I know we are already well into the second month of the year, but while spinning some wool this evening, I was inspired. And I haven't been inspired in a while (hence, no posts) so here it is. Three of the top unexpected country moments of last year.
3. At spinning group back in December, we were going around the circle for show and tell (I know, sounds elementary, but it's how we get to see each other's work and share ideas and upcoming events). We get to Mother K, who is a nun and shepherd of actual sheep at the local convent. Mother K had spent all day tending to the animals and had basically decided she needed a break for a while, so she came to spinning group. She stated somewhat sheepishly (no pun intended), "Nobody there knows I'm gone." Then in a more playful confident tone, "It's easier to ask for forgiveness than to seek permission!" Maybe I shouldn't be surprised by this statement as country nuns are people too and need breaks just like the rest of us. And they certainly aren't infallable either.
2. The husband of a friend of mine who is a nice guy and a "real" farmer and do-it-yourselfer (rough around the edges, slaughters his own beef cows, owns multiple tractors, hays his own fields, fells his own trees, builds his own house) stopped by one morning asking me for advice. The questions were initially about nursing school, which caught me even more off guard, because it was the last thing I would expect from this person (he was looking into pursuing a "real" career). We stood around for a while, looking at the pigs, talking about farming, the new USDA-approved slaughterhouse opening up, the harvest, etc. like any country farmers would do. Huh. While my darling husband has been able to navigate this road much more easily than I (no doubt in part because he is male and the perceived "head of household"), it only took me 5 years of running a small farm to earn some farmer respectability. Not bad, in the grand scheme of things. Kristin Kimball writes about a similar experience on her farm in The Dirty Life (I can't quote it exactly because I lent the book out to somebody but I don't remember to whom!).
1. My darling husband and I were sharing a quiet meal together in the kitchen one December day when the dogs started barking. Old Farmer J down the street (another "real" farmer) was at the door. He wanted to know if we were interested in a Kitchen Table discussion about local food and fiber. Here is a guy who has worked on a farm his entire life, who puts up 10,000 bales of hay a year, sells his own grain mixtures and basically lives off the land, and now is spear-heading a local movement. While we have bought hay and grain and lumber from him for the last three years, he is probably the last person I would put under the label "visionary". And yet, here he is, driving up and down the valley, stopping at all the farms, big or small, wondering if we would be interested in such a discussion. The group has already met twice, and what a lovely range of farming personalities. The group consists of a couple life-long, honest farmers; there are several yuppy farmers; there are the farmers who want to be organic and use environmentally friendly practices; there are farmers who want to raise exotics; there are farmers who want to barter; farmers who want to sell their goods down in NYC. We have already decided to set up a farmer's marker right in our little village on Thursday afternoons during the growing season. Goods ranging from fruits and vegetables to honey to the fiber arts to meat to homemade goat milk fudge and breads will potentially all be available for sale. Even if it never really gets off the ground, the fact that this particular person had a vision and acted on it is a testimony to all that is good and surprising in the world!
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