settled

It's mid may and I'm slipping into the season like my favorite pajama bottoms. Its familiar and comfortable. Flea beetles have backed off a bit and the garden is looking mighty fine. The tomato plants especially. Because its just me (no interns this year) I'm growing on just a hair over an acre. The garden plot is about 31/2 acres total so the rest will get planted in cover crops and such, building nutrients. The spring started off a little rough. As always its a competition between nature and my human need to cultivate the soil, plant specific seeds and eat things. So me and nature are at odds sometimes and I try desperately to find that sweet spot of compromise.

I am reminded every spring that nature has its own agenda. Which I wont argue with or even attempt to stop, but a garden in itself is a feet against nature. Nature is wild, you never know what to expect. Its strong and delicate. Gardens are controlled environments and just plain delicate, left alone they will generally fail. Nature left alone will thrive but our way of eating becomes vastly unique and ambiguous. So I find myself trying to honor both worlds and both schools of thought. Its a hair pulling attempt but I think over the years I have been worn down to gratitude and humility.

So my days generally go like this now; I wake at five, drink coffee, read and meditate, I'm out feeding critters and milking by 6:30 and by 8:30 I'm fed got some kind of cheese working and am checking my list for the tasks of the day. It might be a garden day, it might be a barn day, or a kitchen day, either focused on cheese or prepping for a farm table dinner. Noon, I sit again, and have lunch, then I'm back at whatever the day called for.  4:00 PM animal chores again, feed and water chickens, gather and wash eggs, water cows, feed baby goats, and finally milk. I finish around six, evening chores take about two hours by myself. Today is what I refer to as my administrative day. Its when I figure out if I have any money left in the bank and if there are bills due that I need to pay. I'm terrible at this job, just terrible.the whole time I'm doing it I'm looking out the window and mentally fidgeting  and pacing. Its a little hard for me to sit still especially doing something I really don't care to. But, it is necessary so today is technically an administrative day.

So life is feeling pretty good. I've slipped comfortable into the farm routine and spend plenty of time taking notice of all the beautiful things around me. The beautiful mornings, the stars in the skies at night. The mocking bird's songs and the barn swallow's swooshing through the air. Its all really quite lovely. even the achy muscles and the sunburned ears.