Market Day
Shopping:
On Saturday, I went into town with Nathan. Nathan is a young man who works with Michael (the Farmer) at Cornell. He is staying at Kingbird over the summer, and knows a lot about farming and this kind of life in general. On the drive in, we talked about scythes and scythe sharpening, among other things. This dude knows a lot about things of which I know nothing. Which is useful. Nathan has his own scythe, handle made in Maine for his height and reach length, blade made in Austria. He sharpens it by hammering it into a fine edge, which he says is so sharp that it bends with a touch. This is how he mows the lawn. Pretty cool. Makes knowing how to work computers feel pretty silly.
We went to the Ithaca Farmers’ Market, where Kingbird has its Saturday stand. I’ve been several times, but never with a close connection to one of the vendors. It’s an excellent market, and for me, that’s saying something, having spent so much time in Madison and NYC, both hosts of excellent markets.
I hung out for a while, had lunch, bought some stuff, visited with Bekah and Karma, and the couple other farmers that I already know. Kingbird has a really nice stand; some well-designed shelves fill it mostly, but with ample work space behind the “bar” for the folks working the stand to, well, work. Right now, it’s mostly full of bedding plants for sale; probably a hundred of kinds of herbs, including about 10 kinds of lavender alone. My mom would love it.
Nathan and I had some other errands to accomplish, so we left before the market closed. I dragged him to TWO hardware stores, where he helped me pick out farming boots and wood-splitting equipment. I got some other hardware for some shelf making and wiring and stuff like that.
Splitting Wood:
When we returned, Nathan was nice enough to give me a (refresher?) course in splitting wood. Most of our logs are rotten, so it was hard to test, but I think I got it. I can’t remember whether I’ve done this before or not, but I’m pretty sure that I can do it now without hurting myself or others <knock /> <knock />. Now the challenge will be to locate, identify, segment, and haul some logs that I can split. Or I suppose that we can just buy some wood, but that seems like cheating somehow. Plus, then I wouldn’t get to use these new tools. Didn’t you know that this whole thing was just an excuse to buy more tools?
The farm just got its winter wood supply in shape. Of course this involved heavy machinery and heavier expertise. But they started getting wood ready in March for next winter. Winter is pretty serious business up here. I’m feeling like the … what was it — cricket? — who fiddled all summer and then had no firewood in winter. Or something.
I also felt good about getting the boots. They’re called “Muck” boots, both in name and in brand. They seem to universally regarded as the right tool for the job of tromping around on a farm. It feels cool to wear them, though slightly silly, and I’m just a poser. Well, I’m not posing much, but I’m no farmer. Though now at least, I can help out a bit without ruining whatever shoes I happen to be wearing.
And the final touch to the day: I took a shower. It was a gorgeous, sunny day… the kind of early summer day where the sky seems almost dark blue. It was enough sun to give us a pretty decent reservoir of near-body-temperature water in the tank. So I showered. It was a little… brisk, but I was clean, and that was something.
A good day.
May 29, 2008 at 9:37 am
Knowing how to use a computer is just different, Matt. I feel the same way about your computer skills as you feel about Nathan’s skills. I think we all need each other and that is what community is all about — learning from each other.
It is funny but I don’t think of you as a poser in Muck boots. I think of you as an apprentice. Soon you will be a master! In 56 years, I have learned that being ignorant of something is very different from being stupid or silly. Life long learning is my hobby and it sounds like yours too! The more I learn, the more I realize I need to learn! I can’t wait to hear what you learn this year, Matt, about yourself and your world.
I am enjoying your words so much! I see you growing into the man you were meant to be and that is such an amazing, beautiful experience to watch! Thank you for your courage to share it with all of us and then leave space for comments. Courageous!
Love to you and Bekah — Teresa