Stream of Consciousness

Any day that starts with one of us saying "It's going to be a weird day" is a day that deserves a blog post that simply follows with whatever I am thinking about at the moment.  The first thing I was thinking was that I need to get a blog post out here so that everyone doesn't forget about us.

On the way in to school today, something one of us said referred to a 'knock off' of something.  But, for some reason, my brain decided to change it to a "mock off."  Then, we were off to the races.

A new musical genre could be "Mock and Roll" or maybe it is a new party game?  The party game version probably requires one person to mock and the other person just rolls with it.  But, the music version made me think of the Tony Orlando and Dawn song.  You know what I'm talking about?  "Mock Three Times on the ceiling....."  We also seem to remember a song lyric about mocking on the window pane, but that would be a different thing altogether.  To mock on a ceiling requires some talent.  Mocking on a window pane seems a bit more doable.  If you lay on the mockery too thick, I suppose you could call it an Amber Mock.  If you don't get it, that's fine.  I told you this was going to be a bit strange.

That's a really pretty romanesco.

Hey!  We had some broccoli, cauliflower and broccoli for a recent meal from some of the veg we froze from this season.  It was good.  Stream of consciousness...  I warned you!

I like to remind myself once in a while of two things.  First, that I have a lot to learn.  And, second, that many things I think are easy or self-evident were not always easy or self-evident to me.  The first thing motivates me to keep learning and to not be too secure in what I think I know.  The second thing motivates me to be patient and to do my best to facilitate learning as best I can.  And now you know one reason we keep this blog going.

November had moments

I have been having some trouble motivating myself to apply myself to farm work in January.  I am not referring so much to active work as much as I am talking about field planning, seed orders and all of that other stuff.  Part of it is the normal process of needing to be lower key for at least one month of the year.  The other part has its roots back in November.  If you'll recall, we had some unseasonably bitter cold weather.  As a result, we were forced to make a number of adjustments on the farm in a very short period of time.  The example above shows where we had to put alot of our late harvest to keep it from freezing.  Numerous root crops are in the trays waiting to be cleaned, etc etc.  And, this only shows a part of what we had to do.  Then we had to move it all again as this building started freezing too.  Ah. Fun times!

Since we're on a farm related topic, one thing that is always on my mind this time of year is getting people to sign up for the CSA farm share program.  It would be wonderful if we simply filled up with no effort each year.  But, the reality is that it takes effort every year to get there.  So, we're realizing it is time to start making that effort.  If you haven't signed up yet, now is the time to say something.  We're working on the web page and sign up form today.  Help us out and get us filled up fast so we can focus on the growing rather than the marketing.

Looking forward to the Nota Conference

 The "Nota" Conference is just over a week away.  We're looking forward to spending some time with some quality people and trying to get motivated for the next growing season.

Hindenburg.. .Hindenburg.... where have I heard that name before?

January is a time where I get to spend time on my hobby (postal history) and I've enjoyed spending some evenings doing a little research on some items I have in my collection.  The item above is some mail that was flown on the airship Hindenburg in 1936.  Yes, this is the same Hindenburg that went down in flames in 1937.  To send some mail to Europe from the US via an airship, you needed 40 cents in postage.  It may seem like a lot, but the crossing was made in a few days.  Not bad.

Music is also a pretty big thing for me.  I do like listening to it while I work and always have.  At present, I have been enjoying music by the Classic Crime, House of Heroes, Evanescence, Apocalyptica, 2Cellos and a live set by the Choir.  Did you need to know this?  No.  But, there you are anyway.

I've had the opportunity to speak at the PFI conference and at a couple of classes at Wartburg in the last month.  I appreciate the chances to share and hopeful encourage learning and discussion.  Sometimes, I wonder if I get too preachy about some topics and other times I wonder if I don't take a position on some topics with enough conviction.  In the end, I have to conclude that if I wonder about both directions, I'm probably doing ok.

Part of January's job is to look back and see if we have moved the right direction over the past several years.  One interesting thing is to look at our old truck (Grover) and how we had to pack it for CSA distributions.  One issue was the lack of an operating back window.  Another was the height of the topper.  I do not miss having to be hunched over while trying to lift 60 pound tubs of cucumbers onto another tub.  It's a good reminder that investments in proper tools are not a luxury, they are a necessity if you wish to continue to improve.

Have a good day everyone!