March 2012: Out Like a Lion

Rain + snow + more rain =  we had another flood!

 I, fortunately, was not trapped on the farm for the two days that water gushed from across the street (where the creek had risen three feet above the flood zone) and made the barn an island. I, fortunately, got the message to stay in town and wait it out, which I did, warm, cozy, and full of homemade pizza.

 This flooding, though not as major as our January flood, did cause some destruction. The water took down a good portion of our fence (which is a necessity in keeping deer and other foragers out of the fields). It also damaged our first beds of salad greens, which otherwise may have been harvestable for the first Saturday Market!  And because the ground has been continuously wet, we’ve had to push back some scheduled plantouts.  On top of that, the flood took the life of our rooster Houdini, who had been a part of the farm for several years.   Nevertheless, we’re not stressin’.  Spring has only just begun, and there is plenty of time to repair, (re)plant, and remember to acknowledge and appreciate the power and wisdom inherent in Nature.  

 In exactly 8 days we will be a full crew with the arrival of three new apprentices, Hallie, Dawn, and Stewart!  We are all so excited to meet them and for the start of this season. In preparation we’ve been doing lots of clean up and improvements around the farm and in the barn.  Most noteworthy is the beautiful kitchen table Ashley just finished building!  

 We’ve also put up new shelving, did lots of painting, got a new tacky gold recliner for the living room, AND glittered the fridge.  

Yes, glitter,
and Yes,
it looks Awesome.

  I think back to last April when I was first arriving at Horton.  I had no idea what to expect (never before even caring for a potted plant) and at first had some real doubts about my ability to do the work here. My back hurt.  I couldn’t get the salad cut down. There seemed to be no escape from the mud and wet and cold (even in my room which was the only one with insulation and a strict no-boot zone). Then something changed.  I let go a little.  And then a lot.  I soon found myself excited to wake up and get out to the field, rain and cold and mud or not.  I was working harder and getting dirtier than I ever had in my life and I felt fulfilled. I came to realize that my whole being had been craving this kind of work - physical, sense stirring, and essential to the land and community.  When the season ended I felt saddened to leave the work of the farm and return to ‘civilization’ (though, I did enjoy my parent’s hot tub on several occasions, among several other luxuries…).  I never would have guessed that just a year later I’d feel so connected to a place, my work, and a community of people.  

It feels good to be back. 

Check.

-Rachael

Green Onions!