady." To which I responded, "You are one of kind Helen; I love this this stuff! We are TWO of a kind Helen!" Yep, Helen and I, that's how we roll.
So, Anna, what do you do during the winter?
Well, we have a small green house which I tend. And there are still all the animals to feed twice a day in the winter. Our tamest cow, Autumn had a calf in January so I learned how to milk a cow which is a daily chore, but an awesome one. Winter is also a good time to sell some farm products like honey and wool. After the sheer craziness of the growing and harvest seasons, slowing down for winter is a welcome break. So! With some extra time on my hands, I decided to join my friends at the South Bend Catholic Worker in putting on a musical production. I ended up filling the role of stage director/manager, and worked February to May practicing, singing, blocking, studying other productions of the show to see how best to do a scene, lining up sets, props, lights, stage crew, people often grabbed at the last minute, coaching the actors, and giving directive notes. And our show was amazing! Not too bad for borrowing here and there and having, literally, no budget. Thanks to the entire cast and crew's hard work and dedication, I believe we put on a show of professional quality. I was floored by the amount of talent in our small group and am honored to have had the opportunity to have worked with them and to count them among my community and my friends. I hope this is only the beginning of our theatrical endeavors at the Catholic Worker.
Happily, I will be hanging around the farm for at least another growing season as I have signed on to run the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) again this year. I bid you all happy eating, happy growing!
