Goodbye Turkeys

The turkeys finally went to their final destination yesterday.  I'm still not sure if they were the right kind of bird or not (I had ordered Broad Breasted Bronze...but they never really got broad).  But it was a fun farm experience and I'm excited to do it again next year!  I will be ordering them earlier and just processing them earlier, to avoid the fear of them getting too big.  I also want them to be out on pasture.  I'm curious how the second year will go!

The largest was just over 20lbs, the smallest 8lbs.  I'm not sure what the head cook is going to do with those, but maybe I can swipe them for myself!  The down side of the Ranch, unlike the other two farms I've worked on - the employees do not get the product.  Which kind of stinks.

I'm always grateful for the animals that we raise and eat.  I always thank them for the gift of food.  It's never easy sending animals; my heart always breaks.  But I remind myself why I raise this food: to give and educate people about healthy, safe meat to eat.  That's important too. 

Yule

The Ranch celebrated a beautiful tradition last Thursday.  Yule Night, to celebrate the winter solstice.  We followed the path, as you see below, to the Yule Log to burn through the longest night of the year.  We didn't set the log on fire (though that would have been cool!) but we sang some Christmas songs and had big torches lit to brighten up the cold night.  Then we spent an evening with an open mic.  We had the lights shut off, and after each person performed they lit a candle, so the room gradually got brighter and brighter.   It was a really beautiful night.  I'm happy I was a part of it.   

Goats Escape!

No, not the silly little pigmy goats at The Ranch.  But wild ones.  Check out this video from NPR. 

 

Mother Nature vs Man, Round 2

I promise, I was not leaving you hanging, nor did I forget to let you know the final result.  I didn't have the pictures to show you and had to track them down after a couple of weeks.

As you know, Mother Nature won Round 1 of the fight.  But in the end, we were able to defeat Mother Nature.  We were able to flip over Motel 6 with the John Deere 2355.  It was pretty amazing, but with the right leverage I suppose you can do anything!

Woo!  This was a great feeling, getting this building off it's roof.  This was the hardest part, and the next part of getting it right side up was pretty easy.  

For this never (hopefully) to happen again, we pounded post in each corner of the building and drilled two rods through each post attaching it too the building.  This baby hopefully isn't going anywhere! 

The crew also has enjoyed replacing part of the roof on it, since it was damaged in by the fence it landed on.

Oh, the story of farming... 

Mother Nature vs Man, Round 1

I came in Tuesday morning after a three day weekend to find this:







Yes.  That's suppose to be a building.  And it's on its roof...                                  
                                                                                                                                                               

Look at what the high tensile wire did!  It sliced the roofing.  Talk about scary.  Apparently Vermont got some serious winds Sunday night, and everyone came to work to find that this entire building rolled over.  And the back of the building is even open, which was suppose to prevent it from flipping!







We spent a while on Tuesday bracing the building and trying to flip it over.  We only lifted it maybe a foot off the ground.  Are we going to be able to flip it back over!? Or are the yearling cows going to be stuck out in the elements this winter!? (Don't worry, I won't let that happen at least!) Mother Nature took Round 1.  Check back to see how Round 2 goes!

Sheep Preparation

This week we got our ewes ready for breeding!  One of the biggest things to do is to make sure that the ewes have nice, healthy feet.  Besides for their own comfort, the addition of ram mounting them adds another (I'd say) 30 lbs on their back.  Though it's only for a short time, it can be painful if they do not have good feet - the increase stress of pain and trying to avoid the ram can cause them not to come into heat.  No heat means no ovulation of eggs, which means no conception, which means no cute little lambs in April.  

It was a fun afternoon with the crew, doing something very different than the norm.   I showed everyone how to take down a sheep (and with our ewes being fat and weighing 250lbs it was NOT easy), what to look for on their feet, and how to trim their hooves.  Everyone seemed to really enjoy the experience.

This guy below is Earl - he's a wether (castrated male sheep).  We keep him around for wool.  He's also really nice and will follow you around the field when you go out there. 

The next day we put the ram out with the ewes.  He was so small last winter that he only bred two ewes of similar size.  But he has put on some weight this summer, and even as started acting like a ram and head butting!  To me that's a good sign, though not so much fun when you are out in the field with him.  I did see him do the deed with one ewe, so here are fingers and toes being crossed for at least 9 lambs next spring.

FarmHer

Check out this photographer, FarmHer recording women and agriculture!  Maybe I can get her to venture over here to Vermont.  Women have a huge impact in the growth of small, sustainable farming.  Lets not forget!

I'll be following her, that's for sure!

 

Learning to Understand

Addiction.  I'm having a terrible time understanding it and understanding the people with addiction.  Many residents at the Ranch have a substance abuse problem, whether its drugs or alcohol.  After multiple relapses in the community this past week, I'm fully admitting that I am becoming so frustrated and defeated by addiction.  

I can (and probably have) complain about it.  How am I suppose to help people who don't want to be helped?  How can I help people who over and over again take advantage of the staff who are trying to help?  All this makes me think more about how I prefer prevention rather than intervention.  What happens if these young adults had the support they needed when they were children - would they be where they are today?

It's a struggle.  And I loose my patience which doesn't feel very good either.  I suppose in a way it makes the whole thing kind of worse, because it allows the addict to believe that they are once again the victim.  But I am a human being too.  I want to tell them all, "You are hurting me just as much as you believe I am hurting you."  Do you think it would be wrong to say that sometime?

It's times like these I miss it just being me and my animals:  an early morning milking, collecting eggs from laying hens, a walk through the quiet woods with Ava.  In the mean time all I can tell myself that I need to have faith; that I have a purpose and my life is on track. 

FDA To Ban Trans Fats

Woo! This article makes me super happy!
article is courtesy of the Huffington Post: FDA To Ban Trans Fats 

PS: Contra dancing was AMAZING.  I will be doing more!!
 
FDA To Ban Trans Fats

By MARY CLARE JALONICK 11/07/13 09:21 AM ET EST

WASHINGTON -- WASHINGTON (AP) — Heart-clogging trans fats have been slowly disappearing from grocery aisles and restaurant menus in the last decade. Now, the Food and Drug Administration is finishing the job.


The FDA plans to announce later Thursday that it will require the food industry to gradually phase out all trans fats, saying they are a threat to people's health. Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said the move could prevent 20,000 heart attacks a year and 7,000 deaths.

Hamburg said that while the amount of trans fats in the country's diet has declined dramatically in the last decade, they "remain an area of significant public health concern." The trans fats have long been criticized by nutritionists, and New York and other local governments have banned them.

The agency isn't yet setting a timeline for the phase-out, but will collect comments for two months before officials determine how long it will take. Different foods may have different timelines, depending how easy it is to substitute.

"We want to do it in a way that doesn't unduly disrupt markets," says Michael Taylor, FDA's deputy commissioner for foods. Still, he says, "industry has demonstrated that it is by and large feasible to do."

To phase them out, the FDA said it had made a preliminary determination that trans fats no longer fall in the agency's "generally recognized as safe" category, which is reserved for thousands of additives that manufacturers can add to foods without FDA review. Once trans fats are off the list, anyone who wants to use them would have to petition the agency for a regulation allowing it, and that would be unlikely to be approved.

Trans fat is widely considered the worst kind for your heart, even worse than saturated fat, which can also contribute to heart disease. Trans fats are used both in processed food and in restaurants, often to improve the texture, shelf life or flavor of foods. They are created when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil to make it more solid, which is why they are often called partially hydrogenated oils.

Scientists say there are no health benefits to trans fats, and they can raise so-called "bad" cholesterols, increasing the risk of heart disease — the leading cause of death in the United States.

Many companies have already phased out trans fats, prompted by new nutrition labels introduced by FDA in 2006 that list trans fats and an increasing number of local laws that have banned them.

Though they have been removed from many items, the fats are still found in processed foods, including some microwave popcorns and frozen pizzas, refrigerated doughs and ready-to-use frostings. They are also sometimes used by restaurants that use the fats for frying. Many larger chains have phased them out, but smaller restaurants may still get trans fats from suppliers.

As a result of the local and federal efforts, consumers have slowly eaten fewer of the fats. According to the FDA, trans fat intake among American consumers declined from 4.6 grams per day in 2003 to around one gram per day in 2012.

FDA officials say they have been working on trans fat issues for around 15 years — the first goal was to label them — and have been collecting data to justify a possible phase out since just after President Barack Obama came into office in 2009.

The advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest first petitioned FDA to ban trans fats nine years ago. The group's director, Michael Jacobson, says the move is "one of the most important lifesaving actions the FDA could take."

He says the agency should try and move quickly as it determines a timeline, "Six months or a year should be more than enough time, especially considering that companies have had a decade to figure out what to do," Jacobson said.

Geesh!

Geesh! I have not been very good at this lately have I?  

Transition is in the air at The Ranch.  Crew change has happened, so I have two new crew leaders.  Luckily I have one who I've been working with the past 6 months - my new niche.  I'm excited about the change, though it's adding more crazy to the crazy.  The old niche on the crew had been in the same position for two years.  He was difficult to work with though helpful too.  But in the end I'm happy he's gone - the negatives of working with him kind of out weighed the positives.

As I stated, it still has been pretty crazy around The Ranch...I don't know when it'll settle down, but I hope soon.

Besides transition and craziness, there's not much going on.  We sent our one lamb off to the butcher.  We started to clean our farm headquarters which I'm actually super excited about.  What is it about old men farmers?  Every farmer I've worked for or taken over for have been absolute pigs (though not really because pigs are really neat animals); they can't keep things organized for the life of them.  And November will brings sheep breeding, and I'm hoping that the Ram is a little more successful that last year - he only bred 2 out of 9 sheep. He has grown and is looking good, but so have our ewes.  Really.  Our ewes are fat.  And it's not like I gave them grain all summer - I gave them none!  They are just chubby mcchubbersons.  Hopefully they'll get bred.

Enjoying a relaxing weekend and plan on taking part of a New England tradition tonight - Contra Dancing.  I'm not sure how I feel about it yet.  I'm a little nervous but supposedly this is the best, friendliest dance in Vermont.  I'll let you know if those facts are true.  

Connections

I'm sorry I've been so M.I.A the past week!  I've been working like crazy on a paper I'm writing for school.  "Which stage of development do you think you're in a why." Yeah, it's really lovely analyzing and critiquing my life.  Because I don't do it on a regular basis already.

Work has been pretty tough the past couple weeks too.  We have gotten some pretty rough residents who are not in a good place.  So much energy is devoted to them.  I'm trying to be patient, but I don't know how long I can last to be honest.  Am I really cut out for this type of work?

When I can't connect with residents, I connect with who I can - animals.  This little girl is named Dotty (for obvious reasons).  I haven't felt this way about a pig since the beautiful pigs we had in NY (specifically Diana).  She loves to be pet.  It one picture she is just flopped on my feet and I spent 10 minutes rubbing her belly!  I don't really want to send her away for bacon.  Maybe she'll be the start of our breeding program!  It's crazy to think that when we got these pigs in June they were so frightened of people.  Now they can't get enough of the love!


 

Fall is Here...the Vet!

Fall brings a whole new list of things that have to get done on the farm.  This week the vet came for vaccinations, castrations, and pregnancy checks.  All 9 cows are pregnant (2 of those being first calf heifers), all the boys were castrated, one little girl had to get de-horned, and fortunately and unfortunately, the mommas were separated from their babies in order to take better care of their pregnancies.  I know, it's hard to watch, hear, and believe me, do.  And there's debate on whether or not it's for the best.  But right now it's done.  And according to our vet, our calves are definitely on the chubbier side of the scale.

Here are our calves on their own with the yearlings:

 

And here are the momma cows - at the lower barn and totally annoyed.  They are starting to mellow out some, but unfortunately they'll be a little sad for about a week. 

Little Chicks

The time has come for some new chicks on the farm.  It's a little late in the year, but it'll be perfect timing for some egg production when the days start to get longer in April/May.  They are Barred Rocks, who will eventually look like this when they are full grown:

 

In the mean time, they look like this! 

 

 
So cute right!? I don't know what that little white one in the picture below is all about, but we'll see in a few months when her (hopefully, we did order a straight run) adult feathers start to come in.

Fall is Still Here...Manure!

Fall is still here.  And I've spent the last week doing this:

Spreading manure! Yum!

After roughly 24 loads, it's done, spreading it on about 3 acres.  It was a little tough because I had to drive fairly far from the barn to the field.  And breathing in diesel exhaust isn't terrible fun either.  But it's done, and the barn is half way completed for the cows to hang out over the winter.  Tomorrow will be spreading the last little bit I couldn't pick up with the bucket of the tractor, and then spreading bedding.  The vet comes next Tuesday for vaccinations, the dreaded castrations, and weaning the calves. 

It's been so absolutely gorgeous this Fall!  I can't believe the colors!  Here's the weekly foliage shot:

 
My foliage shots are really not helping you show the colors here.  Seriously.  Reds and oranges, it's amazing.  Maybe I'll break out my fancier camera and take a picture.  

I hope everyone is enjoying their Fall, and finding beauty in the surrounds, even if it's corn being mowed down ;) 

Cidering! Fall is here

Geesh, I've been trying to upload these pictures since Monday and finally got them to upload.  Will I always have computer issues!?

Here's the weekly foliage shot.  I promise you, it is getting more colorful out there!

Tuesday Farm Crew was a little different.  We made cider!  It was my first time making cider, and I really liked it!  It reminds me of pasteurizing milk (I know, I know.  It's all about cows with me...)

Step 1 was dumping the apples into the cider crusher (very technical name).  When the apples got dumped in, someone hand cranked the machine and crushed the apples into a mash, which fell into a little basket.

After the apples were crushed, the basket was pushed forward and a wooded disk was placed on top.  Someone turned the black piece you see in the picture, so it pressed the apples and all the juice came out.

 

Once we had enough cider, we put it in a sap finisher, brought it up to 170 degrees to pasteurize it, and then shut the heat off.

Then, we bottled!  We made 16 gallons.  Woo woo!  

Fall is really here uh?  I'm loving Fall in Vermont.  

Monday Monday...I mean Tuesday!

I spent all day thinking it was Monday.  It's actually Tuesday, but my Monday because I had a three day weekend.  Woo!

Here's my weekly foliage shot: 
 

Some changes...it's looking a little more brown I suppose...

Today was a festive day at The Ranch.  Our annual Harvest Festival.  It's to celebrate the work of the ranch - the cider that was pressed, the meat that was raised, the veggies grown.  We spent this cool fall (though it's still technically summer) day setting up for the dinner, where past and present Ranchers came to celebrate.  It's a fairly big celebration, and very sweet.  It starts with everyone standing together in a circle, and words of appreciate are said about the the work that the community does all year.  Then we eat!  Everything we ate was from The Ranch which is really, really cool. Yay for eating local!  It may sound funny, but I like knowing exactly the cow that I'm eating (well, not exactly, but I have a 50/50 chance of guessing which cow it was).  I know that sounds weird to many people, but for me it makes me feel better.  I knew exactly what went into that animal.  It's reassuring.

Oh, here's my beautiful flower arrangement for one of the tables!  Very proud of my work.

Long Time No See!

I apologize for not being around as much as I use too!  Things are a little busy for me now playing rugby and taking a class, and obviously still farming.  Here are some highlights from the past week or so!

We finally got our pigs outside.  They were scared at first, but they love it now.  It's so great to see them out there - pigs are meant to be outside!  I feel like they have even grown since taking this picture!
 

We also "tried" to let our turkeys outside to get some grass.  Fail.  We watched them for a good 15 minutes while they explored their new surroundings.  The minute we walked away, they flew up and over the fence (and it is a fence that's even taller than the one showed in this pictures.  These little turkeys are just that - to little to go outside yet.  Kind of bummed about that, but I don't feel like chasing turkeys...

We have also power washed our barn - yay! Hopefully this week we'll be starting to paint.  And hopefully I'll be spreading manure if I can figure out what is wrong with the manure spreader!  That's my mission for the next week.  (hhmm, there are a lot of hopes in those last couple of statements.) 

I don't know if you remembered last year when I tried to take a weekly picture of the foliage change?  I don't think I ever finished that little project, so I'm trying again.  Here's a view of some gorgeous VT hills, and you can very faintly see the beginnings of change.  Fall is coming, and winter will soon be here.  Not sure how I feel about that.

Home Sweet Home

Finally.  I'm home!  Last weekend I moved to a small apartment in the same town The Ranch is in.  I'm so in love with it.  The apartment is beautiful, the surrounding 130 acres that the land lord owns is beautiful, and it has one of the best views I've seen!  It's a good, grounding vision that I see every morning, afternoon, and night.  

It also feels very good to be settled.  I haven't felt settled in about a year.  It's been a long year because of that.

Work is going well.  Haying is officially done.  I did not get a count on the last haying, but it unfortunately got rained on after some mechanical difficulty.  It was given to a neighboring farmer who in exchange will give The Ranch six hours of milling lumber.  Now we'll just break down the equipment, prep it for winter, and get some other projects together that need to get done before winter comes.  And believe me, the list is long.

I should be blogging more now that I have consistent (I hope) internet.  But rugby has started!  We had our first game yesterday, won 55-5 against Morris, NJ.  It was a fantastic start to the season.

TGIF: "Journey to the Heart"

Here is my TGIF post.  How long has it been since I've written one of these!?

How Am I Trusting

I'm trusting the moment.  I've been so caught up lately in my future, in my frustrations.  It's been very helpful for work and my personal life.  I bought this book called Journey to the Heart.  It says, "Let your mind see what your soul already knows: things are working out perfectly."

How Am I Grateful?

I am grateful for where I am in life.  Even when I get frustrated by it.  I'll be quoting this new book of mine a lot I think!  "Maybe you are where you are today for a reason other than you thought."  I need to repeat that to myself over and over again when I'm feeling lost, frustrated, and confused.

How Am I Inspired?

I know I've used this one before, and it sounds like I have an ego, but I am inspired by myself.  Working with how to be comfortable alone and not be lonely.  And to learn how to be myself!  It's always a continual journey right?  And to remember that I have the power to choose everything (or mostly) that's in my life.  "You have the power to create joy by choosing what feels good to you.  The time for joy isn't later.  The time for joy is now."

How Am I Practicing My Faith?

Probably with this book.  I use to be so good at meditating, and have gotten out of the habit of of it.  This book has helped me remember all that and ground myself again.

Summit

I apologize for not being as active as I use too!  My internet connect is not as consistent, but by next week it hopefully will be - I'm moving (again)!  I'm actually kind of excited about it.

This past weekend I had to work.  No it wasn't haying (though my last entry lied, I am not done haying. Long story and I'll get into that later).  But The Ranch had it's Strategic Planning Summit.  It was a good weekend in the end.  Though I don't feel that The Ranch is going to necessarily be supportive of my ideas of work program, it was great to be a part of this.  I've never had a job that's been organized enough to sit down and plan 3-5 years from now.  Kind of crazy, and gives a good feeling of hope that not all jobs are unstable as the ones I've had in the past.

I brought up my opinion on a stronger work program, which I think was received well.  Though I had supporters, I felt that many people thought that our work program was "cutting edge" enough (those words were used).  I wish I had been able to form the following thought at the summit instead of last night, but I finally figured out how to put what I feel is missing into words:

The Ranch was started to support people with mental illness.  It provides a caring, supportive, empathetic, nonjudgmental environment for those individuals. But now we take people with addiction issues.  A completely different population than that of mental illness.  People with addiction issues are not stupid - they have been manipulating the system for years.  Unfortunately the same thing happens here at The Ranch.  I don't believe our work program is providing enough stimulation for the addicts in our system.  While people with mental illness may be incapacitated by their illness and medications, the addicts I've worked with are not.  Why not provide more stimulation for them here?  Work program is the best place to start.  

I know I have to be careful with what I say.  But it finally feels good to have words with the feelings I've felt for a few months now.  Whether or not I can expand the farm program I don't know yet.  I think that I could.

Meanwhile, remember that garden I started earlier this summer?  Here are some yummy veggies from there!  It's done decent with broccoli and green beans.  The tomatoes not so much.  But I'll throw a bunch of compost on it and it should be fantastic next year!

Haying Complete!

After working through the weekend, Monday we baled 751 bales of hay.  751!  We met our need for the winter, and even had 300 that we couldn't fit into the barns.  Unfortunately the field isn't the nicest that we have, but it's more of a favor to the neighbors (who are some of the nicest people I have ever met, by the way).  

It is so nice to know that I'm officially done with haying.  Hopefully.  There is another neighbor who is anxious for us to start his fields, but we have no place to put it.  Sorry buddy!

Now that I am done, I feel like I can start prioritizing other projects for the ranch, such as our permanent fencing, some minor (but probably will turn into a huge) restructuring of our corral, and starting a new proposal for the farm department at the Ranch.  All very exciting.



  

Confessions of a Theraputic Farmer, IV

Sometimes it's the little things that make the biggest difference in someone's day.  I have one resident on my crew who has not lifted a finger in years.  Getting through a day has been very difficult for her - her physical stamina just can't handle it, then emotionally she starts to judge herself because she's not meeting these expectations. But she also falls back on being weak because it's easier than working and facing her issues.  So Friday we were working in one of our pastures that's being taken over by thistles.  I mean these things are two and a half, three feet high.  The cows will not even go near them leaving a good foot diameter of good grass uneaten.  We drove out into the field and the resident and I were talking about music.  Instead of shutting the truck off and listening to silence, I left the truck on and the radio turned up so we could all enjoy it.  The resident was so happy.  She kept saying, "Angie, thank you so much.  Having the music is making all the difference."  She ended up working the entire day, her first full day in the two weeks she has been here.

Sometimes you just have to meet someone half way.  

In other news, I had a nice breakfast with the E.D of the Ranch this morning.  We were talking about work program, and it was refreshing to hear his support on growth of the program.  I brought up dairy and honey bees, and he was very excited about it.  Obviously it wasn't anything formal, but he said, "We need to grow our work program again.  Our residents use to build houses.  We can't do that now necessarily because of insurance, but if we can grow and our insurance covers it, then by all means we should do it."  I told him it was very refreshing to hear that from him.  And has got me excited.  I know, the last entry was me trying to figure out what the heck I'm doing with life.  But I've decided (as of last night) I need to just focus on the present.  Until I actually know I have to move on I'll stay.  There is a difference between the feeling of having to do something and wanting to do something.  Everything I feel right now is want, not have.  And it's exhausting.  So here begins the practice of sitting, the practice of acknowledging my feelings of wants, and waiting to see if they turn into haves.  

Wedding Extravaganza

I apologize!  It's been 13 days since I last wrote an entry.  Things have been a little crazy (that's always the excuse right?)

Last weekend one of my dearest friends on the earth got married.  The week was chaotic and the wedding was beautiful. Watching her the day before the wedding, I felt pure happiness for her.  She was marrying the love of her life.  I have never seen her look so happy, or so lost in the clouds as she did Saturday.  The bride and groom also have an amazing group of friends that are hopefully my new friends too!

This weekend brought up a lot more for me than I thought it would.  I hope that one day I can be in the same situation as her.  I'm not crying in my room at night because I'm not in a relationship, but what a beautiful thing it is to be able to share your life with someone else.  I've known plenty of people who have gotten married (especially this summer.  Really, is there something in the water?)  But watching two people you know so well make that decision and go through the process, it fills me with happiness and loneliness at the same time.

Meanwhile, I'm back in VT trying to make hay but it keeps raining, getting ready for another move, trying to figure stay how to make the farm more meaningful for the residents, and trying to see what my next steps with my own life should be.  I know, I just got this job.  But being so involved in this weekend has made me see somethings.  Yes I am single and there is no potential relationship in sight for me.  Instead of fighting back feelings that I'm missing something out of my life, why not embrace it?  Some legitimate traveling could be in my future.  I won't go into detail here because I have a lot to think about.  But why not consider it when I have no one to "think about" except for myself?  And of course Bravo, but he's pretty much attached to my hip after the experience in NY.  We'll see what the future holds.

Here's my toast to the beautiful bride and groom from this past weekend.  Enjoy!

Hello Everyone!  My name is Angie, and I am the Maid of Honor for the beautiful bride Deirdre. 

Deirdre and I met the summer before freshman year of college when we were roommates during a summer program at UVM.  We became pretty instant friends.  I blame her for last 9 years of multiple injuries from rugby, as she was the one that got me playing.  Without Deirdre, I don't think I could have made it through my undergrad.  She was my constant support through tough classes, boy drama, and decisions that would affect the future. 

Some people may wonder how a mathematician and an archeologist are compatible.  Or maybe it was just me that giggles over that idea.  After dusting out some cobwebs (and the internet), it was some rules of math that helped me make a little more sense of this wedding we are celebrating today.

There is a rule called the commutative property of addition – A + B is the same as B + A.  There is also one for multiplication – A x B is the same as B x A.  These answers are constant – no matter how the equation is written, the value is always the same.  2 + 1 and 1 + 2 always equals 3.  Deirdre + Andy and Andy + Deirdre = Love.  I know, it's corny.  But I could have also sang Paula Abdul's “Opposites Attract”, but you don't want to listen to me sing. 

Dig a little deeper into the cheesiness.  It's the idea, the constant.  No matter how you put Deirdre and Andy – no matter where they go, what they decide to do with their lives together, the value will not change. 

There is no denying that this property goes beyond a math class for you both.  I am so happy for you.  So happy that you both have been able to find that other part of the your equation to create that constant.   

  

Confessions of a Theraputic Farmer, III

Sometimes I just get so frustrated with my job (be warned - I plan on venting here).  All week I had to listen to one of my residents complain about how inefficient the Ranch is.  Today I kind of lost it on him.  I don't think what I did was inappropriate, but it wasn't perfect.  We were labeling bags of wool with our name on it for sending it off to the spinnery Monday.  The only roll of tape I could find took me 10 minutes to find and it was the last 15 minutes of crew.  There were four of us, so yes, it wasn't efficient.  And it's not like I didn't try to make it more efficient.  But I could have been spending 20 more minutes looking for a freakin' roll of tape!  

Anyway, he kept complaining about how inefficient the process was, blah blah blah.  I tried to explain how I tried to find tape but couldn't, how this was just a project to get us to the end of crew and that it didn't need to be about efficiency.  But he wouldn't stop.  So I said, "You know, why don't you three finish up from here.  I'm going to call it a day."  I tossed them the roll of tape and marker and left.  Was it perfect?  No way.  Was it inappropriate?  I don't think so.  I feel a little bad, but sometimes actions are louder than words.  When they criticize the process, they criticize me.  I have been struggling for weeks on how to make this a better, stronger program for residents.  Hearing this does not help, and yes, it hurts my feelings.  I will express all this to the resident tomorrow and hopes he understands...

This is the challenge I have with what we do, with what I'm suppose to do.  I can't help but compare the Ranch to the Farm.  Maybe if we had more production, it would give the residents more of a feeling of a job, that they have expectations that they have to meet.  This is where I think the Farm is stronger.  There are more opportunities for ownership to be taken.  But, where it falls short is that (especially on the Farm Team at the Farm) is that there is too much production and in the end the staff have to add it to their work day, creating an imbalance and unfairness among the staff.  I know that the Ranch is not 100% efficient, just like the Farm isn't.  And the idea behind what we do is about creating a safe place for people, having them slowly figure out what they need to get back on their feet.  I have a little feeling that the work program at the Ranch is more to give people something to do versus gives them something to take ownership of.  Hhhmm, that's an interesting thought.  The Ranch has a  lot more to offer when it comes to therapies - AA, Dual Diagnosis, Humans Anonymous, Hearing Voices, yoga, meditation.  There are activities every weekend.  But at the Farm residents cook meals for the community, they bake for the retail bakery, they are in charge of the pig chores, they run a CSA, they work at a restaurant.  Both programs offer a lot, but I believe that's where my frustrations lie.  How can the work program be used in such a way that the residents feel that they are contributing to the community and therefore themselves?  How can get them out of their inner struggles into reality? 

I'm back at my struggle of how to make the work program more work than busy work.  Don't get me wrong, work is work on the farm, and it all has to get done.  But to the residents it seems like busy work.  How can I teach that it's not?  

Bees...again

I really want bees at The Ranch.  Badly.  I think they would be a perfect addition to the farm program (I know I know I'm a broken record).

I found this interesting article about bees, and why we are losing them around the world.  We all know how important bees are, and we all know how we are loosing them.  
  

Mystery Solved: Here's what's killing bees

Researchers finally pin down the most likely cause of the insects' widespread collapse -- and the fix will not be easy.  

Honeybee colonies across the nation have been devastated over the past year, leaving scientists desperate to root out the cause. One team of researchers may have found the answer.

Colony collapse disorder, as it is called, has destroyed as much as half of the honeybee hives that farmers need to pollinate fruit and vegetable crops. As a result, some experts are predicting crop shortages and higher food prices.

But to fix the problem, you need to find the cause. A new study out this week points to the most likely factor: a combination of pesticides and fungicides that farmers use to keep crops healthy.

Those chemicals hurt bees' ability to fight infection from a parasite called Nosema ceranae, Quartz reports. The fungicides are particularly harmful because bees that ate pollen with those chemicals were three times as likely to get infected by the parasite.

The pollen the researchers collected for their study was from the East Coast and had an average of nine pesticides and fungicides. One sample, however, contained 21 chemicals.

Researchers still aren't able to say that those fungicides are the definite cause of bee death, but this is as close to an answer as we have at this point. "There's growing evidence that fungicides may be affecting the bees on their own and I think what it highlights is a need to reassess how we label these agricultural chemicals," the study’s lead author told Quartz.

If fungicides are the culprit, it would be a surprise to many farmers, since fungicides have to this point been considered safe for pollinating bees.

But the link is there. And what farmers do with that information could affect the survival of bees across the country.

Where Does the Time Go?

Seriously?  It's already Thursday.  And today marks my three month anniversary at The Ranch.  Geesh.  I feel as though I've been here forever.  Actually, yes and no.  Sometimes I feel that I'm still treated like the "newbie", particularly by one of the other Crew Managers.  I don't think he intends too, but it's a little irritating.  Don't you know I worked at The Farm for three years?  I understand how one minute I may feel like I have ten residents working with me, and the next thing I know I have two.  I understand that plans don't always work out.  You don't have to show me an example about how your day was perfectly planned and then you lost half your crew.  I get it.

Ok, venting done!

I'm still struggling a little internally, trying to figure out how to really make my crew good for residents.  Today we started building a picket fence.  People really got into it.  I like doing projects where people can see something come together, where they know that they put something together.  I know I can't always have that, but it seems more obvious on the Farm Crew than any other crew to me.  What to do, what to do?  But I am proud of myself that I led the crew all by myself today, especially with a carpentry project.  The Shop Crew Manager did help me out, so I can't take all the credit.  I learned something new today, and now will be able to do it again on a different project. 

I'm enjoying my time at The Ranch none the less.  I enjoy having flexibility to play rugby, to take a class (which I applied to CCV today!  Woo woo!)  I enjoy being close to my parents.  I do miss my friends in MA, I wish I could be closer to my rugby team, and I wish I lived in a place a little more busy.  But, it's where I'm suppose to be right now, the step I need to go on to something else, whatever that may be.

  

Fun on Eggs

Though most of you may know this, I thought this was a fun article when I was strolling through the NPR website.  And this is why I want my chickens to be out on pasture - to make their yolks look pretty!  It also makes me want to feed my chickens different things to see what happens.  Hhhmm, science experiment with the residents??

Help! My Egg Yolks Are Freakishly White

and Maria Godoy

July 17, 2013 5:22 PM

The white egg yolk at left, seen next to a yellow yolk, may seem strange, but it's just a result of the chicken feed used, scientists say.

Junko Kimura/Getty Images

Dear Salt,
I recently joined President Obama on his trip through Africa, and I brought a mystery home with me. I wonder if you can help me solve it.

I was supposed to take my anti-malaria pills in the morning, with heavy or fatty food. That meant a lot of eggs for breakfast, all across Africa. In Senegal and South Africa, everything seemed normal. Then we arrived at the final stop of the trip, in Tanzania. When I picked up my vegetable omelet from the breakfast buffet at my hotel in Dar es Salaam, one glance suggested they'd accidentally made an egg white omelet. No big deal. I ate it without a second thought.

The next day, President Obama flew home, and I went to a remote island called for 36 hours of R&R. My first morning at the rustic lodge, I ordered scrambled eggs. They, too, were white. Could this chef have left out the yolks, too? Impossible.

The next day, determined to get to the bottom of this, I ordered my eggs sunny-side-up. (Not my favorite, but a sacrifice I was willing to make in the name of scientific research.) Sure enough, the runny yolks were ghostly pale. I asked the lodge manager, who'd lived in South Africa and England, why the yolks looked more like whites. "Oh, those eggs you get in the U.S. are only yellow because they're pumped full of hormones," he said.

But I know that's not true; I buy my eggs from my neighborhood farmers market, and the yolks are the color of a setting sun.

Could the color of the yolks have something to do with what the chickens are eating, or with the breed of chicken that lays them? I know that some chickens produce eggshells in shades of blue, pink, yellow or brown. Maybe the yolk color varies just as widely? But does that explain why the eggs were pale in both a Dar es Salaam chain hotel and a remote Mafia lodge?
Can you help me unscramble this puzzle?
Yours,
Ari

Dear Ari,

White egg yolks may look bizarre, but poultry scientists I spoke with say there's nothing to worry about.

"I get that call every once in a while: 'My birds are freakishly pale!' " says , a poultry specialist with the state of Kansas.

As you suspected, the reason Americans eggs tend to have bright yellow yolks has nothing to do with "hormones" but rather with what we feed our hens. Beyer says egg yolk color is almost entirely influenced by the birds' diet.

So if you're feeding birds yellow corn, "it gets in the egg," he explains. "But if you had a situation where you're feeding birds white corn, then the egg yolk could be white."

In South America, hens that peck at red annatto seeds lay eggs with yolks ranging from pink to orange to deep reddish. Brasil2/Getty Images

 

The yellow color in egg yolks, as well yellowish chicken skin and fat, comes from pigments found in plants called , primarily lutein, notes , a geneticist at the International Livestock Research Institute.

In most parts of the world, he says, diners prefer their yolks with a sunnier disposition, so commercial feeds often contain lutein as an additive, though yellow maize, soybeans, carrots and alfafa powder will also do the trick. Sorghum – a grain with than yellow maize — is in Tanzania, which probably explains the pallid omelets you encountered.

On the other end of the rainbow, says Beyer, are the yolks in some parts of South America, where hens will peck at dark red annatto seeds. The result? Brilliant yolks ranging from dark orange to red orange to pink, Beyer says. 

Many egg eaters assume that darker yolks are a sign of higher nutritional value, but both Beyer and Jianlin independently told me that's not the case at all. Although chicken feed does influence the nutritional value of birds and their eggs, the researchers say yolk color won't tell you anything.
— Maria

Grow Garden Grow!

It was a crazy week last week.  And a nice relaxing weekend (more haying probably should have been done.  Saturday wasn't the best though, some rain.)  I got to spend Saturday with some dear, dear friends camping.  Let me tell you, I am not the biggest fan of camping.  But this was actually quite fun!  I think I just have to have the right gear with me.  Which is basically my yoga mat as a sleeping pad.  Made all the difference in the world!  I'm also hoping to buy a fishing rod and get a license.  I have gone fishing a few times and love it every time!  I'll keep you posted on that - and maybe even catch you dinner sometime! 

I went to my garden today, which is doing quite well.  I don't like being so far away from it, but it is what it is.  Together my Dad and I are getting some veggies to grow!  I picked three cherry tomatoes, probably could have picked some lettuce but I think I'll wait a few more days for that.  I'm a little worried about my regular tomatoes, but we'll have to see how it all progresses.  Everything else seems to be doing well!

Work is going well. I'm really starting to get organized again, which feels good.  It has been a slow start for me with this job for some reason - usually I'm right on top of it!  I think my motivation is finally coming back.  I've started a pasture rotation spreadsheet for the brood cows, so next year I can have an idea on how we moved the cows.  It's fun getting to know the pastures - what grasses are growing, how fast the cows went through it, how long it takes for it to grow back.  Hoping for some soil sampling this fall too!  I'll be doing the same spreadsheet for our yearling cows and sheep too, though the sheep is a little bit easier.  

I wonder what this week shall bring?  I'm hoping for more hay, building a new picket fence, and sending our wool off to be turned into yarn.  I'll keep you all updated!

Lots to say, not enough time

It'll be a quick entry today!  I'm not at home but I wanted to give a quick update.

The last two days were spent baling hay.  The 972 bales The Ranch did totally makes up for weeks of not haying.  It was a hot two days too.  But I'm feeling a little more relaxed about hay now!  Not that I was anxious about it, but I sure didn't want to have to ask for a check for a thousands of dollars for hay.  I think we'll make our count, if the rains continue to stop as they have.  It's been a good week without it!  

I have more to update you all about, but it'll have to be another day.

Hey...Hay!

Finally, some normal summer weather.  Though I should knock on wood because who knows how long it'll last.  

Haying our last field which is 11.4 acres.  Our biggest one, so I'm taking it into parts, though I'm doing two thirds today.  We'll hopefully pick the hay up Monday and Wednesday.  Thought it's suppose to be out of control humid on Monday, so it might wait until Tuesday...  I'd mow the second third tomorrow but friends are coming to town - woo woo!

This field is all tedded out.  Tedding  sweeps the rows out so it's a thinner layer across the grown.  It dries fast this way.  We'll ted again tomorrow, then rake it into rows and bale on Monday!

Me smiling, even though I have another two hours at least on the tractor.  Just happy to be getting some hay down with this good weather!  Though I don't know how people can stay on the tractor so long - close to four hours already today, and some people out west are on there for much longer than that!  Thank goodness for the Northeast and their hills and woods.  Means tiny fields for farmers.











And look what I found in the field.  I don't know where this could have come from.  Perhaps it was a lightening strike?  We have had some pretty nasty storms this summer.  That thought is terrifying! 

Reflection Time!

One year ago today I started my job at The Center.  Can you believe that?  I had packed up all my stuff and moved all my belongings to the middle of NOWHERE.  I read my journal entry from that day, and skimmed my days from beginning to end.  I do not regret my choice to leave that place.  And I was about to type how I wish things worked out there, but when I think about it I'm not sure if I do.  What a weird feeling.  I learned so much there and met some good friends.  But I can't imagine myself still living there.  I'm not saying that my home now is full of culture - it is by far not.  But the familiarity of where I am is helpful.  I'm much more comfortable walking down the street.  I'm much more comfortable talking to strangers.  It makes a huge difference.  And, there is more of my type of culture where I live now than there was in NY!!

In the mean time, here's my new read:

So exciting!!!  And there are two more on the way!  I'm bound and determined to get bees next year.  I like my job, but I think I need to spice things up a bit.  Do something I haven't done before.  I'm still enthusiastic about farming, but raising animals for meat gets to me a little.  Do not get me wrong - I love raising healthy, grass-fed meat for people and know exactly what went into the animals, how they were treated, knowing the life they had.  But I don't feel the connection to them as I did with dairy cows.  And in this therapeutic environment I'm in, it gets difficult to have people look beyond death.  I think bees could be a way for people to accept what farming is, therefore accepting all parts of farming.

Wish me luck!