The Farm

So last Monday I went to the weekly volunteer orientation at the farm. There were two of us, a student in her third year, switching to a major in earth sciences and me, and we ended up weeding a patch of onions, then cutting back some kale, a very satisfactory way to spend a couple of hours, what with the chickens clucking contentedly in the background and the free produce at the end (three leeks I made into soup that night and lots of strawberries, all organic). I'll go again tomorrow.

I've always enjoyed weeding. It's another of those mindless, domestic tasks, like ironing, that leave you feeling the world is a tidier place, that you haven't messed it up with any stray thoughts. But I'm going to need to be more diligent with the sunscreen if I keep up, which I plan to.

Tuesday and Thursday volunteers harvest--for the university dining halls and the odd "farm to table" local restaurant. But that's in the morning and I like to think I 'work' in the morning, meaning putter around on my computer, playing with Baudelaire or my own little eggs of poems.