Friday, April 29
Dear Maine,
Today started as pretty much all the days have started so far: cold! I hear that this isn’t what spring is normally like, so I’m wondering what, exactly, it is that you’re waiting for.
We start, as always, with chores. Then I got to warm up quickly by helping Beth lime the fields. (Lime, in this case, being calcium carbonate.) This was probably the best cardio workout I’ve had since I got here. It involved pouring lime from 50 pound bags into small buckets and then spreading it onto the fields in order to raise their pH. That took about an hour or so, and then I went to help Joe plant lilies in the greenhouse. I like the greenhouse — it’s warm in there. I have to admit that one thing I have been struggling with since getting here is staying warm. I’m just naturally cold-blooded, and there are few opportunities to warm up. The wood stove does a great job, but that’s not something that can just be turned on for a few minutes at a time. And my hands are always cold. Used to be that I would just wash them in warm water, but that’s not an option now (well, it is; I can heat water in the kettle then pour it into a bowl and mix it with cold water and use that, but that’s also a pain). I’m starting to feel a little like a princess; I knew this moment would come — the moment when this all seems crazy and running water and a NYSEG bill, and, hey, maybe even internet, seem like things I cannot live without. But since I knew this was coming, I’m prepared for it, and this, too, shall pass. Those things really aren't a good trade for having no commute in the morning, having lunch be around 2 hours long, being able to take breaks as needed, and having the work be meaningful and productive. I guess I can handle a little chill.
Then, we went off template. We ate lunch quickly and early so we could go to the Fedco tree sale to pick up the farm’s order. Beth described it as a candy store for farmers, and it really is! There are so many good things, and in my mental shopping, I got one of everything. There are fruit trees aplenty, seeds, shrubs, grapevines, medicinal herbs, bulbs, and all kinds of supplies. I could have stayed there and mentally shopped for hours, and I’m already coming up with my list of “must haves” for next year’s sale. It was a great place!
We ran into Kelsey, an apprentice we met at the fair last year and with whom we have stayed in touch. We also saw a vehicle in the parking lot that had a bunch of money just left out in plain view on the dashboard…bills! And not all of them were singles! People in Maine don’t seem to worry about much. Me, I’m still adapting. I don’t understand this level of….trust. But I like it.
After we got back from the tree sale, we helped Lauren pull out a bunch of spinach and salad greens that didn’t meet QC standards, then we met up with Beth and went for a “farm walk”, which is just a fun opportunity to see what’s what, and what needs what. I fondly remember going on these with my parents when I was a kid. There is SO much here. I’m happy that I remember that the beans are destined for the same field as the strawberries. It’s a start.
Then Lauren and I got a new home for the mini-clucks. It was at the other end of the farm, so we loaded it on the back of the pickup (I rode in the bed, kind of inside the coop, to make sure it didn’t fall, and took it to its new location. It’s a bit more spacious. The next step was to transfer the mini-clucks, and there’s really no easy way to accomplish this task, so Lauren climbed inside the old coop, caught each bird individually, passed it off to me, and I chucked it into its new home. The first and last birds were a little wily since they were separated from their friends for a bit, but we had no fugitives, and they’re all happy now in their new home. See? It’s like the Taj Mahal for mini-clucks!
Then we made a delicious dinner of grilled asparagus (from Hannaford, alas) and grilled farm radishes on a bed of fresh farm greens. You can see it on the table as we all get ready for dinner together. This is our world now: a tiny cabin that can easily reach 80 degrees with that little wood stove, delicious food, and a great view — of everything.
It’s a good world.
Saturday, April 30 - My First Market
Dear Maine,
Could you get any better? I mean, really?
Still a bit chillly this morning, but holy cow! By noon I was in shirtsleeves for the first time since we got here. And thank you, by the way, for the wonderful sunshine.
Today was my first day at the Farmer’s Market. It’s just a little one in Bangor; I believe it’s known as the European Market. Okay, I LOVE market!!!!
So we start at 7:30 by loading up the van, and then taking a nice, leisurely, speed-limit-obeying (because that’s what people do here), not-at-all-rushing drive into Bangor. The market opens at 8:30…ish. (I really LOVE farm time!) We unloaded and parked the van, and then there was this conversation:
Beth: So the keys are right here in the cup holder?
Me: You leave it unlocked?
Beth: [blank look]
Me: You mean you leave them right there, in plain sight??
Beth: I can slide the cup holder in so they’re out of sight if that makes you feel better…
Weird. So weird that leaving keys visible in an unlocked vehicle is just not a problem here. I like it!
So then Beth and I set up, and Beth got me started with learning the prices, weighing out bags of spinach and salad greens, learning the products (I sold a lot of tatsoi without even knowing what it was — when we were down to one head left, I found a rogue leaf and was able to try it — it’s delicious! I can see why it sells itself with no problem), and meeting the cast of characters. (There will be more on them later; this first time around, I was really just getting the lay of the land.) There was kind of a mad rush for the first hour, hour and a half, and then things slowed down a bit. I got a chance to peruse the other vendors’ wares (and sample lots of delicious things). I got a piece of Izzy’s rice pudding flan (I highly recommend it), and I sampled many tasty things, including this Italian anise cookie thing that looks kind of like a pretzel crossed with a biscotti and that I call Ciabatta Arabiata, which is so not its name, but it’s the best I can do. It was tasty! I went home with some cactus salsa, a loaf of whole grain bread, and some fresh butter and… (drum roll, please) a half gallon of raw milk! Hear that, New York? RAW. MILK. And I didn’t have to bootleg it through my whole milk dealer who got it from some farmer in a Kmart parking lot in Pennsylvania! (Got that, Dulaney? You should consider Maine.)
Market ends at 12:30, but we sold out of everything (because it’s all so beautiful and delicious!) around 11:00, so we were home by 12:00. We had lots of lettuces, beet greens, radishes, kale, spinach and salad greens. I love that they were picked just the night before. They’re so fresh! Next time I will take a picture.
Oh, and then this happened: A lady walks up, looking for lettuce, and then this:
Me: I’m so sorry! This gentleman here just managed to get the very last head of red leaf.
Nice man: Here. Do you want it? I’ll sell it to you for $2.50, the same I paid for it.
Nice lady: No, that’s okay. I’ll get some next time.
Nice man: Are you sure? I don’t mind. I’d be happy to let you have this one and then get some spinach instead.
Nice lady: Oh, no. That’s all right. But thank you.
Ok. Back home? First, the lady would have been all huffy and blaming someone — anyone! — for the lack of lettuce. Next, the guy never would have offered to sell her his. IF he had offered, it probably wouldn’t have been at the price he paid for it! This exchange was just so heartwarming. You know what it is? It’s that people here act the way people should act. It’s still an adjustment, but I’m recovering the teeniest, tiniest bit of my faith in humanity. Thanks, Maine!
Market makes me really happy. I think this is something I will really look forward to.
We got home, and I was all set to go shopping (I know, right? But there were things I needed!) and to get a mani-pedi, (I’ll explain later) but Nate had another project in mind. First, we got lunch at the pizza shop (we are spending way too much time there…) - a calzone this time (yes, Aaron, I am suffering for my poor choices), which we shared. And curse those delicious chocolate chip cookies! I can’t say “no”…
So, here’s the project:
That bottom board was sketchy, but I actually had more difficulty with the two 2x4s that comprised the second step.
So then this happened:
That’s a pull saw. I like it way better than a standard push saw. See?
That’s me cutting the treads. This is not just for show! Yes, Nate did all the measuring and the more challenging cuts, like for the risers, but I did these, and they weren’t too shabby, especially for my first time using a pull saw. True, I did a lot of sitting on the board while Nate was sawing it (I call that “bracing”!), but I really did measure and cut the treads, pretty much all by myself.
And then Nate let me do almost all of the putting together. He showed me how to toe in some of the screws and the easiest way to measure to make sure everything was square and centered, but aside from about 2 or 3 screws, the assembly was all mine. Check this out! (Especially check out those delts!)
And…. voila!
So after a job well done, I took off for town. First, I went to Tiller & Rye in Brewer for some raw honey. I was delighted to find a good natural foods store, and so close! And — no surprise here — the dude who helped me, Spencer, was awesome. Next, it was on to the Central Street Farmhouse for a yogurt maker that doesn’t use electricity. The establishment is right downtown, and what a lovely downtown it is! I ended up parking on the bridge over the river, and there’s this nice little park actually in the river (on an island of sorts; it’s really neat), and I got to walk through it on my way to the shop. Of course, I received friendly greeting and all the help I needed. So I left with my yogurt maker and yogurt starter. I can’t wait to try it out! I’ve missed my homemade yogurt.
Next, I went to Walmart. I know. I know. But this Walmart is different! For starters, I didn’t see any white trash, and no one appeared to be tweaking out on meth. Next, you know those friendly, smiling Walmart associates featured in Walmart commercials? Well, they all work at the Walmart in Bangor, Maine! Back home, it was like chasing down an associate while they try to hide behind end caps and avoid eye contact, but here? Totally different! First, Dulcie smiled at me, and said hello, and when I asked her where to find workboots, she didn’t just tell me; she showed me! Ok, she didn’t just show me; she helped me find my size, and she even took the boots out of the box so I could try them on. And even after the boots were in my cart, she stillI took the time to chat with me. Next, I needed to find a hoodie to replace my old one, and I asked Elizabeth for help. She knew they had some but couldn’t find them off the bat, so she told me to stay right there and she’d be back in five minutes. Sure enough, within a couple minutes, she was back, and she not only found the hoodies, but picked out the size and color for me (she was spot on!). She finished her customer service by giving me recommendations to her favorite restaurants. Like, wow. Me, in Walmart, not freaking out, not edgy, not irritable. So, so, so very unusual for me. I can honestly say I… didn’t mind shopping. I don’t think I’ve said that since I was 13. I did, however, eventually have enough of Walmart, so I moved on to my mani-pedi. There’s nothing extraordinary to report about it except that it as $35, which is pretty reasonable, and to explain why it was necessary. See, the pedicure was just because I wanted it, but you’re probably wondering, what farm girl gets a manicure?!? I know. But here’s the thing: I got no polish, and I got no filing, even, because my nails are so short, which is fine. But what had happened was that my cuticles had basically turned into calluses, and that needed rectifying by a professional. So that’s what I had done. It was lovely.
Finally, I stopped at the Natural Living Center, another, even better natural foods store. I was worried about what I was going to do, but Bangor has even better natural selections than back home (I have to stop calling it that) does. We are going to be beyond fine here. We have quite literally more than we could ever need.
Then I came back after a lovely day, told Nate all about it, had some dinner, and went to bed.
One neat little aside: I think there’s some deep healing going on here. It’s like with my mind slowed down and the pressure removed, my brain can finally clear out the lower levels. I’ve been having some really, really strange dreams, touching on incredibly deeply imbedded stuff. It’s like I’m finally in the right place for processing all the stuff I’ve been neglecting. I’m not questioning it; I’m just letting it be.
Sunday, May 1
Dear Maine,
It’s the first of May, and it seems you’ve gotten the memo! We started off with breakfast at The Bacon Tree (there’s history there; google it), which opens at “7ish”. We were the first ones in, and it was neat to see the trickle of regulars who weren’t far behind us. Jasmine, the… server (sounds wrong; she was so much more than that) came right up, introduced herself, asked our names and shook our hands. I love how Mainers operate!
We had bacon blueberry waffles. With REAL maple syrup!! And they were delicious.
We noticed while we were there that the lady customers would hang their purses on the hooks next to the bathroom instead of guarding them with a fervor not even Smeagol had for his Precious. It was also neat that when we left, one of the ladies eating at the bar took the time to set down her fork and wish us a good day. I really like it here.
Next, it was on to the land… with a little stop at Walmart for a Burt’s Bees Hand Repair Kit. I really need to prevent these newly manicured cuticles from reverting to calluses, which is a challenge considering the rough work my hands now do and how often they get washed. Anyway, Hand Repair Kit in hand (ha!), we headed to the land. First, we did our once over, of course, and offloaded some donated particle board. Next, Nate did some measuring for the gate (that’s Nate stuff) and to see how much of the driveway needs some love. He filled in some of the deeper puddles with some spare cobbles (the first part of the driveway is kind of inadvertently cobblestone, which I think is pretty neat), while I attacked the speckled alder that are rapidly encroaching on our driveway. That burned the first hour or so, and then we started making our first trail, which I hereby dub the Pioneer Trail.
It leads along the notch to the stream. Nate wielded the chain saw, and I followed along with my loppers and my trimmers. It really annoys me to have brambles clawing at my as I’m trying to walk, and as Nate will tell you, I don’t enjoy traipsing. It’s not fun for me to be climbing over rocks and logs while branches and brambles are trying to undress me. But now we have most of a path. The chainsaw ran out of gas, so we’ll get the rest next time. We even built a bridge at the trailhead!
So far, so good, though I need to get after those raspberry bushes. (They’re just so clingy.) I didn’t exactly have the right tool for the job. Next time: machete!
Then we measured out the clearing to see how much we actually want to clear and to be able to see how much it will cost to have someone clear it professionally. It doesn’t look like the kind of thing we really want to do by hand.
Every time I go to the land, I get a bit overwhelmed, but it’s starting to come together. I’m feeling good about the impending gate (the post is in; there are just a few more decisions that need to be made about the gate before we can get it), and it looks like maybe, just maybe, my car can now make it up the driveway (as long as I go slowly, which I’m still learning how to do). I also like that there’s now a decent trail that I can amble down, rather than traipse.
After we got back, I took a shower, and then did some unpleasant stuff: the last remaining paperwork from Before. I don’t want to talk about it; I don’t like it, but it’s now done. There are still a few more change-of-address things to do with various companies, but that’s about it. True to form, that stuff still stresses me the eff out, so Nate had to go away because I was fit to be tied. But, with less paperwork crap kicking around, there’s more space, so we rotated the bed and made the cabin a bit more user-friendly.
I finished up the paperwork (hopefully for the last time until that yucky time next year when we all [well, those of us who contribute to the system rather than suck from it, at least] need to pay our US Citizenship Penalty to the IRS) with a tiny bit of daylight to spare, but that was enough for me, so we had dinner and then went to bed.
It’s funny; daylight rules here. We get up before the sun (without an alarm), and once the sun has gone to bed, we are pretty much ready for sleep, too. We are getting plenty of rest, and it’s good, good sleep.
Monday, May 2
Dear Maine,
It’s about time. You’ve been threatening long enough, and it’s plenty dry around here, so thank you for the rain! We need it!
I keep waking up earlier and earlier, without any effort. This morning I decided to try yoga. Oh, dear. It’s been too long. I tried to tell myself that the problem is that it was 6 am and about 60 degrees, but wow. I’m stiff! I guess that means it’s time to stop slacking on the yoga. And besides that, despite the stiffness, it felt really, really good.
Rain and 45-degree temperatures mean greenhouse work! Yay! I love greenhouse work! I need some more practice making soil blocks with the floor blocker, but I’m pretty good with the hand blocker. Nate and I made some soil blocks for a while, then somehow I got lucky enough to plant seeds. I planted kale and lettuces and alyssum and salad greens and beets and probably some other things. That took me to lunchtime. We took our two hour break, ate some leftovers (I must note this: Nate finished up a few minutes before I did, and when I came into the cabin, there were two nicely filled plate set out on the table, all ready to eat. I actually squeaked out a little “Aw!”), then headed to the post office to drop stuff off (See? The results of yesterday’s paperwork and those change of address forms!) and headed to Hannaford to get some food for our next few meals. I don’t like shopping after work. At the end of the day (physical labor!), I pretty much just want to rest.
We got back, put stuff away, and I got the wood stove ready for the evening’s fire (it’s coming) and trimmed the cats’ nails. (There’s always something to do.) Then I headed back to the greenhouse to continue planting. We also potted on some peppers. (That means transferring them to bigger containers. I’m not sure what we call it back home, but they call it “potting on” here.) The cold rain wouldn’t cooperate for any sort of outdoor activity, so, since we finished up the greenhouse stuff a little early, we got to call it a day about a half an hour sooner than normal. I’m sure there will come a time as things get rolling that there just won’t be enough hours in the day. I love that there’s always stuff to do here, and it’s pretty cool stuff.
When we got back, I made yogurt from the aforementioned non-bootleg raw milk. It’s my first time using the Yogotherm, so it will be interesting to see what we have in the morning.
There was a minor crisis. The water tank emptied while I was washing dishes. And it’s pouring down rain (which, by the way, I love to hear on the metal roof of our cabin), of course, and I didn’t know how to fix that. I tried once and failed, then came back and whined to Nate, who filled in my knowledge gap, and then I was able to make it happen. Turns out I’m not so good with hoses, which I’m a little embarrassed to admit. There are a lot of things I’m embarrassed to admit so far on this adventure. Maybe if I start drinking some wine while I write to you, I’ll start dishing on those things.
And, of course, since it’s been so long since I’ve written to you, that’s what I’ve been doing most of this evening, which is not such a bad thing. I think this is a pretty good way to spend a rainy evening: reliving the last few days as I soak in the warmth of the wood stove (excessive warmth, actually; we still haven’t quite figured out the fine tuning of heating with a wood stove) and listen to the peepers and the rain on the roof. I could get used to this.
So, yes, there has been some frustration. It’s annoying to walk to the outhouse several times a day; it’s annoying when the water tank runs out and needs to be filled when it’s cold and rainy; it’s sort of annoying that we’re a little stinky and I never get to wash my hands in hot water (ok, so this is weird: I now look forward to using public restrooms, simply because I get to wash my hands in warm water). But know what? I’m not going back. This may have its minor irritations, and I’m sure, eventually it’s serious pitfalls, but this peace, this serenity, this… meaning…, are all worth it.
I can’t wait to fall asleep to the peepers and the rain on the roof. I’m not sure there are very many sweeter sounds in the world. At least I can’t think of any right now, and that’s just fine.
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