last night i slept with the light on. the isolation and silence out here makes me feel at once vulnerable and safe, exposed and protected by the space on all sides.
carol came to pick us up at 7:30 this morning, and we drove down a dirt path to mona and steve's house. mona is an organic gardener and her husband steve is a cattle rancher. we chatted over coffee about cows, tomatoes, melons, politics, tattoos, sheep, vegetarianism, and angry bulls.
steve, a soft-spoken and easy-to-smile man, spoke a bit about his experience as a rancher, particularly how it didn't bother him in his younger years to separate a calf from its mother, but now that he's older he can see the essential connection clear as day: even if a calf is taken from its mother at birth, if the two are placed on a pasture together six months later they will instantly find one another and express affection.
mona, steve and carol are some of the kindest, most sincere and energetic people i have ever met.
we were given a tour of mona's tunnel gardens and greenhouses before going over to carol's garden to tie tomatoes.
after an hour or so of work in the garden we went inside for a snack and had a lovely conversation with carol about what our trip means to us, our understanding(s) of independence and specifically independence as women.
courtney and i opted to paint carol's trellis. we stood on ladders dripping red paint on ourselves for three hours before taking a lunch break with carol and her husband bob, who lives forty minutes away in sheridan but comes out to the farm every day.
carol's garden saute:
turnips, 2
chard, 2 handfuls
onion, 1
garlic, 3 cloves
jalapeno pepper, 1
kidney beans, 2 cups
simmer onion and garlic in a pan before adding the turnips.
when the turnips have softened, add diced jalapeno and chopped chard.
add kidney beans when the chard has wilted. the chard should be an emerald green. include the stems for pretty colors.
stir and let simmer for several minutes.
serve with basmati rice.
then a huge storm hit. 70 mph winds, lightening striking down close, carol's insect and hail netting flying all over the place, diagonal rain.
it was over by 5:00, when carol drove us back to the trailer.
now we are home, showered, clean of red paint, ready for bed. 5 am wake up tomorrow.
the sun is descending and the fields and hills are bathed in lavender and coral light.
carol came to pick us up at 7:30 this morning, and we drove down a dirt path to mona and steve's house. mona is an organic gardener and her husband steve is a cattle rancher. we chatted over coffee about cows, tomatoes, melons, politics, tattoos, sheep, vegetarianism, and angry bulls.
steve, a soft-spoken and easy-to-smile man, spoke a bit about his experience as a rancher, particularly how it didn't bother him in his younger years to separate a calf from its mother, but now that he's older he can see the essential connection clear as day: even if a calf is taken from its mother at birth, if the two are placed on a pasture together six months later they will instantly find one another and express affection.
mona, steve and carol are some of the kindest, most sincere and energetic people i have ever met.
we were given a tour of mona's tunnel gardens and greenhouses before going over to carol's garden to tie tomatoes.
after an hour or so of work in the garden we went inside for a snack and had a lovely conversation with carol about what our trip means to us, our understanding(s) of independence and specifically independence as women.
courtney and i opted to paint carol's trellis. we stood on ladders dripping red paint on ourselves for three hours before taking a lunch break with carol and her husband bob, who lives forty minutes away in sheridan but comes out to the farm every day.
carol's garden saute:
turnips, 2
chard, 2 handfuls
onion, 1
garlic, 3 cloves
jalapeno pepper, 1
kidney beans, 2 cups
simmer onion and garlic in a pan before adding the turnips.
when the turnips have softened, add diced jalapeno and chopped chard.
add kidney beans when the chard has wilted. the chard should be an emerald green. include the stems for pretty colors.
stir and let simmer for several minutes.
serve with basmati rice.
then a huge storm hit. 70 mph winds, lightening striking down close, carol's insect and hail netting flying all over the place, diagonal rain.
it was over by 5:00, when carol drove us back to the trailer.
now we are home, showered, clean of red paint, ready for bed. 5 am wake up tomorrow.
the sun is descending and the fields and hills are bathed in lavender and coral light.
Melanie Jane. I love this.
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