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The Soil’s Gifts
There’s a bacteria in soil that has been shown to make humans happy by triggering serotonin production in the brain. But there must be more to it. — ∞ — The garden has made me happy. I’ve spent a good...
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Work Calls
It’s amazing what the summer brings. Over the last couple weeks, I’ve found myself without a single day that I haven’t been doing at least some work for one of my two farmhand jobs or working on the...
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Yearning for the Abstract
Monday, I went to Soapstone Lake, hiked around, startled a couple elk having an afternoon drink, laid down in the moss and shade, trees above me and a fern dangling inches from my face, and briefly...
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The Reintroduction: Impending Rain
This is the first of several reintroduction posts in anticipation of resuming this blog for the fall, winter, and hopefully beyond. I’ve been absent for multiple months now, so I’ll be setting the...
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The Reintroduction: A Pantry Full of Jars
The abundance of this year’s foray into water-bath canning. This is but a portion of what all I’ve canned, and there’s still more to be done. From left to right: blackberry jam, tomato jam, blackberry...
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A New Year’s Plan: Worshipping the Earth
I’ve always enjoyed New Year’s Eve and the ensuing New Year’s Day. The midnight celebrations of the new year strike me as somewhat magical moments, with a fresh year stretched out before me and all its...
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Photos: Baby Lambs
One of the farms I work for is currently dealing with an explosion of newborn lamb madness. It started a few weeks ago and is now entering epidemic status. There have been around 80 new lambs born and...
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Work Made a Farmer
— ∞ — And on the 8th day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, “I need a caretaker.” So God made a farmer. God said, “I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day...
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The Long Game
An entry in The Household Economy Last year, I started on the garden late. Aside from sneaking in a small potato patch in April, I didn’t really get going until late May and early June. I had some...
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The World Beckons
Well folks, my time here on this blog is looking limited, at least for the immediate future. As noted in my previous post, I’m currently computer- and internet-free in my daily life. Of late, I’ve been...
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Killing Animals
When I was young, I killed a possum. It’s my earliest memory of killing an animal. That’s not surprising, as I don’t have many instances of killing animals to remember. I loved animals as a child. I...
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A Discomfiting Upward Movement
For a time there, I had it figured out. Okay, that’s only half true. For a time there, I felt comfortable. There have been moments during the last year when I felt at peace, in a good place,...
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A New Year’s Plan: Looking Inward
On Tuesday, a little after noon, I sat in the kitchen at one of the farms I work for, eating alone and browsing the tomato section of a Territorial seed catalog. Tomatoes, as it happens, are a sign of...
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On Searching For Home
Almost two years ago, just a few days before the winter solstice, I was mucking out the sheep shed at one of the farms I worked for when I received news via a text message that I was going to be hired...
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