Best of 2023

Welcome to 2024!

I am sure this year will bring some new things - including the possibility of a new approach for the farm blog.  But, before we turn the page on 2023, I thought I would share my selections for the best blogs of 2023.

In order to qualify, I removed Postal History Sunday from the list (they got their own post) and I also removed Faux Real Stories because I've been sharing them lately for you to enjoy.  I also removed from consideration any "throwback" post - even if I practically rewrote some of them in their entirety.

Given the fact that there were well over 300 entries in the past year, there was still plenty of decent writing to share.  In other words, it was still difficult to limit myself to eleven!  But first, we get to share the blog that got the most readership (not counting those taken out of consideration by my restrictions above)!

After each link, I grabbed a quote from each blog.  Maybe you can choose what seems interesting to you to read.  Or you can just read this blog and be amused by the fact that I feel like I need to provide a "best of" list for 2023 in the first place!

People's Choice:

Why They're Called Chores

Now, the good, or bad, news - depending on how you look at it - is that there were two days this past weekend.  Sunday was cloudier, cooler and it had some light rain.  The rain wasn't heavy enough to stop the outdoor work, but it sure did make a person damp a bit faster than some good, old-fashioned sweat.  

In my case, I was able to accomplish the task of sweating and getting rained on at the same time.  

Multi-talented, I am.

Author's Choice:

And now we come to my choices.  I did not spend much time on ordering them - but I did agonize over the process of cutting things down to just eleven.  I did okay until I got down to fifteen - but it was pretty difficult to choose at that point.  That's good news for you, because I didn't have to stretch to find the good stuff!

Those Who Hesitate

Look before you leap.  Or, maybe you prefer "look for thorns before you grab the stem of a rose?"  Whatever.  It's your brain, so you can play with the idioms that reside there all you would like.

Assess your surroundings, think about the possible future outcomes, before you find that you've put yourself into a very bad situation.  It actually doesn't sound all that different from what I was saying before when I suggested that I would be lost if I hesitated.  But, in my case, I was talking about hesitating to think about the situation and make a decision.

Mythology: The Open Spot on the Calendar

I have selective amnesia when it comes to some of the busiest and most stressful times of year.  Perhaps there is a small voice in the back of my mind that is yelling in its tiny voice, "NO! Not then!"  But, the open spot on the calendar causes the rest of the crowd to roar in appreciation of the fact that a mutual time has been located and agreed upon.  

That poor little voice knows better, but how can it get the attention of the decision making process when that process is too busy acknowledging the applause? OPEN SPOT... OPEN SPOT... OPEN SPOT... YAY!

Spring Migration

Many birds change into their mating plumage by going through a molt (growing a new set of feathers).  According to All About Birds, the Cornell Lab website, Snow Buntings rub their heads and bellies against the snow to wear off the darker coloration on the tips of their feathers, exposing the lighter, white parts.  

Ah, the things we do for love.

Rustic or a Dump - at Least it's Authentic

Part of the problem is that not everyone can tell the difference between useful items that are there for a reason and an honest to goodness mess.  You can probably guess that the rolled up hose in a cart with a couple of feeder covers is probably there for a reason (stored for the Winter).  But, they also probably don't look all that attractive either.   There's a pile of metal that is waiting for the next metal drive - and that's not something you walk someone by when you want them to think your place is beautiful either.

I will also hazard a guess that chicken transport crates are not likely to be most people's choice of decorative items either.

Water Cooler Talk

Only a very select portion of the population in our world today can fully relate to the idea of moving hens from one location to another on a small (or even larger) farm.  And that's why I often find myself mumbling words like "oh, nothing much," when someone makes the polite inquiry about what I did last night.  Or, I simply make the bold statement, "We moved the hens from one location to another one."  People around the cooler can take it at face value or not.  

It's just that this approach runs the risk that one of those folks are going to ask me to explain what I mean by that.  And that is when the fun begins.

Moalepe - Walk There Again

Then there was the Eucalyptipath...  Ok, it was a row of Eucalyptus trees (with a few other trees mixed in).  After a stretch of sun that made us both feel a little bit uncomfortable, the shade from the trees was welcome.  And, to top it off, we had a bit of a breeze moving the leaves around.

I think the only thing about this part of the path that was a negative was the sheer number of roots IN the path.  I would have liked to have walked with my head up, smiling the whole way, to enjoy the sight of the filtered sunlight and the feel of the breeze on my face.  Instead, we had to keep our eyes on our feet most of the time so our faces did not get a close up of the ground and those same roots.

Snirt Alert

Today's snirt is on our farm, in part, because of the words of Earl Butz, Secretary of Agriculture for Richard M. Nixon.  Butz called upon farmers in the United States to plant from fencerow to fencerow and encouraged individual farms to get big or get out.  I should be clear here, however, that his declaration in 1973 did not mark the beginning of snirt in Iowa and other locations.  It merely emphasized a style of agriculture that has little regard for diversity and natural processes - a style that was already gaining steam, especially after World War II.

Coneflowers and Goldenrod

Mother Nature: "How about a nice BIG patch of goldenrod where you planted those iris."

Farmer Rob: "Um...  I would rather that go over..."

Mother Nature: "And while we're at it, some thousand-flower aster would be great next to it."

Farmer Rob: "But that's where I put the iris and day lilies!  Could we just..."

Mother Nature: " And that cherry tree....  it needs some trimming."

Sweet Marsh - A Disturbing Walk There Again

We continued down the path and noted that there was a turtle crossing it a few hundred feet ahead of us.  This Painted Turtle really wanted nothing to do with us either, but it couldn't swim or fly away.  Instead, it simply pulled into its portable home and put out the unwelcome mat.  

Of course, being the inconsiderate humans we are, we had to stop and observe this poor creature for longer than it wanted.  To be fair, our simple passage was already considered enough of an inconvenience.  But it seemed like it had a pretty nice home - and we told it so.  

Of course, we got no reply and we eventually gave up having a conversation as a bad job. 

Clan Leaf

While a branch may not fully appreciate or understand the function and form of a leaf, it still needs to recognize its value and respect it.  The roots will never see a leaf, but it takes its nourishment through photosynthesis while the leaf is part of the plant or as a result of decomposition after the leaf falls and is broken down into useful nutrients.

Grace

In this world, you can do everything as best as you are able with the knowledge that you have at your disposal.  You can seek out qualified opinions and give yourself time to make the best decisions.  You can do everything as right as you possibly can.

And you can still have a result that is not a good one - even when you can't possibly see how you could have done much better.

This is why it is so important to give each other - and ourselves - grace.

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Thank you for reading and considering my words.  Here's hoping we can find kindness and beauty in 2024.

Not Rudolph

 

There are harsh realities that comes with certain professions.  For example, if you work at a retail store in December, you are likely to develop an aversion to Christmas carols.  Tammy and I have our own set of realities that come with the professions we have undertaken during our careers.

For example, we still cringe when someone asks us what we are doing to enjoy our nice May (or any other growing season month) weekend.  You see, when you work a small-scale, diversified farm, you don't necessarily get weekends off.  In fact, if you do farmers' markets, Saturdays are often one of your longest days of the week.  You need Sunday off just to recover from it... except you still have to do the chores.  And there's always something else you really need to do on Sunday anyway.

I know I have mentioned this recently, but the Christmas holiday season can be difficult for those who are teachers or professors.  There typically isn't time or space in a teacher's life to prepare for it - unless it is part of their job (holiday concerts anyone?!?).

That's why the appearance of our small tree inside the house ALREADY this year is a minor miracle.  The fact that there are a couple of new strings of solar lights is a bigger deal yet.  The question is this: were the appearances of these things an attempt to ward off the impending insanity of Finals Week or signs that things are going better this year?

I'm not going to answer that question.  Instead, I'm going to take you back to 2009.  We were still relatively new to the Genuine Faux Farm and we had not reconciled ourselves to the fact that our house is adjacent to a snowmobile trail.  In 2009, the weather was pretty cold and there was plenty of snow.

And this is an account of the events that happened on Wednesday (and Thursday) of finals week that year:

--------------------------

11:30 PM - The lights are still on in the house. It is finals week. The schedule is a bit topsy-turvy. It is the way of things during finals week. The humans will placate the cat and go to bed soon. Tomorrow is an early and long day. Must get some sleep.

12:15 AM - One human takes a while to wind down, but he always takes longer to fall asleep. Don't worry, he'll...zzzzzzzz

1:00 ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

1:29 AM - Something is going on...huh? wha? Must wake up..... Why does it seem like there is a pulsing light?

1:30 AM - A clock rings the half hour. The pulsing light is still there. My brain is still confused, but becoming a bit alarmed - literally. Don' t all of our smoke detectors make loud noises if they go off? I wonder if the speaker went bad in one and it is just blinking. I'd better get up and investigate!

1:31 AM - Hmmm. That light isn't coming from inside the house. It is OUTSIDE! What's going on here?

1:32 AM - Arg! All of these older windows are covered in frost and I can't see out, but the lights are right outside on the road. And they are very bright. Was there an accident? Did Santa come early with Rudy?

1:40 AM - Here's how you know the lights are bright and annoying. Even Tammy has been awakened by them. We now have identified the source. The trail groomer for the snowmobile route is STUCK in the ditch in front of our house. It is REALLY cold out there tonight and the driver's out there shoveling away in an effort to get out. I'm not sure that I'm feeling sorry for him right now. 

We have thoughts about calling...who?... I don't know... the sheriff?  We have conflicting feelings about how difficult it must be to work in -15 degree F weather vs our own annoyance at the continued blinky lights, lost sleep and periodic loud growling as he tries to rock the vehicle to 'unstick' it.

None of this is helping me to feel sleepy either.

1:45 AM - Ok, fine. He hasn't come to the house to ask for help. It seems as though he's been on a cell phone. We don't have a big tractor to pull him out.  About all we could do is grab another shovel or two and try to dig.  But, that doesn't seem useful.  Our lights are on, so he should know he can come to our house to warm up.

We desperately need to get to sleep (if we can). So we do our best to try and drown out the light.

1:50 AM - white snow outside and really bright lights. grrrrrrr (was that me or the machine out there?)

2:00 AM - The clock rings in the hour. Tammy appears to be asleep again - at least part way.  I'm still annoyed and still alert in case there is a knock on the door. 

2:04 AM - blink blink blink grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr blink blink blink...

2:10 AM - Finally!  It sounds like the thing is moving now. 

2:11 AM - Oh no.. it still has to go all the way around our property (where the trail runs)! Ugh. Blinky lights for a while yet.

2:20 AM - The blinking is fading into the distance.  I get up and take a quick check - no presents under tree. Drat.

2:30 AM - The clock rings in the half hour.

2:40 AM - One human takes a while to wind down, but he always takes longer to fall asleep. Don't worry, he'll...zzzzzzzz  

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You can tell that this was a different time in our lives.  Yes, we would still be annoyed if this happened again.  But, I would probably get bundled up and go outside to see what is going on and offer to help.  I would also make a strong suggestion that they not groom the trail quite so late the next time they do it - especially not by our house... during Finals Week.  Ok, I might have lost my temper (after I woke up enough to do just that) - but I'd still be out there, in part because we've experienced it once and it wouldn't take so long to figure out exactly what was going on.

Because, regardless of the year, Finals Week is always difficult to be our best selves.

Yes, we've got a tractor now.  Yes, we have other tools that might help.  But at that time, we had an old truck that likely couldn't have done much (other than possibly lose a part of itself in the process of trying to help).  And the experience I had with trying to get vehicles out of (or through) ditches was minimal.  In addition to being tired and annoyed, we were out of our element and probably not thinking too clearly.

But, I still think the kicker of it all is that I was awakened by a blinking red light.

And it wasn't Rudolph.

Twelve

 

It's December.  And like so many other Decembers, those who write get tempted to review how the year has gone up to this point.  It sometimes feels as if we discount December as a month where nothing can happen in it because we're too busy looking back.

And so, in protest against our tendency to do just that, I decided to do something different and look back to years prior to 2023. 

I'm such a rebel.

Actually, my motivation has come from recent efforts to do some much needed organizing.  You see, I have reached a critical mass of unorganized files - both on the computer and in the farm office.  The symptoms are increased grumblings and rising frustration as I attempt to find something that I KNOW I have and want to locate so I can complete a project.

So, in an effort to clean out files and pictures I no longer need, I spent some time perusing pictures that were fairly well organized from over a decade ago.

Yeah, that's not terribly effective if I am truly dedicated to achieving my goal.  But, it did result in motivation to write.  So, it can't be all bad, can it?

In any event, I came across these images in June of 2011.  Our farm had (and still has) a nice granary that sits pretty close to the center of the farm.  But, like nearly every other building on the farm, the roof had not been maintained and we were needing to make the choice - fix the roof or watch the building slowly come down.

These pictures reveal so many things that I might not have fully recognized in 2011.  But, now that I have the distance time gives, I can view things from a much broader perspective.  

Upon our arrival at the farm in 2004, there were seven buildings.  Among them was a large barn with a milking parlor added on and a farrowing building.  Both of those buildings are down.  The barn still needs to be cleaned up, but the other building has been gone for some time.  Otherwise, the house, truck barn, Poultry Pavilion and the granary have all gotten new roofing.

And all of them have undergone significant changes.

The granary had a cupola that, while it looked neat, was the center of most of the degradation of the building.  If we had been "made of money" we might have done things differently.  But, as it was, we had to figure out a balance that was affordable and effective.  So, the cupola came down and the roof went on.

The granary has undergone other changes, like two new doors, one on each end.  But, we have never quite managed to gather enough resources (including motivation) to push through and do all of the things we thought we might do with it one day.

Of course, some of those dreams were products of needs and desires from twelve years ago.  Things aren't the same now, so some of those dreams are no longer relevant.  But, the granary still stands.  And that, in itself, is an accomplishment.  Things could have gone very differently than they did.  But they didn't - and that's why it can be important to take the time to look back and reflect.

In the moment in time that this work was being done, we were desperately doing our best to plant, harvest, weed and do all that we did every June for many years on the farm.  Our hands were "on the plow" and our heads were down as we worked to make the season a success.

But, twelve years later, I looked at some of the blog posts and I have a different view.

Yes, we put a new roof on the granary and that building is still up and it is still useful to us.

And....

• Our peer mentorship with Blue Gate Farm, Scattergood Friends School Farm and Grinnell Heritage Farm officially started in 2011.
• Rob played his last baseball game that year.
• We reframed both the west and east sides of the Truck Barn which, ironically is now in need of some similar attention today.
• Tammy (and I to a lesser extent) helped to bring the Waverly Community Gardens from idea to reality in 2011.
• 2011 was the year we started taking scaling up our equipment seriously (probably in part because we had some peer support - see the first item in this list).  this was the year we added a BCS walk-behind tractor the farm too!

After I wrote a post on 2010, I figured that was about as pivotal as we could get for our farm.  Then, I look at this list - knowing there was much more going on - and I see things that are every bit as important.

For example, where would we be if we had not started on our journey with our farm friends?   

Well, things would be different now, that's for certain.  And I don't think things would be better either.

Thirteen

It was thirteen years ago that we were pulling in our first harvests from Eden, our first high tunnel. A couple weeks ago, I wrote a blog remembering the construction of Eden at the Genuine Faux Farm and I've been reflecting on that as a major turning point for us and our farm.

I decided to pull out an image from November 20, 2010 that shows the inside of Eden on that date.  There was a whole host of green crops ready to harvest at that time.  We were well-positioned to sell fresh produce right up until Christmas that year - a year where we had come within a whisker of calling the Genuine Faux Farm a failed experiment.

This year is, of course, very different from 2010.  We opted not to plant a high tunnel full of greens for the cold season sales.  And, oddly enough, it wasn't so much because we didn't think we could grow them.  It was more the fact that we knew we would not have the time available to harvest, clean and find homes for it all.

Okay.  We probably didn't have the time to plant and care for them either.  Things have been that busy for the two of us in the off-farm professions.  Still, I find myself looking a bit wistfully at this image.

And speaking of wistful... if that even comes close to accurately describing the feeling.  There are a total of four digital images for my November 2010 folder.  Two show Eden in its full-glory of late Fall, early Winter crops.  The other two show something else that was new to us at the time.  Actually, there were two someone elses that were new to us, starting that October.

I have no idea how we got Bree and Hobnob to strike a similar pose on the same chair... at different moments, no less.  Hobnob never was one to pose for the camera.  Yet, there she is.   

As many who read the blog know, we lost the "Zoom Meeting Cat," Bree, this past year.  Hobnob preceded her sister a year before.  So, while 2010 was a year of big transitions at the Genuine Faux Farm, so too is 2023.  We both still find ourselves responding to dark piles of clothing on the bed because our brains initially supply us with the identifier "sleepy kitty" and it takes a moment to remind ourselves that their sleep is a bit deeper than a cat nap now.

A quick glance into the northwest pastures in September of 2010 shows us some turkeys.  They are kept in one section of the pasture by some fencing we would have to take down in 2012 after a spray plane applied pesticides in this area.

But, that's not quite what is getting my attention.  What's getting my attention is what's NOT in the picture.

The biggest missing item is... Crazy Maurice, the farm's Weeping Willow!  And, of course, there are other tree friends, like Blaze, the Maple and Loki, the Locust.  There's even a new permanent fence with gates and everything for the hen pasture.  

What would our 2010 selves say if they could transport into 2023 and see what things look like now?  Would they be pleased, shocked or dismayed?  Perhaps there would be parts of all three.  Of course, we'll never know for certain.  But it's interesting to even consider it.

I can say that we had some visions for this future.  That's why we have made some of the decisions and taken some of the actions that led us to this present reality.  But we can't honestly say that things turned out exactly as we expected.  After all, life is too complicated to be able to predict how thirteen years are going to treat you and the land you steward.

Looking Back at Eden's Start

There was going to be some assembly required

There was a question regarding EQIP funding for high tunnels that came to my attention and I suddenly found myself taking a trip down memory lane.  You see, our first high tunnel, aptly named "Eden" was built in 2010 when the program to allow EQIP funding to help with their construction started.

The Genuine Faux Farm was among the first in the state to apply for and receive funding towards a new high tunnel and I believe ours was the first to be successfully constructed in our county.  It was new territory for us.  It was new territory for the folks in the NRCS office.  And it was newish territory for most small-scale vegetable growers in Iowa.  It was new enough that Practical Farmers of Iowa used our high tunnel build to create a two-day high tunnel build field day in July of 2010.

 

Yes, it does seem odd to see a ladder in the middle when everything else is on the ground.

On the positive side, we got lots of help.  Because it was a sponsored event, we were able to receive support from the designers and fabricators of the high tunnel, Four Seasons Tools, and guidance from Adam Montri of Michigan State University.

On the other hand, the whole thing was almost more of a whirlwind than we could handle.  Early July is already a busy time in the best of years, but 2010 had not been a good year for us up to that point.  There was rain.  And more rain.  And even more rain.  

We had so much rain that most of our field crops were on their way to ending their lives prematurely.  And we were on the verge of calling the Genuine Faux Farm a failed experiment.  And now we were going to host a whole bunch of people at a farm where the moral was low and our confidence was lower.

And, looking back on it, I don't regret having done the field day or the building project at all.

In a very real way, this field day and building project saved the Genuine Faux Farm from extinction that year.  It was because we had agreed to do this project and we felt a responsibility for seeing it through that we fought through to get to the point where many willing hands helped put the hoop building together.

Yes, it's true that Tammy and I spent more time running around finding tools or answering questions for media than we did learning how to build our own high tunnel.  It's also true that we were more involved in all the rest of the logistics than we were wielding impact drivers or shovels.  And, we were a good bit more than exhausted at the end of each day.

And that's coming from two people who knew what it meant to be truly exhausted at the end of a day.

As I review some of the photos from those two days now, I fully recognize the place that was the Genuine Faux Farm in 2010.  And, I can barely recognize the place that is the Genuine Faux Farm in 2023.  It really hasn't been all that long and it has been a lifetime ago.

Even the photo above has numerous reminders that things were different then.  The giant Silver Maple that had been allowed to grow out of the foundation of the garage was a big beautiful tree then.  We had managed to frame out the front of the old garage, but we had yet to work on the nearby Truck Barn (as we call it).  The granary still needed a new roof in 2010 and the cupola (if I have the right term) was still intact on that roof.  

We were still using cold frames to start plants by the Truck Barn and Grover the blue truck was still plugging along helping us do our farm deliveries.

One thing that hasn't changed is the fact that Tammy and I are still a team and we are the most important elements of what has made, and will continue to make, the Genuine Faux Farm what it was and is.  Certainly, some of our dreams from 2010 have not survived to the present day.  Many of those visions have been changed either because the reality of our lives forced changes or we found there was a way that fit our realities better.

But, the best thing is to look at these images and realize that we have shown ourselves that we are resilient and we are capable.  We are not as timid as we sometimes think we are, nor are we as inconsistent or uncertain as we worry we have been.

Sure.  Others might have been or might be more aggressive, more adventuresome, more profitable or more whatever it is measure you want to pick.  But many, many others have also been less so.  Once again, using whatever measure you want.  Besides, this was never a competition with anyone other than ourselves.  We've always been seeking to be our best selves rather than seeking to best someone else.

In short, we've done alright.  We've fought through some tough stuff and done some things to be proud of.  And we've done it with integrity and a good heart.

There isn't much more I could have asked of us.  Well done us.  Even if I do say so myself.

Recommended Reading

 

Here we are approaching the middle of the month of October - already. 

It's really hard to believe that we're this deep into Fall already.  But, I suppose part of the reason for feeling like this happened so quickly is that the temperatures remained unseasonably warm throughout September this year.  That means the biggest clue that Fall was happening was the changing time and location of the sunrise and sunset.

It's possible that you, too, are feeling a bit like the days are rushing by.  Maybe you told yourself you wanted to read more of the blogs that show up on the Genuine Faux Farm blog - but that darned farmer keeps putting a new one out almost every day.  Simply not conducive to catching up, is it?

So, here's a chance to catch up.  I've selected what I think are some of the best blogs for 2023 so far.  You can read some of these and skip the rest "guilt-free."  Never mind, there should never be any guilt associated with the reading of this blog - or the not reading of this blog.  Besides, it isn't going any where. 

Binge read if you want or don't binge read if you don't want.  Seems fair to me.

An important Gentle Reminder

   Grace

Favorite Faux Real Stories:

   Date Night

   Resistors are Futile

   Knee Deep

Time to Have Pun:

   Winter Kayak Trip Gone Wrong

   Stopping the Illegal Flower Trade

Farm Related:

   Snirt Alert

   Why They're Called Chores

   Popcorn and Peer Mentorship

   Hurdles

   Water Cooler Talk

   Those Who Hesitate

   Allies and Adversaries 

   In Their Own Sweet Time 

Just for fun:

   Daylight Savings Solutions

   Rustic or a Dump, At Least It's Authentic

   What? Was it Boxing Day?

   Paraphrased and Misinterpreted

Maybe a more philosophical bent

   Parable Problems

   Three Years: What Have We Learned?

   Spotty

My favorite blogs that also became a PAN blog:

  Agroecology: Adapting Agriculture to the Land

  Appreciation for Different Pollinators

Pollinators and Habitat

   Coneflowers and Goldenrod

Favorite Iowa "walk there agains."

   Twin Springs

   Sweet Marsh: A Disturbing Walk There Again

   Wapsipinicon River

Favorite Postal History Sunday:

   Forward! and the Mystery of Joseph Cooper

Favorite Kauai Walk There Again:

   Kuilau Ridge Trail

Wild Bird Related

   A Bobwhite's Greeting

   Spring Migration

A Favorite "Throwback" Post:

   Not That Simple

Natural World

   Aurora Borealis

   Individuals All

About Food

   Catering to Different Tastes

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.

Missing the Office "Assistant"

It has been a little over three months now.  Three months that I have been able to sit in my office chair for virtual meetings or to write articles without interruption.  And I have to admit that I miss those interruptions.

It's true that I do not miss the struggle that was the final months of the Meeting Cat's (Bree's) life.  We had to frequently clean up messes because she had trouble holding food down and it was hard to see that life was less wonderful for her than it had been.  It was one thing to have the responsibility of making sure the Indoor Farm Supervisors were properly provided for.  It was another when they required a fair amount of special care because they weren't feeling well.  To be perfectly clear, I miss my little friend, I just don't miss the struggle that life had become.  I think that's perfectly fair as I suspect she didn't enjoy many of those same moments herself.

But, we have entered the season when the cooler weather would typically result in Bree walking into the office more frequently so she could station herself just under the desk and slightly to my right - waiting for the invitation to jump up and collect some of the warmth her human offered.  This was a trend that usually started in late September, as I started to spend a bit more time in the office than the fields.  And even once I started working for PAN, she had a tendency to seek out companionship more as we entered the Fall months and less as we moved to Spring. 

And that brings me to something I do recall.  Even though Bree wasn't feeling well, she still took comfort in the crook of an arm when she had the chance.  And she would reward the human with a soft purr, until she fell asleep for a little while - just because we were tolerating limited mobility for a time.

Were there times when I would get frustrated that she had this knack for coming and asking for attention just when I was starting to really concentrate on a project?  Of course there were.  But, she'd sit on the floor and look up at me with those big cat eyes.

You are MY human.  You cannot say no to me.  You do not want me to be sad.  Invite me up and I will not regret it.  YOU might, but I won't.

Yeah.  I often ended up regretting it either way.  If I said no, I would regret having to send her on her way without the attention she so richly deserved.  And, she was one of those cats that had a way of exuding disappointment and hurt if her request was denied.  If I said yes, I might find that I could not get the work done and I would regret that I now had even LESS time to get something done that needed doing.  After all, it is really difficult to type an article with only one hand.

But, now that she is gone, I also remember how many times we could come to an agreement where she would sleep in the crook of an arm - just so - so I could still type.  And suddenly I would realize a half hour had passed and the article was done.  And the cat was just waking up from a nap.  And the world was about as right as it could be for that moment in time.

And now it is October.  I actually felt a little bit chilly the other day as I sat at the desk to do some writing.  So, I looked down and to the right just a little bit.

And there was no cat looking back up at me.  So, I typed this blog post with two hands with no guilt and no interruptions.

And I didn't particularly like it.

Stepping Back to See Better

I was curious.  If I took a look at some of the digital pictures I have in the folder labeled OctNov2013, what would I find there?  This is not an entirely facetious question because there really is no telling what sorts of images would be in any particular folder on my computer.

Of course, there are patterns.  Spring months feature a lot of young plants in trays.  September is likely to have many images of the harvest.  But, from year to year, I have not gone about collecting images with any particular plan.  Sometimes, I try to capture images of fields as they progress.  Other times, I try to discover new ways of looking at things.

And, during some of the most trying months, I find very few photos.  And thus those trying times are often allowed to fade a bit more easily with time.

This time, I noticed a few photos that documented the project of moving Eden, our smaller high tunnel from one position to the other.  Here we are, earlier in the day, with Eden in its Eastern position.  Our two lawn tractors (Biter and Beater) were out to help.  Our tractor, Durnik, can be seen in the background.  There is no Rosie (the big red tractor).  The trees near the Harvestore are much smaller.  There is no perennial planting that is now located just to the left of the lawn tractor in the foreground.

In short - things look, and feel, different in this picture than they do in the present day.

I discovered this image of the old barn in that folder as well.  I had forgotten that a wind storm had flipped the roof off and in front of the frame that September.  And all of the trees and brush that has sprung up around the old barn in the past ten years have barely made an appearance in 2013.

Now, it's not that I am completely enamored with the way things are today on the farm.  There are numerous things about both of these pictures that I wish we could have addressed and gotten to differently than we did.  But, I am okay with the increase of habitat - intentional or not - that we have had at the Genuine Faux Farm over the past ten years.

These 2013 images feel barren - and it isn't just because they were taken after the Fall leaves had fled the branches they once held on to.

Again, there are some things I really would like to "clean up" at our farm that have become "wild."  And there are wild places I would like to be a different kind of "wild."  But overall?  I still think we've been going in the right direction.  It's not perfect - but if stepping back to 2013 so I can see 2023 better leads me to the conclusion that we've done ok.   I am good with that.

Thanks for reading today!  I hope you have a fine remainder and that you have a chance to step back and get a welcome perspective.

Screwy Data

When I walk behind a wheel hoe or run Barty (the walk-behind tractor) around the farm to prepare ground or cultivate, I find that my mind is able to multi-task fairly well.  Obviously, I have to pay consistent attention to what I am doing so I don't destroy plants I want to keep with the wheel hoe and the stakes are higher with the walk-behind tractor.  With Barty I can both destroy plants AND potentially do a bit of harm to myself or whatever else gets in the way.

Now, if I am cultivating with Rosie, the tractor, there is usually even less brain multi-tasking going on because that tool has even more potential to do harm.  But, I digress...

In any event, my brain can go all sorts of places when I am walking back and forth between 400 hundred foot rows of veggies.  One place it went to recently, much to my surprise, was my eighth or ninth grade science class.   I don't recall for certain which, and that doesn't matter.

Different Abilities
The instructor for the class was Mr. Rasmussen and he was, generally speaking, a capable teacher.  Certainly, as far as I was able to tell, he knew plenty about what he was teaching and I actually liked most of the things we covered - which is saying something when you are talking about middle school.

Everyone who is reading this knows this is going somewhere - so let's just get right to it.  Mr. Rasmussen had a host of physical challenges.  When he walked, it was with a shuffle that made it look like he could topple forward with each step, his arms hanging at his sides as if they might be too heavy for him.  There were days when Mr. Rasmussen would remain seated for the entire class.  He spoke as if his tongue were two sizes too large for his mouth and the rumor (I never found out if it was true) was that he had had polio when he was younger.

Sometimes he would try to give a demonstration in class that required measuring out some liquid into a glass tube.  He would start with one tube with too much liquid and try to pour from that tube into a second tube to get his required amount.  It was painful to watch as he would pour the liquid from one tube to another.  The shaking of his hands and arms made it virtually impossible for him to get what he needed.

The entire class sat there and watched, unsure of what we should do.  I could tell that some of the members of the class were inclined to just think it was funny and others thought it was sad.  But, in general, it was supremely uncomfortable.  You see, Mr. Rasmussen did not seem to want help, though he did accept it when one member of the class offered to pour it out.

I certainly learned from Mr. Rasmussen, but I suspect I learned more after the experience than I did during it.  Or - at least - I didn't fully realize what I was learning at the time. 

A Lesson Learned

One of the things I learned is that it takes a great deal of bravery to break away from the crowd.  When you add to it the uncertainty that comes with being a young person who is not sure if you are supposed to help....

I remember a good deal of internal pressure and debate when we witnessed our teacher struggling.  I would feel embarrassment on his behalf, but then I would berate myself that there was nothing to be embarrassed about.  His body only allowed him to do so much and there was no shame in that.  The next battle was whether or not he would appreciate help and whether I dared to step forward and offer to change what was going on.  I knew the answer - but then I had to fight my own shyness that was at its peak in middle school.  That, and as a middle school student, I still ran on the training that you waited for the person in authority to direct what was going on.

Mr. Ed Rasmussen

I would like to say that I was the student who finally won the battle and volunteered to help.  But, I wasn't.  Instead, I desperately wanted to be that person.  All the while, I felt a flood of relief when it was someone else who finally stepped up.

Good Data / Screwy Data

When our class would do a lab, he would shuffle from table to table, checking on our progress.  If things were going well, he would approve by saying "Good data!"  If you had made some sort of mistake, his response was always "Screwy data!"  I learned to appreciate the complement that was "good data" and I was determined to avoid "screwy data."  Such is the life of a kid that gets positive reinforcement by academic success.

The desire to achieve "good data" overrode my reticence to try new things in front of an audience.  I have to admit that lab and hands-on courses terrified me at that time for that very reason.  I would very much prefer to try things out without others nearby to witness potential failure or - even worse - see that I did not quite understand what was going on. 

Stepping Up

Stepping up and doing what seems like the right thing always sounds so easy when we say it.  But, if it is really all that easy, why don't we do it more often?  A big part of it is because you and I are all too worried about what others will see and think about us.

Happily, I have changed a bit since middle school.  Sadly, I still lose the battle with myself to do the right thing too often.  But, as far as I am concerned, hearing the words "screwy data" even once is too many.

And so, I find that I try to push myself a bit every day to stand up for someone else just so I can hear Mr. Rasmussen say "Good data" in my head.  Sometimes I do something small like writing a blog that addresses difficult things.  On other days, I speak up when I hear someone say something that is cruel or inappropriate.  Once in a while, I'll stop the truck and help someone at the side of the road who needs it.  There are times when I volunteer to do something to help someone else - even if it isn't something I want to do.

Here's to you Mr. Rasmussen!  Thank you for stepping up.
That's good data.

Spotty

If you have taken any amount of time to read posts in either our Genuinely Faux farm blog or the GFF Postal History blog, you just might have come to an opinion or two about me as a writer.  Some of those opinions could possibly be something like "how does he know so much about that particular thing?"  Other thoughts regarding me and my writing might be "how is it that he doesn't seem to know much about this other thing?"

Well, first of all, because I have offered up so much of myself, writing and publishing almost daily, it means I am giving anyone who reads this material ample opportunity to form opinions about me.  Some of them might be accurate, others might simply be the wrong conclusion based on the evidence given.  And, since the farm blog has been going since 2009, you might also want to consider that your opinion might have to be revised for whatever version of me happens to be in your sights at the time.  

After all, I do try to learn and improve - which means I am not a stationary target.

At one point in time, I had extensive knowledge about heirloom tomato varieties and characteristics.  This was partly because we were actively attempting to discover the best varieties for our farm and our growing practices.  So, I dove deep into that topic.

Now, I still have a decent amount of knowledge about heirlooms and heirloom tomatoes.  But, like most of us, some of that expertise has not been exercised in the same way.  So, I don't have everything on automatic recall anymore.  At least I have notes and writing from years before that I can reference and refresh my memory!

As I was thinking about this topic, I remembered the bafflement one of my Computer Science professors at Luther College had regarding my test results in his classes.  You see, I had this tendency to answer some of the questions with extensive and accurate details, including examples.... and then I left other questions blank.

Perhaps it was partly a time management thing, I'll grant you that possibility.  And it is something I've worked on over the years.  But, the truth of the matter is that my knowledge was spotty because it illustrated how I like to learn.  And it shows my dislike of trying to speak/write about something where I don't have acceptable (according to my standards) competence.

If I'm going to learn about it, I really want to do my best to understand it.  I want to be able to explain what I understand so others can understand it too.  And that's where the time management issue came into play.  

There simply isn't enough time to build skill and knowledge for that level of competence on everything that comprises any reasonably complex topic.  There never was.  There never will be.

As a result, I would run into a question that I hadn't really dug into.  Rather than writing an answer that I felt was not a good one (and waste the professor's time), I would just make sure I made it clear how well I understood the material I had gotten to.

Of course, this strategy didn't apply to foundational topics that you needed to learn in order to get to the really neat stuff.  I understood that I had to get a handle on those things.  But once I began to get exposure to a wider expanse of topics I would become enthralled with some of it and dive right in.  To some extent, this is still me.  I'll have those basics down just fine.  Then there will be a whole bunch of topics that I am comfortable with, while some "next-door" topics might not get much of a look.

Be patient.  I'll get there someday - I hope.  But until then, you'll just have to deal with a person who is not perfect and whose knowledge can be spotty at times.  The difference is that I usually have some idea of what those areas are and I try not to pretend that I do know that stuff.  I'd rather maintain my integrity and talk about things I feel I can represent fairly well.  All the while knowing that there is so much more to learn.

Be A Real Fan

It's the time of year when baseball is often on my mind.  I like the game for what it is, even if I don't always appreciate some of the culture that comes along with it.  This post was originally shared in 2020 on July 6, I have made a few readability edits - otherwise it is the same post.  The story and the thoughts are still as relevant now as they were then and I thank you for reading and considering them (both the story and the thoughts).

--------------------------

My Dad likes to tell the story about how I turned out to be a left-handed baseball player.  Apparently, he would toss a ball towards me with his right hand and I would pick it up and throw it back with my left.  When he decided to test this out by tossing one my way with his left hand, I returned it with my right. 

Yes, I was an observant child - even if my observations were very much colored by my own personal perspective.  That explains why I throw left-handed.  It may explain some other things, I'm just not sure what.

Growing up, I would certainly participate in football and basketball, but baseball was the sport that attracted me the most.  I played all the way through high-school and considered college, but found time to be too limited and had to make choices.  Once I graduated, I found fast-pitch softball and then rediscovered baseball when my brother invited me to play in a baseball league centered around the Newton/Des Moines area.  I was still playing in that league until about 2012 or so.  I didn't stop playing because I couldn't or didn't want to.  I stopped because the combination of the drive and conflicts with the farm and other duties became too much. 

Who is that "00" guy?

You're Garbage!

Our high school home games were called by the local radio station and we did have someone running the PA address and scoreboard.  There was even a concessions stand.  One of the things I recall is that our Newton Cardinals did not have terribly many 'fans' who attended our games at Woodland Park.  But, there was a core group consisting mostly of parents and family, a few good friends and even a few community members that just liked to support us with their presence. 

Then, there was the group who came to the park and used the game as an excuse to gather.  In a very loose sense of the word, they were 'fans.'  They would cheer our team if we did something good - if they managed to notice.  What they were really there for was the 'sport' of jeering our opponents.

"Heyyy #12!!!  You SUCK!  You're GARBAGE!  Go back to your hole in the ground!"

Normally, they were not terribly creative because the only thing that changed was the uniform number, the rest of the words were essentially the same.  The players could usually ignore it as background noise.  But, I will tell you this - very few of us, if any, found it to be of any real value when we were the home team.  When these people didn't show, we didn't miss them one bit.

This group would cross a line if, heaven help you, you were the away team and there was a player on your team who had a physical characteristic that made them stand out.

"Hey FATTY!  Get off the field and go eat more candy!"
"Go gnaw down a tree for a new bat Bucky!"
or
"Nigger!  I've got a rope right here for you!"

Yes.  I heard each of those at high school games.  The last was directed at one of our Junior Varsity players when I was a senior (and not on the JV squad).  You see, each and every school had an area where a group of people who were not really fans would come to hang out and use the game as an excuse to belittle and abuse others.  And yes, players were instructed to ignore them regardless of what was said.  But, it did not stop the entire varsity squad from sending a collective glare towards the source of that last comment.

It wasn't right then - and it isn't right now.  And I see that this still goes on with a sad example at a 2020 Waverly-Shell Rock game. 

What Real "Fans" Do

I have something to tell you - I AM left-handed - sort of.

Why would a person drive 2 to 2.5 hours, ONE WAY, to play one or two games of men's baseball every weekend during the Summer when there was a farm to take care of?  I was asked that question frequently when people learned how far away from the ballpark I lived.  It wasn't until I was also asking that question a bit too often that we stopped making the trip.  It certainly wasn't because I was tired of playing and it was not because of the wildlife.

Obviously, there is a love for the game and a joy that comes with participating.  But, I would not have continued if I didn't have Tammy's support.  She typically drove both ways.  As a passenger I could begin prepping by putting on the suntan lotion, stretching etc etc.  She also drove back because someone who was functioning well should be driving!  After a double header in Summer heat, that was not me.

But, I want to go back again to my high school playing days to memories of what the true fans did that encouraged me to continue to play this game well after most had tried slow pitch softball for a few seasons before ceasing to play altogether.  The things I remember hearing were words of encouragement and praise for effort.  Perhaps my Dad didn't think I was listening for him, but I heard his words and his tone that encouraged all of us to do well.  And, by that I mean the whole team.  He bothered to learn names.  He didn't have to say too much either, because even a little bit went a long way.

The great news?  He was not the only parent who was at many games and who dished out the praise and the support.  I remember Mr. Trease doing the same - I recognized his voice because I played on the same team as his son through little leagues and into high school.  No one blamed them if they reserved more support for their team - but they also applauded fine plays by the opposition as well.  If someone crossed the line, they would say so.  The problem of course, is that the group that was there to jeer were typically well away from the rest of the fans.

Even better news?  There were parents like that at most schools I remember playing at.  It was actually a bit uncomfortable when we played at a school where there wasn't a positive fan base for the home team.
 
We Need More Real Fans
Let me be perfectly clear here.  I loved playing baseball.  And I got to be quite good at the "Do or Die" play from Right Field.

But, looking back, I learned more while I was playing baseball than you might think.

• I learned that there are people who love getting attention and approval by attacking others.
• I learned that people like that are motivated by someone else's failure because it makes them feel better about their own shortcomings.
• I learned that there are some pretty ugly ideas out there and that it is good for me to think harder about my own assumptions regarding other people.
• I learned that heckling and jeering has no real value overall.  At best, it is ignored as background noise.  At worst it can permanently wound a person.
• And, I learned where some of those 'lines' are that should not be crossed.  When they are, it is time to push back rather than ignore what is going on.

Even better - I learned some things from the real fans!

•  I learned that I can achieve positive things and I learned to adjust my goals based on what I had achieved thus far.
• I learned that it isn't just about me - it's about making the whole team better.
• I learned to appreciate the success of others, while I also learned to celebrate my own accomplishments.
• I learned the value of encouragement and enduring support.
• I learned that role models (both positive and negative) have power, but it is up to those of us looking at these people to decide what sort of power we will give them.
• I learned how to give constructive criticism blended with praise for effort and encouragement to help others learn and improve.

And, I learned to appreciate the people who showed up and gave us real support and real encouragement.  As far as I know, none of the Newton Cardinal teams I played on had players that went on to professional baseball.  But, because there were some real fans, I suspect there were a number of young ball players who turned into pretty good people.

Today's challenge to us all - be real fans.