Strangers on a farm (well not really strangers….)

Last week I was planting some Brassica waiting for my brother and his boyf to show up. At some point it got too late to wait and we went in for lunch which is when the boys decided to turn up. Gabriel was driving Connor’s car and *surprise* my cousin Yuval was in the back!

The first thing we had to do was get some farm appropriate wear (well done Yuval for wearing correct boots). Gabriel was wearing Connor’s trainers but we would be wading through thick, wet mud…. Luckily Meredith kindly leant Gabriel her wellies.  Connor was a lot less complaining in general and just got on with the mud.  The main problem with clothing was a lack of gloves. I guess my hands have just got used to it but army-hardened Yuval and Gabriel’s soft and sensitive little fingers (again Connor was uncomplaining) had to share one glove each or switch off 10 minutes each.

We all did the barnyard chores which included feeding the goats, filling up their water and cleaning up their poo. Of course Gabriel and Yuval opted for getting the hay whilst Connor was stuck with shoveling the poo which he did a brilliant job of.

We then went back to the farm for planting and aside from the complaining about cold hands, getting dirty, constant worrying about ticks and some swearing in Hebrew, they did do a good job and provided plenty of entertainment for the rest of us.  Gabriel even got to play doctor as he did a quick examination of a rash on one of the guys working here.

The one hairy moment (which I missed) was when we sent Connor, uncomplaining and good at getting on with things, with Gabriel to do compost.  It turns out he doesn’t like chickens so it wasn’t his happiest moment when he dumped fresh compost in the heap and all the chickens, who love afternoon compost, ran at him.

We finished the day by Gabriel doing what he does best – taking us all out for dinner to the local town (Connor let me drive his car there!) They dropped me home, had some fresh goat milk with maple syrup and an hour lecture from me about the benefits of local produce before heading back home after an exhausting 3 hours of farming.

It was a pleasure having you all and thanks for my presents Connor!

Next –Josh! It makes me feel less irrational about my own neurotic behaviour that when I told Gabriel, Yuval and Josh about ticks, their reactions were to freak out and constantly check themselves too. Anytime Josh felt anything on the farm or in New York he was convinced he was being eaten by ticks even though I promised him you couldn’t feel them – you would only know if you saw them crawling on you or stuck headfirst under your skin.

Anyway, Josh arrived on Thurs evening in time for us to put the chickens to bed and have a jamming session -me on the ukulele and him on the guitar – LOL, no- really.   We woke early on Friday to let the chickens out and get on with some cucumber planting. As a real animal lover - Josh got on really well with the chickens, the goats and all the house cats that live on the farm. We got to finish early on Friday for Shabbat and we had a pretty chilled out weekend making bread with Meredith (using yeast she had harvested from the air!!), cycling around, talking about new excel formulae and Josh listening to me reciting a poem about a cherry tree.  Aside from Josh’s general frame being sore from biking a small bit (the bike was too small, handles too low, yeah, yeah) and a bit of farming, we had a great time and spent the whole time planning our future brewery, harvesting our own yeast and growing all our own food. 

New York, we stayed in Chelsea, was of course Fabulous. We spent the whole time eating the most amazing vegan foods (except for Josh’s pastrami hit in Katz’s deli) and (Josh) drinking beer.  

We had a delicious dinner with Eitan and Marisa (and then walked 70 blocks home!) and managed to catch up with Howie who looked super sharp – see below.

Restaurants included: Blossom, Ellery Green, Peace Food Café, the Wild, The grey dog – I would highly recommend them all.

Gabs, Connor, Yuval, me and my hat/scarf

with eggs

A house cat in a box

Remember the greenhouse we were building? Finished, Hand tilled, and planted

putting away the chickens means you always see sunset

Meredith and Connor 

Josh the tourist

Day drinking

Vegan brownie

Vegan 16 handles trip

Looking sharp

Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding - VEGAN

That time Talia went on a kind of Exodus ….Seder Night in a Yurt

I sang the Ma Nishtanah! First time ever! I was at the staff Seder with about 15 people and Aaron who is younger than me was working in the kitchen so before I knew it – there I was singing about why is this night so different? (Kind of a silly question as I was sitting in a Red Yurt round a seder plate with an Avocado, an Orange and some gulten-free Matzah among other things) I then proceeded to sing all by myself that song about all the Rabbis learning all night long which no one else seemed to know. I actually VOLUNTEERED to sing that because the point of the Seder was for people to just jump in when they knew a song, poem, had something to say etc. Really a bit like our Seder.  You might be wondering why on earth I volunteered to sing a song to a room of people silently waiting to hear my little voice  (especially as I am pretty sure there had only been one cup of wine by then?)

The thing about the farm is that everyone walks that fine line between being an exhibitionist and just wanting to share what they are good at in a way I have never experienced before. Not a day goes by where someone does not grab a ukulele and play me a song they know/wrote or read me a poem they composed.  At the beginning I found this both intimidating and embarrassing especially if it was emotional in anyway or they expected me to join in. However I have come to respect the difference between show-offs and the people who stay here. Show-offs always want you to listen to them whereas here for every poem they tell you, they want to hear one of yours (no I don't write poetry). It does not necessarily matter whether you can write poems or have a good voice, it is more about encouraging people – dare I say it – To Share.  If you can share something, everyone nods and smiles and enjoys the freedom that sharing in this kind of happy environment can bring. (Also some people are really good at singing here.)

So it was without a qualm in the world that I stood up and felt the full freedom of sharing at the Exodus as I belted out ‘Of Rabbi Eliezer the story is told…’ and I kid you not, a mildly insane but lovely woman wanted to record it. 

Meredith (the goat manager) is standing on the wobbliest ladder of all which I also have to stand on

Hex Drivers - yeah whatever :)

Chickens and compost

It snowed and was sunny so I needed my thermals, dungarees, scarf/hat and sunnies

Vegan Breakfast - I know I photographed my food but it just looked so healthy

The first GIN of the trip - it is local and UNBELIEVABLE

Not a Seder appropriate dress but I finally got down to my dream shop 'Reformation' in East Village when I spent the weekend in NY with my mermaid Alana 

That time Talia was encouraged to have boundless enthusiasm and is put on goat duty….

 Once upon a time, a teacher once wrote about my personal statement that it has too much ‘candid enthusiasm’. Several times my loveliest friends have told me that my enthusiasm mixed with some serious exaggeration makes me a bit ‘American’. Well out here, everyone is like that!  Conversations usually go like this:

Me: I am scared of trees and bird watching is for old men (and perverts)

Sonia: Take a look at this bird through the trees with my binoculars, it is a Turkey vulture

Me: OMG!!! A TURKEY VULTURE! TEACH ME THE NAMES OF ALL BIRDS AND LET’S GO WALKING IN THE TREES TO FIND MORE BIRDS AND BE BIRD WATCHERS FOREVER.

Am I employing my English sarcasm? Well on the odd occasion yes I am. Especially when it is about naming bark…. But 90% of the time including the bird occasion that is what I am like!

Do you remember that time I said I started at 8? I have been put on goat duty since the last blog which means every morning (yes including Saturday and Sunday) I need to be at the Barnyard by 7 30. I clean equipment, fill up grain and milk the goats. Filling up hay and shoveling all their poo into a compost bin follow this.  And do I enjoy this early morning start which means I now work 9 or 10 hour days in the field? YES I DO! I wake up before my alarm, I get dressed and I go and meet my bezzers – the mama goats, their kiddies and Meredith the goat manager who is more enthusiastic than me.

Did I mention I – the continually struggling vegan – often drink the unbelievably delicious goat milk with the homemade maple syrup for breakfast?

Here in Falls Village I am the norm – if anything my enthusiasm isn’t even that enthusiastic!

Today I got to use power tools. All the power tools in the world! We are building a type of greenhouse called a hoop house and I am spending my days doing carpentry (After goats and digging holes).  I cannot possibly type my excitement at using drills, drivers, screws, hammers, electric saw type things, things that make big holes etc.  but I think Shamu described it well. Every time you finish a long day with him he gives you a kind of heartwarming character assessment/blessing. Today it was ‘You are Nachshon running straight in to split the sea taking on new tasks fearlessly and you are also steady and careful which is useful around power tools…’

I drilled on that beautiful door handle 

Shamu and the Hoop House - we just drilled and hammered in all that wood

I went to the super market - they referred to this section as 'IRISH'. Hobnobs, Cadburys fingers, PG tips, Ambrosia and baked beans. ARE THEY KIDDING!? 

Baby goat

Mama goat GIVING BIRTH. I was there for its birth! I saw it all! It is gross and cool!

Mama goat licking two minute old baby goat. 

A lake next to our house. 

my attempt at selfie

a golf cart and my pals at another home

Talia meets a shovel

This is the only time I have ever been in a place where everyone immediately assumes I am capable. Capable of lifting heavy things, digging things, using power tools, holding animals, planting things, making fires etc.  When it comes to these things at home, either I pretend I can't do them or people just assume I can't. (I know I am about to cause offence but obviously I mean guys: this includes some friends and family - yes yes not all of you) 

In the last two days here is what I have done:

Expanded the goat fence

Shovelled mulch

Shovelled compost

Dug at the bottom of a hole

Filled in a hole

Used an electric drill

Used a hammer

Used a thing that looks like a hammer crossed with a shovel

Planted Gooseberries

Planted blueberries

Petted some goats

Fed chickens 

Labeled things

Wheel-barrowed mulch and compost

Dug things

Collected sugary water sap from Maple trees

Ate a lot of maple syrup

It looks like a long list of achievements (in fact I am feeling pride writing this) but it can pretty much be summed up by 'Moving Things with a Shovel'. 

I start at at 7 on Wednesdays and 8 on all other days (which is very reasonable!) 

The day starts with me moving the compost bins to the chicken coups. These compost bins are far too a. Tall and b. Heavy for me but it is just assumed I can do it so I at least try. 

I then shovel carbon (leaves) onto compost and let the chickens out to eat it. 

This is usually followed by shovelling some dirt because I need to dig a hole for something or fill in some previously dug hole. There is a few hours of this punctured with some hammering or drilling. 

Then I have an hour for lunch where I shakily ride my bike up the road to someones house. 

The afternoon usually consists of carrying large buckets of water and pouring it on holes I have already shovelled. Then I probably need to shovel some mulch into a wheel barrow.  I also might have to move some big pieces of wood to somewhere else. 

During none of these activities does anyone (Shamu or Aaron are the people mainly I work with) stop to say 'you carry the lighter one' or patronise me with comments like 'let me take that for you' or 'I can finish this up, you do the hosing'.  If they ever say 'I can takeover' it never feels patronising because they say it to each other just as much as they say it to me.  I have never felt so equal or capable anywhere or at anytime. I have not once had to use my carefully cultivated air of 'damsel in distress' helplessness I so often employ in London - it wouldn't work here anyway.  

p.s. My shoulders and back have died and gone to back hell. I am hoping they strengthen because I have to clean out the whole goat area in two weeks. 

A hole that is my height - I only dug the last bit where I was inside the hole on my knees digging with my hands. Obviously the hole is tiny so it went all over my hair, in my ears, up my arms etc.

WHAT HOLE? Did I just fill in a hole my height with super heavy dirt and stones? With a shovel my height?

Maple syrup

goats that are really cute

A baby goat born two days ago which I hold all the time and licks me