Settling in

Day 2 on the farm was exhausting!  Lots of backfilling trenches, another version of "planting pipe."  Burying the base of the risers was nothing compared to this task, which involved refilling the trenches that were dug for the irrigation pipe with native soil.  The first few trenches were fun, as the task was novel and the physical activity helped warm me up after standing in the cold wind for a while.  After the first few, though, the reality of fairly monotonous strenuous activity set in.  Shovel, shovel, shovel, stomp, stomp, stomp.  Shovel, shovel, shovel, stomp, stomp, stomp.  The stomping?  My attempt at injury prevention.  If you don't pack down the soil into the trench, an unsuspecting person walking along may have the ground give way underfoot and sprain an ankle.

Other than lunch (wood-fired pizza with carrot rutabaga soup), another highlight of the day was working with the Green Corps, a group of at-risk teens who spend several hours each week working on the farm.  These kids have been working on the farm for a couple of months now and know way more than I do about how to do things.  It is very humbling to be trained by an 18-year-old on how to double-dig a raised bed, but at the same time, exciting to know that the next generation will include people who know how to care for the land and grow food.  I'm looking forward to the next time these "kids" come out.

When I got home, I felt old.  Not because I worked with young kids or because I am older than the other apprentices and my bosses, but because my entire body hurt.  My feet were the worst, but my back and hands were a close second on the aching scale.  A hot shower helped, but I felt ready for bed at 8 pm.  Only one problem--I had a soccer game at 8:45!  I debated flaking on my team and going to bed, but knew that they needed my warm body to field a full team, plus I really wanted to see some familiar faces.  I really like my new co-workers, but I'm just getting to know them, and I miss my CDPH buddies.  My soccer team lost, but I'm glad I went.  Keeping that connection to my "old life" makes the transition to my new farming life easier.