Rain, Rain, Go Away. . .

Hi All! Exciting happenings the past couple days. . . .

Thursday was our first classroom session. Twice a month, we get together at someone's house (they make breakfast!) and one of our managers teaches a class. This week it was on seeds- the genetics of making new varieties, selecting breeds for your garden and the importance of saving seeds from plants for the next season.

We talked about the the importance of heirloom veggies and heritage breeds of animals (varieties of veggies and animals breeds that have been around for at least 50 years or before WWII). Seeds are amazing, they have stories and historical significance to our own heritages. They should be honored and respected by purchasing, planting, and eating the wonderful fruits of our ancestor's labor.

When people discuss the fragility of our food supply, and how little control or information we have about main stream food these are the kind of matters they are discussing. When a huge (chemical** turned seed) company like Monsanto threatens the integrity of seeds, and is constantly engaging in deplorable acts such as patenting seed genetics (read: patenting life), we not only have violation of anti-trust laws (they own majority of soybeans processed in this country) but also lose control of our food. I could spend the duration of my blog writing years on Monsanto but I shall move on. . .

Friday we had a half day of work per usual so David and I spend the afternoon preparing dinner for our first dinner guests ever (potlucks aside). We had Joe, Laura, and Allie over for dinner. We made a special herb mac and cheese and did so because Laura is our 'welcome host' and has been gracious is finding all the fun kitchen supplies we desire- one of which is a deep casserole pan in which we made some yummy mac and cheese! Friday night it began to rain. This, as you have read previously was unexpected. You see, Colorado gets 12 inches of rain per year. I was not planning on seeing much of it but the last two days have brought us somewhere between 2 and 3 inches! Anyway, I skipped an exciting part of the story. Just as we said goodbye to Joe, Laura and Allie on Friday evening we received a phone call from Michael, our farm supervisor. He told us we were to come in late on Saturday! As the rain was forecasted to continue through the night we did not have pipe change on Saturday morning and were able to come to work at 8:30 instead of 6:30!

Saturday was basically a wash, we did some indoor chores (peeled garlic), worked in the hoop house with the tomatoes and did some tidying in the greenhouse, but generally had a light day. That is farming I guess.

Today, Sunday, has felt like a long day. It continued to rain on and off through most of the day. We woke for breakfast at 7:30 because it was waffles! There is not usually breakfast. But since we have a group here for retreat (called Mondo Zen), they make breakfast. When a group is here, the community is invited to attend breakfast! Mentioning Mondo Zen reminds me of all that I have had the opportunity to experience (farm related material aside). Seeing lots of different rituals and practices in action (chanting, drum circles, sweat lodges) has been an enlightening experience into the many ways one can express spiritual belief.

Off now to have a relaxing evening before work tomorrow. Thanks for reading!

Love,
Alisha