Dec 16, 2021 – It sure doesn’t feel like Christmas around here. It will get to 67 degrees today. As Gabe and I stepped outside this morning to go to school he said, “This world has a serious problem.” And I said “Yep! But I am going to help solve this, in a small way, with my farm.” He asked, “How?” That surprised me . Somehow I thought he always understood this. I told him how permanent pasture is one of the strongest carbon sinks we have, and that I am going to put food into the world that is made without harming it. He said, “And then you are just going to cancel all that out by driving your truck and tractor.” And then I was finally able to make the lightbulb go off in his head and. “That’s why I don’t want a tractor, and why I am going to try to drive my tractor as little as possible.” He was silent after that. Maybe contemplating. I could almost see him licking and chewing (horse people, you know what I mean by that :)).
This past weekend it was Megan’s turn at the farm. I picked her up from school Thursday evening and we drove toward the farm. Rather than take the twisty turny back roads between Logan and Junction City for the first time in the dark on a winter night tired after a long day, I drove all the way up to Lancaster and then went over on Rt 37. We discovered I am only about 20 minutes away from the hospital in Lancaster. That’s good knowledge to file in the back of the brain. We got to the house and it still stank. Is it the carpet, or some kind of septic problem? At least Tim was able to tell me it’s not a gas leak. Megan seemed as underwhelmed as Gabe by the house at first.
In the morning Tim (the handyman whose name I got from Jason and Eli at the hardware store) came by and we got to know each other a bit. Turns out he is a retired NASA engineer who used to work on rockets at the Kennedy Space Center. I can’t wait to introduce him to Gabe and let them talk rockets! Tim walked me through the work he had done and I saw it was good. He took my wood stove, and I think (hope) he’ll come back later to take the exhaust pipe from the machine shed. We talked a bit about changes to the horse barn and I think he could do it. I also made an on-the-spot decision to rip out the carpet – I just don’t think I’ll ever get over my slight disgust with it – and we talked about Tim installing a laminate floor. I think he can do it affordably. Very good to have Tim on my team.
Megan and I sat on the back porch for breakfast and watched the white-footed cat walk across the pasture. The same one I saw on my very first visit to the property. I think she must be my cat. How do I become friends with her? I could put cat food out on the porch, but I’m sure it will just be gobbled up by racoons, skunks, opossums, etc.
Megan and I began ripping out nails, hooks, window treatments, mirrors, wallpaper, and window film. It felt extremely satisfying. She would not let me listen to any soundtracks from any Broadway musicals, which have become my go-to background music when working at home. We got tired, had lunch, and then took a walk across the farm.
We discovered that there is indeed an active spring right at the south western tip of my woods just north of the old barn. We followed it into the ravine and sure enough there is a little stream running all the way through it to the west. Does it eventually join up with Rush Creek? I wish I could find topo and drainage maps of the area. Megan was as disappointed as Gabe and I to find trash in my ravine. I think it will be a slow, laborious, incremental, lifetime project to clean it up. Unless I can find a crew of teenagers to clean it up for me. Megan did really like the cool rock formations west of the ravine. It feels Hocking Hills-y. And, we discovered a still-gleaming Honda motorcycle in the woods. Dave says take it to the dump. Gabe says walk out there with a can of gas, fill it up, and ride it right out of the woods. Gabe and I will take a closer look at it this coming weekend.
Walking the fence lines I was again overcome with the fear they will be completely choked with weeds come next August. I am thinking goats. Goats are the answer. I need electronet, a charger, some plastic posts, a water tub, and a feed tub. And some goat feed. Then get me some goats! And a long hose, to fill the water tub. Or PVC pipe? See, this is why I need a mentor. Or a water tank I can put on the back of the gator to fill the water tub with? Hmm……
Megan and I drove to town and spent a little while exploring. She bought some trinkets in the Gypsy Hawaii gift shop, which was very cool. The library is quite new, has a bank of PCs with internet access for public use, and is the only place in town which seems at all serious about people wearing masks inside. We stepped into Mid-Western, which turns out to be a secondhand/consignment store for western wear. Lots of cool flannel shirts, jeans, boots, and even pearl snap shirts and felt hats. The owner and I talked brands. He’ll take Lucchese and Cruel Girl, and maybe consider Ariat and Cinch, but he has no interest in Justin. Hmmph. Hoity-toity fashion people. Justin boots are the best. Our last stop was the hardware store, where Jason greeted me with a hearty, “So, I heard you met Tim!” I think I am going to really like living in this town. I’m already on a first name basis with the most important folks – the hardware store folks and the local handyman. Now I just need to meet the librarian.
Overall, feeling fairly overwhelmed by the work in front of me: keeping the pastures productive, the fencelines clean, and the fence functional feels like a lot. Figuring out how to build – and afford – the infrastructure I need. It struck me this week that farming feels a lot like mothering: the work is never done, and every morning the moment you open your eyes the work smacks you in the face. I need to figure out how to enjoy my place and not just see it as an endless place of work. This seems a puzzle to me right now.
The Tranquility Ranch 