Hard to believe it’s already June. Especially with weather like the last two days - right now here on Vashon with close-to-winter like temperatures and rain!
My friend Kevin asked me the other week how things were going, and I remembered I hadn’t updated this site in a while, at least not with something other than political BS. So here’s basically what I told him.
Things are going well on the farm. We have a couple wwoofers here (wwoofing is what I did in Europe on the farms there) and their help is great. We get so much done with more sets of hands (and backs!). We’ve planted-out all of our winter squash and pumkins, zucchini and such and all of our tomatoes along with a bunch more salad stuff. We’ve harvested the first broccoli of the year and the asparagus is just about done for the year. So far we’ve delivered three CSA shares to our subscribers!
I’m doing a little freelance work and riding the KLR every once in a while. I’ve met this amazing and interesting farm girl, Dana, who’s leasing a farm out near Quilcene and Chimacum. I’ve been out to see her a couple times, but it’s a 60-mile ride one-way to get to her farm. It’s not a bad ride, and she’s worth it. Now that I’ve met her, part of me wishes I was farming there at her place. We “met” (online and over the phone) late last year but only recently started talking and “seeing” each other. (Seeing is only twice already. However I’ve already met her mom, sisters, one brother-in-law and her best friend!) I wouldn’t leave Plum Forest Farm for anything right now, it’s been invaluable to me so far.
One of the only things that’s buggin me that at this point is - it looks like my over-winter motorcycle adventure ride isn’t going to be as far as I’d hoped. I’m doing some freelance work, but not as much as I, albeit admittedly, overestimated I would. At the time, I think I shot way high in order to justify spending all my savings on the KLR. I was thinking that I’d be doing enough freelance work in my spare time to make it back in the time I’m here on the farm. I’m not so sure that’s going to happen … yet. I may need to hunker down and work for a couple months after my internship to replenish my coffers. But, who knows what else may happen and I’m taking every day and week as it comes.
My other money drain is my appetite (for food) has increased a lot, and food prices in general and on the island seem to be shooting upwards and I also have a hard time buying crappy (i.e. cheap) food. Ah well, that’s life, though, right? All we really need to do is eat and breath and I may as well have the best stuff to do both. So between fuel for me and my bike, I don’t have much if any surplus of cash and the account balance is only going down right now. Regardless, things are going well and I’m very glad to be where I am.
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And that’s a tight re-cap. Life is good here on the farm. Very different from anything I was used to and from what anyone reading this experiences. There’s so many other things I’d like to write about, but I just don’t have the time or energy! It’s a good thing, though.
Also … I’ve “launched” my new freelance site: www.wilsonsdesignworks.com. In a major designer faux pas I haven’t finished each page yet, but stopped short of putting up a goof-ball “under construction” animation …
One last thing - I just finished reading Micheal Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma. I try not to recommend too many books to people as we all have different tastes, interests and such, but this book applies to everyone, I think. It’s a worthwhile and interesting read. Anyone who eats food should read it!