It's funny, given how busy I am...

...how little I have had to say here.

Life progresses apace, friends and loved ones. I started a new job last week, harvesting two days a week at Red Dog, which is just around the corner from Solstice. That's right, boys and girls, I'm now getting paid for to do that which I've been doing for free. Part of the time, at least. It's a really cool operation, Karyn and her crew grow really beautiful and delicious produce, and they have quality control standards as high as I've ever seen. I'm learning a lot, just being around her and her crew(even though I spend most of my time picking strawberries). She runs a really successful operation, and it's great to see someone my age making her farm work, and still managing to treat everyone involved fairly. Cool stuff.

At Solstice we've pretty much finished planting the garden, and although I'm continuing to put fall and winter crops in anywhere I can find some empty row space, we've reached the point where we're mostly going to be maintaining what we've already done in the coming months.

We had to put down one of our pigs, Shorty, he was sick with an infection of some sort, and none of the treatments we tried managed to get him healthy again. It's sad, but it's also a fact of nature that not every animal makes it to maturity.

The goats are doing well, and This Goat and That Goat are getting quite fat. It's almost time for them to be weaned, and we're all pretty excited at the prospect of no longer having to bottle feed every day.

The new interns have integrated into the community at large, and we're all getting along well. We're learning a lot, and working hard, and even managing to have a lot of fun in our spare time. Not that I've got a whole lot of that with the new gig on top of all the work I was doing before. Recent classes have included climate variability and food security and soil science. This month we've got classes on fiber(wool FTW) and at the end of the month we're taking a class of pickles and jams from a master preserver.

I've been baking always, as is usual, and with a new group of coworkers to endear myself to I've been pulling out all my best treats. On the savory front I've made rabbit confit, from one of the other interns, Tassie's bunnies, which were her independent learning project; I also just finished cooking up a bunch of corned lamb's tongues. I think we've had a potluck at least every other week all season long.

As much as I love watching the food in the garden grow I was reminded how satisfying I find working with the animals the other morning when we treated the new lamb's hooves, and wormed them, prior to separating them from their mothers for weaning. I spent the morning kneeling in poop, and administering shots, and squirting wormer down the mouths of calm and accepting animals, and it was a joyous way to spend a day.

The newest batch of layers, Rhode Island Reds, are maturing quickly, and are starting to look like little chickens instead of like tiny feathered dinosaurs. Olivia, at Spring Rain is raising turkeys for her independent project, and if you've ever thought baby chicks are cute it's only because you haven't seen baby turkeys.

Not sure how much else I have to share. I'm still writing, and still knitting(working on three projects right now), and I've actually been working on a hide from the last slaughter. Kay at Spring Rain has been learning to cure hides, and tan leather just as a personal interest, and one of the things that all of the interns are really excited to be able to do is share our knowledge and our passions with one another. What could be better than that? Bread baking classes anyone?

What was that? You want some pictures? I guess I'll see what I can come up with.

Asparagus, garlic scapes, salad greens and a fried egg? Don't mind if I do:



Asparagus Volunteers:

Dilly scapes, first pickles of the year:



Sheep at sunset:

My lettuce, and potato bins in the background, and a preview of the intern row on the garden(these pics taken a few weeks ago, I'll get some updated shots with stuff actually growing for next time):


Last knitting project? First pair of socks...guys let me tell you if you ever have the chance to rock a pair of handmade wool socks, I reccomend it unreservedly:
Hope y'all found something to enjoy in that. I enjoyed sitting and writing it; since it gave me a chance to reflect on the last few weeks, and to think of you all. Working on having my bike sent out here, so I have an alternative to driving the beast of the van. Thinking ahead to what i might do next. Not coming up with any definite answers, but I definitely have some tentative plans. I've got a pretty big birthday coming up, and the thought of it is both exciting and not really. I've been claiming thirty within days of turning twenty nine, but the reality of it is another thing. I look forward to the day, and I look forward to the day when I next get to see you all, so I can tell you how much you all mean to me in person, instead of as a group by way of a blog entry.

Love you guys, hope you're enjoying life as much as I am, and are keeping busy and productive and are making new friends and learning a lot. I know I am, and it makes all the difference in the world.

I am in a special place, boys and girls,...

and I'm going to have a hard time talking about it, without sounding like a giddy school girl. I'm into my second week of work and learning at Solstice farms, and each and every day I take a moment in the morning to appreciate just how lucky I am to be here. The entire valley is beautiful, and neighbors another pair just as pretty(almost). I haven't been here for long enough to really get a feel for the community at large, but I'm getting to know the farm folk already, and I think I'm going to fit in just fine. I've met my fellow FIELD interns, who, at least for the spring session, all work down the road at Spring Rain Farm and Orchard with John Bellow and his partner Roxanne, who are great people. I'm sure you'll be hearing all about these folks in the coming months, but now for strictly introductory purposes; there's Kay and Tassie and Olivia, not to mention a stream of WWWOOFers to get to know.

On my farm are Jim and Linda, of course, two of the finest people I've met in a very long time, I am certain to learn so much from them, and not just about farming(and business, Jim). Also on the farm are Kate and Jen, who've been on the farm since last year, and have been quite generous with their knowledge, and their space. I'm sure we're all in for a great year.

I've tried to sit down and write this blog entry a couple of times ove rthe past week, but have been foiled by losing my camera, and other things taking up more of my time than I'd anticipated.

In addition to doing farm work, and reading, and knitting, I took the time, this past Saturday to bake four hundred rolls for Sarah Johnston's wedding. It was great to see Kelly and Christie, Nick and Sarah again, and it was really cool to have the chance to bake on such a massive scale, which I've never done before. Eight bags of flour, and sixty pounds of dough, and eleven hours of shaping and baking later, and the evening was a great success. I wish Sarah and Jordan the best of luck, and I can't wait to have the chance to go by the farm and see all of Kelly and Christie's hard work.

I've only had a little time to spend back in Port Angeles, but I'm sure I'll be returning to spend time with all of my friends, and especially to see Maggie as much as possible, before she leaves at the end of April for her big journey around the world. I think if I weren't in place that's so perfect for me, I might be jealous, but I really can't imagine being anywhere else at this point in my life.

Some pictures of the farm, to help you all imagine where I'll be, and what I'll be seeing. Don't be fooled by the gray misty nature of these photos, It was sunny for the entire first week I was on the farm, and while I'm sure the spring will be plenty wet, I know the summer will come, and with it blue skies and sunshine.

Views of the farm and the pasture:



Our neighbors the bison(buffalo? I really have no idea, I should ask):


This is Megan the Wonder Dog. She really is a wonder. What a pleasure she is to work with(I'll try and get some pics where she isn't quite so rained upon for my next entry):

Llama and chickens:

And I can't forget the sheep. This is mama Mocha:

And some young guys:

I'm really enjoying getting to know the sheep, and learning to understand the vagaries of working with an animal that needs more attention than the pigs I worked with last year did. It's lambing season, and none of our pregnant mothers have dropped yet, but we have a couple who could deliver any day now, and we've begun 3am rounds, on rotation taking turns to see if the lambs have come yet.

It may sound perverse, but after I spent my time checking up on our ladies at three o clock this morning, I couldn't get back to bed, because I was so excited about all of the prospects for the coming season. I have yet to decide with Jim and Linda what my independent learning project will be, but I have a couple of ideas that I'm really excited about.

So far on the farm I've had the chance to do a lot of pruning, of the trees around the pond. I helped install a couple of massive boards which will become the basis of a bridge across the pond. Jen and I uncovered eight rows of asparagus, and we've done a little bit of weeding(believe it or not). On my first work day, last week, I washed forty dozen(five hundred, if you don't want to do the math) eggs.

Last week for our day of FIELD education, Linda taught us our first day of Ag building. We framed out the floor and walls, and built a couple of trusses to do the roof, for a tool shed we're going to install at the elementary school in Quilcene. They have a really incredible school garden program, which we're all too happy to help. It was really a great chance to see how much we're capable of doing, and it was really empowering to learn how much you can do with some basic skills.

I'm getting settled in quite happily, and I'm learning a lot, and I'm really quite happy. I know that I'm in for quite an exciting couple of months, with baby lambs, and piglets, and new chicks coming soon. A beehive to install, and once it's time, Jen, Kate and I will have a bed in the garden to do with as we please. There's a regular knitting circle on the farm, not to mention, plenty of singing and music making. I'll be getting to know the other interns better, not to mention getting to spend plenty of quality time with the farm folk, I already think of as my own. I have a cinnamon roll recipe to develop, and there will time for cooking and eating together, for high tea in the afternoons(doesn't that sound like a remarkably sensible and civilized thing to do? It does to me, too). Wendell Berry is coming to Seattle in May, and Mother Earth News is having a big festival in Puyallap in June. This is going to be an exciting time for me, and although I'm going to be plenty busy, I'lll do my best to keep y'all updated about life on the farm.

Remember, feel free to leave questions in the comments, or to e-mail or text me. I love you all, family and friends. Some of you have knitted goods coming your way in the near future, and I expect to get some pictures of people sporting their hats and shawls when you get them. I'll update again as soon as I've got some new pictures, and some more exciting news of my day-to-day adventures on Solstice Farm.

Time for an update from the right side of the country, no not the correct side, the...nevermind...

How are y'all doing today? I'm doing pretty well, thanks for asking. Just finished visiting with Papa Miguel, briefly, and walked back across the city to J's apartment, that I might write this blog post, and inform you all of the fun and exciting things I've been doing.

Spent the day and an evening in Seattle prior to flying across the nation, and had a good time behaving like I was younger than I actually am. What did I do in whilst in the city? Well, I drank some really fine coffee, and I checked out the Seattle Public Library, which is an interesting building, which seems massively non-functional.

While I was there it rained more vigorously than I've ever seen in that part of the world; maybe it wasn't actually as heavy as it seemed, but it was fairly horizontal at any rate.

That evening I went out to a went to a show with a couple of guys I met at the hostel. It was a fun time. There was a German college student, and a Canadian vacationer, and several bands one of which at least, was awesome. There was poor-quality domestic beer, and of course there were uncountable hipsters. The hipsters seemed less antagonistic than usual, though, and seemed to actually be enjoying themselves rather than the irony of the situation, which was odd, but refreshing.

I've been in DC for a week now, and have gotten to do many of the things I love to do, in this city. I've been to my favorite museums, some more than once. It really is fantastic to be able to pop into the Smithsonian American Art museum, or the protrait gallery, and check out an exhibition in the ten or twenty minutes you have to spare while downtown. None of the possibility of art fatigue you can sometimes get when you're trying to fit too many museum visits into one day.

Some scenes from around the city, including my some shots from the mall:

The Natural History Museum:
Carousel:

These guys, outside the Hirshorn, are favorites of mine. They make me think of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader:

This piece of Korean pottery is in the Freer, my favorite museum, and is an image of turtle a representative of the dragon king of the sea, who Maggie and I are all too familiar with:

What else have I been up to? I know this will come as a shock to many of you, but I've been pickling things, and sprouting things, and baking bread, although I couldn't bring my starters with me from Washington, so have been restricted to baking with commercial yeast. Curtido and flax seed bread, anyone?:

Produce from the farmer's market:
Spent a lovely evening with Sarah, eating dinner and having several of J's cocktails at Rasika. My favorite was the nutty rickey, but the gingersnap was pretty delicious as well. He really knows what he's doing, as I'm sure many of you know. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, make the time if you're ever in town. Have eaten some other pretty fantastic meals while here, including going out for Ethiopian food for lunch one day, which apparently means that It has become the ethnic food I eat most often...seriously; once a month for the past three months.

The walls and statuary in DC often have words of wisdom to share with us:

I get into Atlanta on the eleventh, and have a show to go to that evening, cause that's just how these things work, but other than that I'm really excited to see you all, and get to spend some quality time with you(without the stress of an impending wedding).

Well, family and friends, I leave you with this image, which sums up how I'm feeling pretty well at this time:

Well look at what we have here:

How are you all doing, today? I'm well, thanks for asking. The farm season is over, only it isn't, not really, but it seems it is for me. Conclusions? Big paradigm-shifting existential thoughts? Sure, of course, but they're my conclusions, and my big paradigm-shifting existential thoughts; I earned them the hard way, and I haven't managed to completely work through how I feel about them(that blog will come in time, but that time isn't now). What I am willing to say? Support your local farmers, even if it's harder or more expensive to do so. Take care of them, and they'll take care of you. It's worth it.

Thanks to Christie and Kelly for giving me the opportunity, and for teaching me, and allowing me the opportunity to come to this place and have the experience I've had. I'll be forever grateful for that.

Enough soap boxery, this blog isn't about my preaching(or not only about that) it's about keeping you updated with my doings, and I've been remiss in doing that. So what has happened in the last few weeks? As I mentioned I went to Oregon with a whole crew of friends and acquaintances for Thanksgiving. It was a fantastic weekend. There was much cooking and eating, walking on the beach and in the woods, relaxing in the hot tub, and many, many games. It was a much needed rest, and the drive was as beautiful as the destination. I have no pictures from the trip, but Maggie loaned me a pair, and I loan them to you, now:

Let's see, what else have I been doing? Knitting(that's my new camera case, and a hat which I've only just begun):

Now that my season on the farm is done, I'm looking for something to occupy my time, but in the meantime I'm house-sitting, and dog-watching, in a lovely home, in town, which is certainly a pleasant change of pace. There's a kitchen:

My haven't I been busy?

And a wood-stove to keep me warm and toasty:

Not to mention Sitka and Skana to keep me well excercised:

And a whole massive stack of library books to read:


Killed some ducks and a chicken...for your edification, and future knowledge, in case it comes up. Cut the bird's throat, don't chop it's head off with a hatchet, trust me on this. Having done that, I've got legs curing for confit, and racks and feet and heads for making stock, and given what we all know about Aaron and esoteric preservation techniques, we can safely say that this pleases me, to no end. Also if you need a bird slaughtered and cleaned, I'm your man. Still slower than a professional, but I'm working on it. Another important part of this sort of farm work...it works best as a group effort; thanks to Shaelee for the opportunity, and to Maggie for arranging it, and doing her share of the work.

Went snow-shoeing up on the ridge, the other day, with Maggie. It was a gorgeous day, and as it often does in this place, everything was crisp and well-defined. It's hard to describe, and I'm unsure if it's a quality of the air, or the play of light and shadow, but it really is unlike anywhere I've ever been before, the mountains arrayed before you, the ever shifting light, the breeze, and in this case, the sound of the snow melting off the trees, each one a miniature rainstorm. It was both beautiful and humbling. I loved every minute of it. These pictures are also courtesy of Maggie, except for the one of me; I took that one:



So what's next for Aaron? That is the million dollar question, isn't it. I'm not sure, to give you a straight and simple answer, but my lack of clearly defined path, doesn't worry me in the least. I have a place here, for now at least, and friends and companions who are willing to do what they can to enable my journey. Just as many of you enabled me to reach this place(Mindy, Mike). That's how I'm spending my time these days, figuring out the next step; reading and writing, cooking and baking, and pausing, now and again, to look out the window at the mountains, and to smile, and to appreciate where I am, and what I'm doing.