come and knock on our door...

Got back from my great, very relaxing weekend in PA to discover that almost everyone in the Kitchen (as well as all over the Farm) has been sick with a cold, probably due to this COLD New England fall we have been hit with. This means working a little harder to pick up the slack of those missing that day, but that only seems to make the day go by faster and that is alright with me.

Also, a couple weeks back I was out of work for a week due to an old back injury that had flared up with all our moving, so today it was with some trepidation that I started physical therapy. The woman is great and the facility seems nice. I like that my PT has this no nonsense attitude and has given me "homework," being the stretches that I need to be doing to set things aright--very yoga-ish...now I am like "injured Japanese maple meets dog eared notebook stretching," or whatever yoga people call their moves. We'll see how things go.

On the homefront, TSO, Rugby Girl and I are all still waiting IMPATIENTLY for our internet connection to go through. Verizon is a serious pain in the ass in our part of the world: very unreliable and uncommunicative when they decide to do whatever it is that they do to keep us from rejoining the 21st century anytime soon. No internet also means no phone, as we will be getting our phone through Vonage. We are also getting a TV (Community is great this way!) from one of our neighbors who will be moving soon too, but until then we are still without the old moving picture...so, if anyone is looking for us, we are at home darning socks and listening to the radio. Thank God that in the mountains we at least get NPR...oh, and that radio station where they shout/sing opera in Spanish?

We are all settled in and the house only lacks the TV/DVD player and a stand to put them on. And the guest room needs the paint job retouched and a door put back onto the hinges--WTF? I just need to get a couple of my boxes into the attic and then I am all done too. It feels good to live there, especially since it already felt like home, having moved in after Mummy Dearest and family. It also feels slightly strange to be closer, REALLY close to work, but it's great to roll out of bed and walk less than 2 minutes to work too. Life is good here. And if you're ever around, "come and knock on our door..."

a weekend respite

It felt a little deja vu-ish to be heading back to Pennsylvania this time of year; fall ripening around us, giving off those fragrant crunchy-leafed and leaves burning smells; since about this time last year I was heading to the very little town I found myself heading to this weekend. Last October TSO was moving home from WA, in time for B1 & B2's wedding--in a little, wonderful town in PA--CJ was still at the Farm, Amos was finishing college and I was a Librarian. How things change in the course of a year.

This weekend found me heading to PA to see a former Farmer, Valley Girl, who has since moved back home and works in the mental health field there. I was graciously invited by B2's wonderful parents, Mama and Papa Bear, to stay with them for the weekend. I accepted.

I arrived late Thursday night and enjoyed pie and a long chat with Mama and Papa Bear, catching them up on the Farm happenings, etc. Friday was spent in nearby Lancaster with Valley Girl. It was an afternoon of catching Valley Girl up on all the changes at the Farm since she last visited three years ago. Friday night I was back having dinner with Mama and Papa Bear, Laura & Matt and their baby E (who has joined the family since the last time I was there.) Sitting around the table talking and laughing with B2's great family was such a nice retreat from Farm life as of late, and made me just a little homesick for my own family back in MI. Aafter Matt, Laura and E had left, Mama and Papa Bear and I enjoyed another couple of hours of conversation, in which I was surprised at how honest and frank I felt I could be. It is the mark of good people when you can feel so at home and comfortable in their presence so quickly, no? This morning Mama Bear and I enjoyed a tasty breakfast at Le Sorrel, this little restaurant tucked away in nearby Mt. Gretna (which reminds me of a place out of a childrens' story).

And then in no time I was back on the road, heading north to the Farm; leaving behind the beautiful, rolling green hills of Pennsylvania for the cooler New York state--who's trees like Massachusetts' have begun to show their fall colors-- then found myself winding through beautiful cities like Millerton, NY and then into Salisbury, Connecticut and then onto more familiar roads which have brought me home.

moving day(s)

The house is still a work in progress.

We are still alive, not buried under boxes.

More soon!

a lobster walks into a bar and...

In the same vein as yesterday's post, I again bring forth a critter sighting. Many critters in fact. Wait, can crustaceans be called critters?

The Farm's Kitchen (where I work) has been home to many wonderful meals. The Kitchen is great because not only are we using lots of our own home-grown veggies right now, but all year round we usually see something that came from the fruits of our labors. The summer brings us loads of veggies, this year alone we harvested:

• Asparagus
• Beets
• Cabbage (purple and green)
• Scallions
• Peppers (Green and some small hot varieties)
• Tomatoes (though not much due to the blight which effected a lot of New England)
• Brussel Sprouts
• Kale
• Swiss Chard
• Cucumbers
• Squash
• Zucchini
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Eggplant
• Leeks
• Corn
• Snow Peas/Snap Peas
• Green Beans
• Lettuce Greens in various mixes
• Carrots
• Shallots
• As well as many herbs: Rosemary, Thyme, Dill, Sage, Basil, Fennel

I'm sure that I'm forgetting something, but you get the idea. These veggies usually carry us into the fall, and then during the winter and into the spring we use the preserved veggies which we carefully seal and freeze.

Continuing on this tangent--the Kitchen here at the Farm is also great because besides using our own great veggies; meals here also feature our pork, beef, milk, cream, cheddar cheese and eggs. How much fresher can you get!? Anyway--returning from tangent--we put out some great food here, but nothing like today's spread, because...drum roll, please...we had fresh lobsters donated to us! 140 pounds worth!

You can only imagine how expensive it would be for us to buy enough lobster to feed our community of 80+ people, so it was great that someone's family donated money towards buying the Farm lobster. M.M., a current Farmer, former lobsterman, was able to secure lobsters at $4/lb--quite a deal from one of his friends. The catch (PUN INTENDED) was that he had to go pick them up, so, yesterday M.M. and two other farmers drove to Gloucester, MA,(hours before the sun came up) to pick up our lobsters.

I was bumming about it because I was supposed to go pick up the lobsters with the guys, but I threw out my back this past weekend and am off work and resting for the week. However, I felt worlds better after the AMAZING lunch the Kitchen put out today. We had steamed lobsters with drawn butter, corn on the cob, baked potatoes slathered in sour cream and farm scallions, cornbread, coleslaw and salad. IT WAS DIVINE! Well done Kitchen, well done!

So, in trying to further my education of the world--and today, all things crustacean--I learned the following about lobsters (source: National Geographic):

Type: Invertebrate
Diet: Omnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 50 years
Size: Up to 3.25 feet (1 meter) long

Did you know? The largest lobster recorded was caught off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, and weighed 44.4 pounds (20.14 kilograms); it was between 3 and 4 feet (0.9 to 1.2 meters) long. Scientists think it was at least 100 years old.

I also learned from Lobsterman M.M. that the reason that lobsters claws are different sizes is because each claw is designed for something different. The bigger claw is called the: crusher claw. This claw has enough force that it can break human bones, however, unlike an alligators mouth, this claw closes slow enough that you usually have time to get out of the way! The smaller is called: the pincher. The pincher (sometimes called the seizer claw) is much faster and used for things like catching a meal, etc. Pretty interesting stuff!

This picture is of some of our little friends pre-steamer! They were fiesty little buggers!

"then came Jesus, then came Johnny Appleseed..."

Here are some great and unprompted things that some of the Farm kiddos have said recently.

• I got these great milking "muck boots," (which look something like these), for when I milk the cows every week. Upon arriving at dinner, after I had milked, I stopped at a table to talk with M who was with her kiddos M & S, when M (age 2yrs.) glanced down and said, "OH MY GOD, Monster, I love your boots!" in her most sincere voice! It was so adorable I had to laugh.
• TSO and I were dropping Mummy and kids: Big and Little Fish off at their new apartment, en route to the Farm, when Big Fish (almost 5yrs. old) made the profound observation: "Mom, first came dinosaurs, then Jesus, then Johnny Appleseed and then us, right?" Oh, my God. TSO, Mummy and I were trying so hard not to burst out laughing, for fear we'd stifle Big Fish's curiosity! Where do kids come up with some of these things!?

living in the midst of a menagerie

HOLY CATS! I love that there are so many visable signs of nature where I live! Cool animals sighting over the past couple of weeks since last I wrote, though none of them were as cool, or as close to me as the bear:

• TSO, S and I were driving into town, heading towards the highway, when what should run in front of my car? A BOBCAT! I was surprised at how small it was--about the size of a small dog. But still very cool! Some facts I gathered here:
  Type: Mammal
  Diet: Carnivore
  Average lifespan in the wild: 10 to 12 years
  Size: Head and body, 26 to 41 in (66 to 104 cm); Tail, 4 to 7 in (10 to 18 cm)
  Weight: 11 to 30 lbs (5 to 14 kg)
  Did you know? The bobcat is the most abundant wildcat in the U.S. and has the greatest range of all native North American cats.
• I had just turned onto the Farm's road from the state highway the other day when what should I see running across one of our fields? A RED FOX, not to be confused with Redd Foxx--because that would be weird! Some facts I gathered here:
  Type: Mammal
  Diet: Omnivore
  Average lifespan in the wild: 2 to 4 years
  Size: Head and body, 18 to 33.75 in (46 to 86 cm); Tail, 12 to 21.75 in (30.5 to 55.5 cm)
  Weight: 6.5 to 24 lbs (3 to 11 kg)
• The other night S and I were again in the car when what should run in front of us? A COYOTE! Some facts I gathered here:
  Type: Mammal
  Diet: Omnivore
  Average lifespan in the wild: Up to 14 years
  Size: Head and body, 32 to 37 in (81 to 94 cm); Tail, 16 in (41 cm)
  Weight: 20 to 50 lbs (9 to 23 kg)
  Group name: Pack
  Did you know? Coyotes are very good swimmers. In areas of the northeast United States, where coyotes have migrated since the 20th century, the animals have colonized the Elizabeth Islands of Massachusetts.

This last sighting is a good segue into last nights nature call. I was laying on my bed doing a crossword puzzle when the Farms' (I say that as though they belong to us!) coyotes began to wail. I have noticed that there is a pattern to their hunting noises and last night was no different, the coyotes were just louder than normal. First the coyotes begin to call to each other--that slow mournful cry--after the first scent of prey had danced across a breeze and found a nose. Announcing a meal, gathering support for the kill. The sole mournful howl has become louder, ferocious, winding up into a wailing scream; frenzied hunger; a call to attack and ensure food. Then the loudest screams, scrambling howls, something akin to barking among the coyotes, noises as they advance on their prey. What follows is silence. The silence that comes with full mouths from a triumphant hunt, too stuffed to make any noises; heads bent low over their dinner.

I am going to miss the coyote noises at night. TSO, Rugby Girl and I applied for and were granted our own house on the Farm--the former home of our good friend Mummy and her family. I currently share a house with 4 other people, connected to a house which also has another 2 people--so this is a MOST WELCOME change! Moving into the new house will mean that I will be further into the heart of the Farm campus, farther away from the night sounds that float up to me from beyond the barns. I will miss the coyote sounds, frightening as they might be. I have grown to strain my ears to hear them, finding some kind of comfort in their sounds.

what!?

I will stick with my outdated technology,

“When I look at books, I see an outdated technology, like scrolls before books,’’ said James Tracy, headmaster of Cushing...for whole article, click here.