hoooooome home on the raaaaaaange

Today has been a weird day, what from I'm not sure, maybe the weird weather or the moon, but I've felt strange. All day I was tired and having arguments with myself in my head about anything I could think of. At one point I got so worked up I had to climb down from the ladder where I was painting and sit for a second. I haven't gotten like that in forever, its a strange place to be, making arguments in your head about all the issues of the world.

When Mel and I got overwhelmed we decided to walk down to the creek, and I walked up it about 400 yards. Creeks are really interesting to look at and they're so quieting. They're too cold though, so the desire to lay down in it is not fulfilling once you do it. I do like that you can see down to the bottom and know where your feet are going and how deep the water is. With the sound you just get used to not knowing when your feet will stop touching the ground and you'll have to start swimming.

I also learned how to plant spinach today, which was so much fun. Spinach like soil high in nitrate and should be planted 4 inches apart, because they should be between 6-12 inches apart AFTER they've been thinned. They begin to sprout about a week to 12 days after they are initially planted.

There's a grass hopper infestation right now so we had to spray the area with a phosphate and then cover it up with netting. They're beginning to mate, which is creepy, and we're supposed to kill them mid-act so they don't go laying their eggs all over the garden for next year.

I'm beginning to get much stronger and feel so capable and healthy. We eat straight from the garden most days and I haven't had anything to drink since Omaha a week and a half ago. It feels like so much longer. I really love gardening and I love learning about running a business. Carol, the farm owner, is absolutely an amazing woman and I can't believe we've come in contact with her. She wants us to stay for longer or come back, maybe I will. I don't know what we're doing after Oregon. We have coffee every morning and she makes us lunch and we chat. We're learning all about her life and her husband's life here and in Alaska, and she imparts us with some gold nugget of life wisdom every day.

Tomorrow we're getting up early and harvesting for the Sheridan WY CSA. Then we'll be staying with Carol and her Husband in their house in town and go see a movie and look around. Apparently its a traditional western town with a bar called the Mint Bar which has been around for the longest time. Carol's parents met there, and her grandfather used to have drinks there when he'd take her grandmother in to town for the day. We're going to stick out like sore thumbs, but I'm really excited to see what the town version of Wyoming's all about.

For everyone I miss at home

I did a little dance for you:

What a wonderful wonderful world.

I will never starve with a pandy by my side.

Today was a busy day, and I loved every moment of it. We started work today at 6:30, gathering greens for the Buffalo (not Sheridan, that's Friday) CSA, painting, and fixing the structures that the storm had toppled in the garden. After a wonderful snack Melanie and I continued painting, until we finally quit around 3. We cleaned around the house a bit and then around 5 Carol brought us home- telling us all about Broke Back Mountain and birds in Wyoming. It was a long day, but we get to sleep in tomorrow, we have work at 8:30!

I love it here- Mel cooks me food, keeps me hydrated and healthy. We're gonna watch a River Runs Through It and think about the lovely west we're living in!

I haven't felt terribly homesick, but I do miss my family and friends- its hard when you're so used to constant easy contact to change to a land where cell phones don't work and you only have 3 hours a night to relax. This is growing up, huh.

I'm learning so much, and get to eat fresh from the garden. I can't wait until I find a place to settle and can start growing food for me and my neighbors.

This is a ramble, I will write more elaborately later. Just know that I'm really happy!

Busy bee

6AM: Woken by plane spraying pesticides.

6.15-7.30: breakfast, getting ready for work.

7.30-9: coffee and garden walk at Mona's

9-3: Prop up tomatoes, paint trellis and top of house red.

3-5: Wild rain storm, eat with Bob and Carol

5-7: Relax a little, fix screens in trailer.

7-now: read news, relax, plan for tomorrow.

By the end of today, I was wiped. I can't think straight enough to write a lot. I'm loving it here though. The people are so friendly and open, and they're extremely willing to tell us about their pasts and their current lifestyles. This is what I was looking for in a WWOOFing experience, it seems we have found wonderful mentors here.

Tomorrow we will be harvesting greens and some tomatoes and turnips for the CSA in Sheridan. We'll leave the house by 6:15 to make sure we have all of the veggies harvested, cleaned and bagged by 11. Then we should finish painting the house/trellis. My little bunk bed seems to be overly toasty, and I'm craving a brisk night.

The storm today was absolutely beautiful and unlike anything I've ever seen. The expansive terrain makes it easy to see the beginnings of a storm far off, and also facilitates strong winds. The storm came swooping over the hills with 30 mile an hour wind, strong rain and threat of hail, and bright and loud lightning.
We sat with Bob and Carol as they calculated whether the hail was going to hit the farm, and whether or not the storm was going to pass through quickly or stick around. We counted lighting along with them and listened to their stories about the terrible hail storm that ruined their entire crop last year.

I'm listening to this now, as I get ready for bed. I really love it here, and feel pleased to be here. Later this week we will go to Sheridan to Carol and Bob's "town" house, spend the night and hang about town.

Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B-h1EEsKDA

Woken up

by a crop duster flying over our trailer at sunrise. Hello rural America.

Home, for a week.

Here's the trailer where we're staying:




We'll be here for a little more than a week, in the foothills of the big horn mountains of Wyoming. I'm really enjoying it!

I'm feeling lazy now, but read mel's blog for updates: onlybirdseed.blogspsot.com

Clear Creek Farms!!!

We made it! The place we were going to spend the night creeped us out so we decided to leave. They were going to make us camp in a small yard by the restaurant instead of in the regular camping area because apparently the spaces were only for RVs. The entire place was empty and it was right next to the highway, where a million bikers were riding all around. So, we left and called Carol LeResche, the owner of the farm and she told us we were welcome to come a night early.

We'll be getting up at 5:30 tomorrow to start working by 6, and we'll be tying up tomato plants to keep crickets away. Its absolutely beautiful here, Carol lives in a one room cabin by the creek, and the farm is small but bountiful. Tonight we're staying in her office, and tomorrow we'll be moving into the trailer where WWOOFERs usually stay.

Heck yea!