October
October 3, 2008
When I started college at the University of Arizona in 1990, I had not decided what my major would be. I had decided what it would not be, though. After years of witnessing my father and his co-workers complaining about the politics of education, I was sure that I would never be a teacher. Two years into core coursework, however, I still had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up, so I went to see an advisor in the Old Main building on campus. I was ushurred into a cubicle where a computer was waiting with a program to set me on the right path. I sat down and answered all the questions and pressed “finished” at the end. The program put all of my information together and told me that I should be… a teacher! NO WAY! That night I sat down and made a list of what I wanted out of a career. I was very honest with myself and this is what I came up with (in order of importance, by the way).
Waiting for Rain
July 1, 2008
The month of June was unbelievably hot and filled with drama and excitement here on the farm. As we move into July, we are all glancing to the south and east with hope as the clouds start to build promising relief. I spent all winter complaining about being cold and pining for summer and now, here I am, complaining about the heat. Not good.
Spa Agua Linda
June 1, 2008
Imagine, if you will, a day of yoga, mud baths, a steam in the sauna, muscle toning, sun tanning and a healthy meal of organic vegetables.
Agua Linda Farm Journal
May 1, 2008
Last month, we shifted into high gear here at the farm. We have over 100 CSA members (Community Supported Agriculture) who are receiving a weekly portion of the harvest. That’s up from only 35 last year! Since we are also participating in farmer’s markets and supplying stores and restaurants, we have been putting in some very long days. Wednesday is our busiest day. Last Wednesday we harvested, washed and bagged 130 pounds of spring mix, 100 bunches of radishes, 60 pounds of braising greens, 100 bunches of cilantro, 120 heads of Asian cabbage, 200 heads of lettuce, 60 pounds of spinach, 40 pounds of arugula and 160 garlic tops! Stewart and I started at 7:30. Adam joined us at 11 AM, then, two FFA (Future Farmers of America) students from the high school arrived with my own kids on the school bus to help out. We worked in the packing shed until 9:45 that night! We have been looking for more help.
Agua Linda Farm Journal
March 1, 2008
Yesterday afternoon, Stewart, Jesse and I worked together cultivating the fields. We were using push plows to scrape the surface of the soil and lift out tiny weeds that had sprouted along the sides of the crops and in the furrows between the rows. Seeing the pesky little seedlings crumble and then looking back at a well groomed row after each pass is very satisfying. Jesse had a three-pronged rake that has a large bicycle-like wheel on the front (high wheel cultivator). His job was to push down the furrows, a less delicate task than mine, as I had to get as close to the plants as possible. Soon he had passed me and was very proud of his speed. He is not the most willing worker in the family to say the least, but he was pretending that he was racing on a motorcycle – and winning! That was satisfying for him. I had reflective moment while catching my breath at the end of one row. The sun was setting and here we were, my husband, my son and me beneath the view of the Santa Rita Mountains and Elephant Head, tending our spring fields by hand. No tractors were running. I heard only the sounds of lambs calling their mothers, and the scraping of the push plows across dirt. In fact, other than the occasional “motorcycle revving” noises coming from Jesse, this could have been a scene on a farm from 100 years ago. Then my blackberry hummed to let me know that I had received a text message from my daughter. The incongruousness of this did not escape me.