My day started off with rain. The gentle sound of rain on leaves and grass woke me before the harsh beep of my alarm. The smell of wet grass swept though the attic, cool and calm; gently releasing my sore muscles from sleep. I rest in bed for another hour, a well deserved day off. 13 hours of farm labor and to little water, makes for sore tendons and muscles. Buffalo gnats create red welts on my tan and freckled arms and legs. They itch and sting as I scratch and rub in the oatmeal and Shea butter lotion.
My breakfast, whole oats with maple syrup cinnamon and milk feels good to by body and spirit. My mind, worn from a semester of science and studies does not rests this summer. There will be no papers or exams but the acquisition of knowledge based in soil and chlorophyll with be my studies. The fields, my chalk board. My teacher, Thor and nature. The harvest, my tests and final.
I cook up my chicken. Olive oil, onions and garlic perforate the house as I clean the chicken. In go basil, parsley, cumin, salt, rosemary and thyme from the garden. Clean water from the fridge and 200 degrees on the burner. 2 hours later the house smells like a home rather than dust and I’m the proud owner of a bowl of perfect chicken and a gallon of chicken stock. Add home made mayonnaise; a little too much olive oil, some fresh spring onions and the rest of a box of penne make a pasta salad fit for royalty.
Today is laundry day for me. I take my clothes from the washer and hang them on the clothes line. My bandanna and underwear hang like prayer flags in the late spring breeze. The sun shines down on me and I am thankful. Carried in the air is the pungent scent of lilac and honeysuckle, both in full bloom. I offer corn meal to the spirits of air and water, to the plants and the earth, to the wind and the sun. I give to Sister Spring and myself. I bless this land. She has been broken but today is for healing though thanks.
The sky now clouds over and threatens with rain. I contemplate my next move. Grab the almost dry laundry off the line now or take a chance and wait till rain starts to fall and run out and gather dry clothes before the process needs to be repeated? A thunder head passes over all of Shelly and I feel the air shift. The quick updraft of wind pulls at my shirt and hair. The bandanna dance and twist around the line. I feel the fabric, it’s dry and soft. It smells of like lilacs. Wonderful! I take my t-shifts, tang-tops and headbands off the wire. As I’m folding my clothes a woman leisurely drives by and we exchange waves and smiles. The air is still and my damp pants hang there, limp. The once grass and dirt covered denim a faded dark blue. The earth, shadowed by clouds, I decided not to temp faith, less I be the middle of a project or the skies open up as if by a faucet, and take down the moist clothes as well.
As luck would have it, rain did not fall all day long. The sky lit up with lighting and thunder at night but the ground remained dry, unlike my pants.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
To be or not to be
Riding through the Red River Valley is rather monotonous. Granted, every place has its intrinsic natural beauty and spirit but being still for a moment, grounding and centering, I can feel the scar that modern agricultural has inflicted on this land. Prairie and forest, leveled and ditched has created a flattened landscape unlike one I’ve ever seen. I’ve climbed mountains and seen valleys rise and fall for miles, I’ve been surrounded by waters so expansive and deep they call my very soul to retreat with my core lest it fall over board, but this is different. It pulls at thoughts of sustenance through destruction and an unsustainable cycle.
The sky encapsulates us like dome. Green, blue and white surround my visual perspective and I shift into a druidic mysticism. The sky, such light blue it tips on white, pulls my consciousness to the realms suited for spirits of air, totems of birds and my beloved Frigg, Goddess of Prophecy and Spinner of Clouds. Shifting my gaze lower I encounter a world of green; Deep greens of forest and alien electrics from grasses. I’m now among the land, sustainable life force, sun light made manifest though Mother Earth. A red-wing-black bird perched atop a dry cat tail. His silky black body reminds me of the ever present blackness, the collective wave length of the rainbow. He takes of into the field just sprouting some form of grain. I wonder where this seed came from, be it ConAgra or Monsanto, or is has the farmer been lucky enough to save the year from last years harvest. Probably not but ‘hope is a renewable resource”.
Going to an organic market should renew this hope? Huddled in the back corner of Fargo is Tocky. It is small, low lit and low ceilings, smelling mildly of patchouli. Store owners with black sunglasses give off an air of pretentiousness, almost unnoticeable and unwanted. Even now, heady from scents of sweet orange, eucalyptus, and lemon balm, I can’t help but feel like a quaff this as I walk though Cash Wise food, my basket filled to the brim with organic milk, a whole chicken (free-range on family farms), raw almonds, and extra virgin olive oil. I feel almost guilty for buying whole milk from KEMPS. Or that my onions and canned tomatoes aren’t organic or local. Looking at my reusable back next to the plastic bag dispenser I can’t help feel a sense of holier-than-thou.
Shouldn’t being organic, local, all natural, and all the other adjectives we place on good food make one feel whole? I feel these words are tied to things such as yoga studious, art galleries, and fancy wines. I long for drums, and soil, and the smell of bon fires. I want the rich, red hummus of the earth underneath my finger nails and wear it as badge of honor... and to be humble. Of all of Aunt Kathy’s advice, it was to remain humble. Being low to the ground should be humble. Forget the fancy china and black tie events. Give me a meal in wooden bowls, good local beer and friends. Yes the flavors of foods are exciting and intense but should there be such a chauvinistic attitude surrounding the words ‘organic’ or even ‘European import’.
But here is the saving grace. Do your best. If one can’t get local, organic, vegan, free-range, then pick one. Starhawk and Barbara Kingsolver and so many more never said ‘strive for purity’, for who can achieve purity. Purity is a goal for Evangicals and the like. I know nothing is pure and shouldn’t be. It wasn’t meant to be pure. Since the beginning it a been a mingling and evolution of elements. So end with the principle of evolution in mind, do the best to survive and as a human, be creative.
The sky encapsulates us like dome. Green, blue and white surround my visual perspective and I shift into a druidic mysticism. The sky, such light blue it tips on white, pulls my consciousness to the realms suited for spirits of air, totems of birds and my beloved Frigg, Goddess of Prophecy and Spinner of Clouds. Shifting my gaze lower I encounter a world of green; Deep greens of forest and alien electrics from grasses. I’m now among the land, sustainable life force, sun light made manifest though Mother Earth. A red-wing-black bird perched atop a dry cat tail. His silky black body reminds me of the ever present blackness, the collective wave length of the rainbow. He takes of into the field just sprouting some form of grain. I wonder where this seed came from, be it ConAgra or Monsanto, or is has the farmer been lucky enough to save the year from last years harvest. Probably not but ‘hope is a renewable resource”.
Going to an organic market should renew this hope? Huddled in the back corner of Fargo is Tocky. It is small, low lit and low ceilings, smelling mildly of patchouli. Store owners with black sunglasses give off an air of pretentiousness, almost unnoticeable and unwanted. Even now, heady from scents of sweet orange, eucalyptus, and lemon balm, I can’t help but feel like a quaff this as I walk though Cash Wise food, my basket filled to the brim with organic milk, a whole chicken (free-range on family farms), raw almonds, and extra virgin olive oil. I feel almost guilty for buying whole milk from KEMPS. Or that my onions and canned tomatoes aren’t organic or local. Looking at my reusable back next to the plastic bag dispenser I can’t help feel a sense of holier-than-thou.
Shouldn’t being organic, local, all natural, and all the other adjectives we place on good food make one feel whole? I feel these words are tied to things such as yoga studious, art galleries, and fancy wines. I long for drums, and soil, and the smell of bon fires. I want the rich, red hummus of the earth underneath my finger nails and wear it as badge of honor... and to be humble. Of all of Aunt Kathy’s advice, it was to remain humble. Being low to the ground should be humble. Forget the fancy china and black tie events. Give me a meal in wooden bowls, good local beer and friends. Yes the flavors of foods are exciting and intense but should there be such a chauvinistic attitude surrounding the words ‘organic’ or even ‘European import’.
But here is the saving grace. Do your best. If one can’t get local, organic, vegan, free-range, then pick one. Starhawk and Barbara Kingsolver and so many more never said ‘strive for purity’, for who can achieve purity. Purity is a goal for Evangicals and the like. I know nothing is pure and shouldn’t be. It wasn’t meant to be pure. Since the beginning it a been a mingling and evolution of elements. So end with the principle of evolution in mind, do the best to survive and as a human, be creative.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
New Begingins in the Flattest Place on Earth, the Red River Valley
Hey everyone. I’m going to use my blog as a way for you to know what I’m up to. No this isn’t a way to you to know my every waking moment but because we can’t spend the summer together and it will probably be at least till the fall before I see you, I’d like you to know how my adventures at Red Goose Gardens are going.
Firstly, I shout out to my Aunt and Uncle for giving me a gift certificate for a yarn shop. YEAHHH!!!! I now have several wonderful shades of green, 100% wool, yarn. I’m going to attempt to make a delicious poncho out of them. It’ll be a bit warm to wear now that it is like 80 degrees out everyday but come fall and winter; it will make a lovely addition to my wardrobe. Other things I wish to accomplish this summer, besides learning how a farm and a CSA works, is to finish The Mists of Avalon, The Shack (THANK YOU AMY), and The Lacuna. I know that sounds like a lot but when you get done with 8 hours of farm work, damn all I want to do is have a beer and read a good book.
Moving in went well. There was a bit of a concern when it came to squeezing a queen pillow top mattress into a full size bed frame but it worked out… I think. The full size fitted sheet ripped a bit as we were attempting to make the bed. Oh well we’ll see how it all works out. I’m staying in the top level of the house and it gets quite warm up there I might be picking up some ice packs and a fan at the store tomorrow.
My fellow interns are really cool. The couple is from Oregon an have worked at a goat farm CSA. Totally legit. One of them has dreads and she said if I wanted to do it too, she would be willing to help! Sweet! The other guy is from North Carolina. He seams like an interesting guy. Not exactly sure what he wants to do but hey, who at 20 does. He’s turning 21 on a Saturday in June. Hopefully it’s not on Annie’s graduation weekend, cause I would like to go to the bar with all them.
Today we transplanted 3 flats, that’s over 600 tomato plants into six packs, harvested a whole bag of asparagus, removed the seed heads from rhubarb plants, and fixed up part of the fence that got knocked over because of the flood. And that was all between 1:00 and 7:30. We then ran down to this gas station/ice cream store and got some delicious soft serve. A great ending to a very exciting day. Well not really the end cause I’m checking e-mails, surfing the web and writing this. Hopefully ya’ll check in and of course I’ll be on facebook and my e-mail all summer long. Totally have the Wi-Fi connection. Look UMD housing, they have Wi-Fi all the way out here in the flattest place on earth.
Sending all my Love and Blessings,
Charles
Firstly, I shout out to my Aunt and Uncle for giving me a gift certificate for a yarn shop. YEAHHH!!!! I now have several wonderful shades of green, 100% wool, yarn. I’m going to attempt to make a delicious poncho out of them. It’ll be a bit warm to wear now that it is like 80 degrees out everyday but come fall and winter; it will make a lovely addition to my wardrobe. Other things I wish to accomplish this summer, besides learning how a farm and a CSA works, is to finish The Mists of Avalon, The Shack (THANK YOU AMY), and The Lacuna. I know that sounds like a lot but when you get done with 8 hours of farm work, damn all I want to do is have a beer and read a good book.
Moving in went well. There was a bit of a concern when it came to squeezing a queen pillow top mattress into a full size bed frame but it worked out… I think. The full size fitted sheet ripped a bit as we were attempting to make the bed. Oh well we’ll see how it all works out. I’m staying in the top level of the house and it gets quite warm up there I might be picking up some ice packs and a fan at the store tomorrow.
My fellow interns are really cool. The couple is from Oregon an have worked at a goat farm CSA. Totally legit. One of them has dreads and she said if I wanted to do it too, she would be willing to help! Sweet! The other guy is from North Carolina. He seams like an interesting guy. Not exactly sure what he wants to do but hey, who at 20 does. He’s turning 21 on a Saturday in June. Hopefully it’s not on Annie’s graduation weekend, cause I would like to go to the bar with all them.
Today we transplanted 3 flats, that’s over 600 tomato plants into six packs, harvested a whole bag of asparagus, removed the seed heads from rhubarb plants, and fixed up part of the fence that got knocked over because of the flood. And that was all between 1:00 and 7:30. We then ran down to this gas station/ice cream store and got some delicious soft serve. A great ending to a very exciting day. Well not really the end cause I’m checking e-mails, surfing the web and writing this. Hopefully ya’ll check in and of course I’ll be on facebook and my e-mail all summer long. Totally have the Wi-Fi connection. Look UMD housing, they have Wi-Fi all the way out here in the flattest place on earth.
Sending all my Love and Blessings,
Charles
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