Back to Farming

So I'm back to farming again after my little bump in the road with layoffs and taking a different job to pass the time.

I hate to admit it, but I'm having a hard time getting back into the groove of things. I'm used to year-round farming and the full immersion of it was helpful for me to stay on track mentally. With the break between jobs and everything else, I'm not at the top of my game and struggling to feel at home at the new farm.

The part-time job I took over the winter was something I had done before. It was easy to walk back in and go right back to work. There was one day where I received "training" just because, but beyond that they trusted me to just come in and know the job. It was a very hands-off experience and it felt good to just walk in knowing what to expect.

The farm I'm working at is the same place I temped at in October. In October I was mostly a cashier, giving occasional farm tours and not thinking a whole lot. That was easy to jump into as well. Cake.

The people there are good to me and they trust my judgement. I appreciate that, but I still feel oddly off my game with a new greenhouse, a different layout and a whole different focus. I know exactly how to do all the things expected, but in reality, it's still weird and new to me. I'm hoping I feel more at home once seeding starts. It'll be nice to have figured out where all the tools are and so on.

In other farming news, I helped my former employer and friends re-skin their greenhouse recently. I can't say it was a fun job, but I'm happy to have helped. After all, farmers help farmers. It's just part of what we do.

I'm still disinfecting pots and trays in preparation for seeding next week. Hopefully once I get past the monotonous jobs, things will be all good. It's lonely at the farm right now and I'm grateful for my mp3 player to keep me company. Without some sort of background noise, my thoughts would wander and I'm not in the mental place to let that happen at the moment.

Farm on!

Brown Blood and Dirt Under the Nails

Well, I'm finally back to farming. After a weekend trip, I returned to the two-jobs routine yesterday. First order of business: disinfecting the greenhouse. It's going to take a few days, but soon I can start seeding, which is going to make farming again much more real for me.

It's going to take me a bit to get back into the swing of farming. I've missed it, but my other job at UPS has been consuming a lot of my attention. It's physical work, just like farming.

I'm convinced at this point in my life that my previous UPS safety training back in 2005 has kept me from getting injured during my time as a farmer. I should feel bad about nagging coworkers as much as I have over the years to not do this or that.

"Don't jump off the trailer! Do you have any idea the impact on your knees?"

"Hand to surface! Don't throw that!"

"Three points of contact. Don't jump down from that."

"Bend at the knees and keep the natural curve of your back, don't jerk when lifting! Opposite corners, dammit!"

My coworkers must think I'm a Nagging Nancy or something. But the methods work no matter where you apply them. If an almost-40, 5'4" tall female can farm with no injuries, some tough young guy can too. Nothing makes me more annoyed than people jumping down from a trailer. It makes my knees hurt just watching. You may not know it, but when you're my age, you're going to want that cartilage intact. It does make a difference.

When you're schlepping 70# bins of potatoes, a little proper lifting and lowering can go a long way. I'm more likely to be sore from shoveling than lifting.