steve-wilson.net

The winter squash are harvested, the storage onions are cured, the weather has turned and the season is winding down. My, has it been quite a growing season! And, quite a good year, as long as you haven’t been paying too much attention to the news …

I just read that Obama now has a double-digit lead in the polls. Not that he’s really and truly going to be able to do much for us. I certainly hope that he can, but I’m hopeless for the government anyway as no matter what anyone says - it’s a corrupt system. Obama is 10,000 % better than McCain, for sure. He’s still a politician, and corporate greed still has him in their pocket. I’m happy for him! Whoever you are, whatever party you support, I just hope you get out and VOTE!

If anyone is still unsure of why the global markets are tumbling, here’s a great primer on the base of the problem. And, if you have not listened to This American Life before, I highly recommend checking it out. They do some great stories. I know I have totally put checking my investment account off, and finally did this morning to great surprised gasps. Bloody hell! I wish I hadn’t done that. It’s bad. Really bad. Thanks Bush and Greenspan, the greedy fucking banks, realtors, mortgage brokers and the whole sub-prime mortgage industry fiasco. You’ve done us all a great service!

I realized this morning that I haven’t updated my blog in a month. And, a few things have happened. So here’s the update:

Pullman trip

My trip over the mountains and across the vast expanse of nothing that is Eastern Washington was a great one. The weather was awesome for the trip out. And was a bit crap on the way back. I had a wonderful time with Joel in Pullman. It was really great getting to spend some time with such a good friend. We ate really well, did some touring around the Pullman/Moscow area including some cider pressing, bike riding to an unknown reservoir for some swimming, buying a ton of veggies and fruit at the Moscow Farmer’s Market and even did some heavy-lifting for Joel’s new woodshop he’s going to set up in the basement of his apartment.

No November motorcycle trip

One thing the Pullman trip solidified was that I am definitely NOT doing a winter motorcycle trip down the west-coast. The long-distance riding was ok, in nice weather. But I would not knowing leave on a trip with the definite knowledge that the weather will be horrible for at least the first half of the trip. It’s still a trip I want to do, but it certainly is not a priority. Which reminds me … I need to contact all the wwoof hosts and let them know I’m not coming!

Not sure about Chicago

I haven’t bought airfare to Chicago. I’ve been having second thoughts, for obvious reasons. However it would be absolutely great to visit my cousin Jude and his family, as I don’t get to see them often enough. And, from my research into visiting Chicago, it sounds like a really great city. I’d venture to guess I’d really like the place. But I just don’t know. It’s a tough decision. Mainly because there are excellent things taking shape on the island and I want to pursue those. I’ve definitely grown to love the island and if I find what I’m looking for here, I would stay in a heartbeat.

Me and Farming

I essentially have a month left in my internship here at Plum Forest Farm. I’m having mixed feelings. Maybe I’m just ready for the season to be over and am looking forward to the restful winter. Maybe I realize it is a ton of work and am not prepared to do so much work for so little reward. Honestly, though, I absolutely looooove growing food. It is one of the best things one can do with their time and energy. But growing food and selling it to other people can be a bit of a bummer. And, my conclusion from this year, on this farm, using the methods we have been using - you can’t make a living doing this. Or I can’t see it happening, anyway.

I like the farm life, the farm setting, the people, the food, but I value my back more than any of that and can’t see sacrificing it now. When I have a full-on farm experience again, it will have to involve offloading as much manual labor onto a machine as appropriately possible. I.e. manual labor such as the things that are hugely taxing on spinal cords, bones and muscles like working the soil, hauling compost, etc. And, for sure using some sort of time-saving weed-suppressing agricultural plastics technology. Not that we never use machines. Obviously in the picture above I’m on a tractor. But it’s not the farm’s tractor, and there’s really no other way to scoop mucky cow shit or turn or build a compost pile weighing several tons. That tractor just needs to be utilized a bit more.

To cap off my internship, I’m going to the Washington Tilth Producers annual conference. I’ve even got a scholarship to go! It should be a great experience and I’m really looking forward to meeting some fellow farmers, seeing a bit of Bellingham and attending some great workshops.