One Thing I Don't Miss

A rainbow from September of 2015 on the farm

There are some things about working on a diversified vegetable farm that just come with the territory.  One of those things is that you are going to get rained on.  It might be just a few drops, or a gentle mist - or maybe it will be a downpour - but it's going to happen.  Even in a drought year, there will be a shower that's going to sneak up and get you, simply because this sort of work has you outside most days, for most of the day.

For the last few years now, I have not been working exclusively on the farm, and most of our income comes from off the farm.  That means I don't HAVE to be out in all weather MOST of the time.

But, there are still things that have to get done when the weather isn't perfect.  That's just the way it is.  And I will say that I really don't miss the cold rains in October when they catch you trying to finish things up outside.

Yes, that happened to me yesterday.  And, I am sure it will happen again.  That doesn't mean I have to like it.

A late June storm from.... whatever year that was.

Yesterday's episode got me to thinking about the stages of dampness we referenced frequently on our farm when that was my full-time job.  So, I thought I would share them today in honor of all of the times I have visited each of these states of being....

The Farmer's Guide to the Stages of Dampness

1. Stage the First

You see it coming and you rush to complete whatever you are doing in hopes of getting it done AND getting in before the rain hits. It is adrenaline rush time.  This is when you find another gear that you don't always remember you have.  You don't allow yourself a moment to look at a heavy container full of onions to assess how heavy it might be - you just lift it and move it.  'Cause that's the way it is when the rain starts. 

You might feel a random drop or two at this point, but it isn't really raining.  Most of the moisture comes from your own person in the form of sweat.  The last fifteen plants you are transplanting get jammed into the ground in rapid succession.  You try to nab the final 20 bunches of kale before the rain catches you.  Or you go into hyperdrive picking up the potatoes that you just dug out with the middle buster on the tractor.

1a. Exception to Stage the First - Threatening Weather

You see it coming and you see something that you really don't like.  Maybe there's some heavy lightning or a squall line of some kind.  

Depending on how much time you *think* you have, you and any workers that might be with you grab all of the tools and everyone hustles in.  High tunnels get closed up, windows in vehicles and the house get closed up and everything and anything else that needs to be dealt with gets dealt with.  The irony here is that the farmers usually recognize these situations in time to get things battened down and get themselves under shelter before they hit much more than stage two... unless... you see something you forgot and you go back out into it.  In that case, we normally skip right to Stage the Fifth.

2. Stage the Second 

The rain starts and you rush to get anything undercover that really must not get wet. You feel every drop of rain and you might even see steam come off of your shoulders as the cold raindrops hit you.  Sometimes you can't help but let out a bit of a yelp.  Cold cold cold COLD!

If you haven't completed your task that you really needed to get done and there isn't anything that really needs to be moved under cover (should that radio still be out here?), then you keep working.  You're still moving quickly in hopes that you won't get any wetter.  

Perhaps it will stop?  At this point, there is hope that you won't get all that wet and a change of clothes will not be necessary.  It's been known to happen.  And when it does, you just work as if you didn't even notice the rain in the first place.  People who don't typically work outside decide you must either be really tough or you have no sense.

And when there's no sense, there's no feeling.

3. Stage the Third 

You are damp, but there really is 'just a bit' more to do and you really don't want to leave it (or can't leave it). So, you keep rushing in hopes of getting done before you get too wet, too muddy, or both.

The soil starts to get a little sticky and you notice that you are now a couple of inches taller than normal as your boots/shoes collect some mud that you can later bring into the house with you.  You have started to use your jeans more frequently as the portable rag that they are.  You are starting to realize that whatever it is you are harvesting is going to have a little mud on it that will need to be cleaned off before it is delivered.

If you are planting, you have to quit at this point.  Seeders get jammed up.  Plants stick as readily to your hand or planter as they will to the dirt.  Weeding can continue until you have too much mud on your hands to grasp weeds properly or you spend more time cleaning the blades on your tools than you are weeding.  

How many of you have tried to pull wet crab grass?  Ya.  Not happening at this point.  So, planting and weeding means we quit and start bringing things in.  We just *might* avoid the next stages of wetness if we hustle.

But if you're harvesting and you have a delivery coming up, you have not hope for that.

4. Stage the Fourth 

You can still get a little bit wetter, but there really is no more hope of getting done and in before you have to towel off and change clothing. As a matter of fact, if you stand up from a typical harvest position, you will discover only a few remaining dry spots on your person.  

Your back is pretty well soaked and you probably have water dripping off the bill of your cap by now.  You've either decided that the rain isn't as cold as it was or you simply don't care at this point.  The pace slows down, it really doesn't matter how fast things get done anymore. Part of you accepts that being in the rain can be somewhat pleasant - except if it is a downpour - or there is lightning and/or heavy winds.

The ground has moved from tacky to slippery.  Part of you still worries about slipping and falling.  The other part looks at the jeans you have been using as a rag during the rain event thus far and you wonder if it would make a difference to your appearance if you did fall.  Your shoes are heavy and your shirt is plastered to your back.  

At some point between stages three and four you had the unpleasant experience of the first drip or two of rainwater running down the small of your back and into places we won't mention on a family blog.

5. Stage the Fifth 

There is no way you can be wetter - even if you submerged yourself in a pool. You could wring a few gallons of water out of your underpants if you had to. 

At this point, you only keep picking because you have to - and it still doesn't matter if you go in. The only thing that stops you is if you will be doing more damage to the crop and field than you are willing to accept. Even then, you keep picking if there is a deadline to meet. 

The rain is no longer annoying. The issues listed in the prior stages no longer bother you. This is likely because you have reached a special kind of numbness that is known by CSA growers, truck/market farmers and other folks who have to perform tasks in this sort of weather once in a while.

Oops.  Farmer Rob just remembered the little notebook he keeps in that side pocket in his jeans.  Well, we'll just have to get a new one and hope this one dries out enough so he can decipher the notes later when it dries out.

Once the farmers finally get themselves inside, they have to try and figure out how to take off the soaked clothing.  The only thing worse is trying to put on dry clothing.  If you reached stage five, it almost seems as if your skin won't dry off easily.  It's a disturbing feeling to have a clean (and dry) t-shirt rolled up and stuck as you attempt to pull it on.  We won't even talk about the underwear you're having trouble with.  Oh.. .and the SOCKS.  Ugh.

Recent Events

Over the years, we got better at getting things done before the rain hits.  And, now that I don't work outside every day, I find myself deciding it isn't important to stay out long enough to get really soaked - as long as there is time to make that decision.

But, when a more severe system hits, we find ourselves running around in downpours (some of them sideways) in an effort to take care of things.  Last year we had a system move in from a direction we aren't used to watching and it forced Rob and Tammy to spend some quality time in sideways rain while they worked to shut down the high tunnels.  Sometimes you just have to have a good Stage Five Dampness to make the day complete.