The first time around

So I mentioned a few weeks back that I was waiting for the arrival of my new pottery wheel. It finally arrived, grumpy FedEx man and all, and I spent a few hours yesterday throwing. Funny, it felt like I was starting all over. I was a little nervous to get the wheel dirty and just sat at it for a few minutes hoping that whatever came out wouldn’t be too disappointing.

I ended up with a plate and a small vase. Not so bad for the first time around. Then I spent some time looking at other pottery blogs out there and holy cow! are these folks talented. These are real artist people.

But, I am thrilled to have my own space and a way to get my work fired (thanks to OSU craft center!). I’m sure more classes are in my future. I’ll share some photos as things get more interesting.

And, on another, farm-related note—we have once again been honing in on exactly what we want our farm to be—and not to be. It’s a bit of an evolution, a journey I am trying to enjoy. Richard is big on process and believes that process (or the journey) can be more fulfilling than the actual product. It is an admirable position, and one to strive toward. (Considering that I love an immediate, tangible result, this can be a stretch.) For now, I am working to see the beauty in the process and enjoy the fact that we get to make such luxurious choices.

The seed of an idea

I was reading about metaphors the other day for a client and ran across an interesting one about the difference between ideas and innovation and using the metaphor of planting a garden to explain. Metaphors are usually challenging for me as I tend to take things literally—but this one worked.

Essentially, the seeds are like the idea—and anyone can buy seeds just as they can have ideas. The tricky part is actually putting those ideas into action and nurturing them along until they work out to be something successful—this is the innovation part. (The stick-with-it and carry it through to the end kind of thing.) So in the garden it’s like nurturing seedlings and watering them, making sure they have light, and then transplanting them when it’s time for them to move outside and grown into big garden plants. (I realize my explanation is not as graceful as the one I am referring to. I’ll look for the citation and post it when I find it.)

It was only a few hours later that I found Richard sitting at the dining room table, seed catalogs spread out in front of him. He looked up and said, “do you want a pumpkin patch this year?”

I like the metaphor, and although I am reluctant to make claims of innovation, I do think we have a good idea with the farm. This much I can be sure of. Meanwhile, we’ll try another pumpkin patch this fall and see how it goes.

Hey, it's snowing! Where's Matt Zaffino?

We awoke to a light dusting of snow this morning. It was mostly gone by lunch time, but how nice a surprise to have on a quiet Sunday morning. One of the things I noticed right away last winter is that there is little-to-no local weather coverage. There are no reporters on the overpasses reporting on the first few flakes to fall, no screaming headlines about ice on the roads. Really, the only way you’d know it was snowing is to actually go (or look) outside. (Not at all like getting snow in Portland!)

Anyway, it was a beautiful morning. And we got to talking about our plans for the farm and the likelihood that our timeframe for starting to recruit members is a bit aggressive. (We had hoped to be up and running this spring/summer.) But, after talking about our goals for the farm, and considering the needs of our soil, we’ve decided that we’re in need of a bit of a course correction. Richard still plans to go from full-time to part-time work next fall, and we will hit the ground running this spring with planting and new soil treatments, but we’re revising our timing with regard to actually recruiting families.

That said, we hope to find a few “beta” families as willing test subjects to try out our vegetable varieties and delivery schedules. In return we’ll ask for a lot of feedback and perhaps some assistance with a few heavy lifting items around our place. More on this to come.

On another, non-farm related note, I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my first pottery wheel. It should be delivered in the next three-to-four days. Richard has cleared space in the room off of our garage as a mini “studio.” No at-home kiln for now—but a membership at the Craft Center at OSU will take care of glazing and firing needs.


Here’s to quiet mornings and more snow!

Thinking about country life

After living in a rural setting for just over a year I am not about to call myself an expert about country life. There are many people who live around us that have been here for 20 or more years, so I still have a thing or two to learn. But, there are several things I have experienced over the last year that make living in the country just a bit more interesting than I’m used to. Here are a few of them, in no particular order.

• I have watched the river rise two feet above flood stage and then recede—all in about four hours. Although the river is a good 25 yards from our house it’s still a little disconcerting.
• I’ve seen a deer break its leg and then had to find a neighbor to shoot it for me (Richard was out hunting and I don’t know how to shoot yet.)
• I learned how to cook a venison roast. (Note the afore mentioned deer.)
• I’ve had to stop in the road for chickens, sheep, deer, and rabbits, and have done my share of time driving behind tractors on the highway.
• I own rubber boots for the first time since I was a child. They are black with polka dots and are exceptionally cute. I wear them almost everyday.
• The closest latte worth the money is about 10 miles away. Fortunately for me I own one French press, one stovetop espresso maker and one espresso machine.
• People around here say “ODFW” like I’m supposed to know what that means. (I do now—Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife)
• We had our last frost on Memorial Day this year. Our neighbors warned us about late frosts—turns out they weren’t kidding!
• Our “neighbors” are about two acres away.
• People around here leave the keys in their tractors (And yeah, most of the people we’ve met own a tractor).
• They also leave the keys in their work trucks. (Also a common thing to own.)
• It’s different when it rains in the country. The ground gets soggy (because most of it isn’t asphalt) and things get muddy. The water table rises beneath us on about an acre of our property and we have a little pond for a few months. We can also see the storms coming from the west. They roll in over the mountain range and seem to hover over our little valley and dump buckets before they move on.

The adjustments over the last year or so have been, for the most part, fun and rewarding. Richard is much more accustomed to the ways of rural living so isn’t bewildered by the mysteries of the well pump room or frightened of the noises in the night. (Likely raccoons outside our window.) I am coming around though—and while I may not be an expert yet, I have the cutest boots in the neighborhood.

2007, our year in review

Much has changed for us over the past few years and I've often thought that a good way to share our experiences into our farming venture is to post a blog. This seems like a good time to get started--a quick wrap up of our year, and then on to 2008.

After living in our home for just over year we've completed a few big projects, but have a long way to go! Here's a quick rundown of what we've accomplished:

• This summer Richard installed a drainage and irrigation system and had two "test" gardens on the property. He also put up a deer fence around the perimeter of the property to discourage the deer from eating our vegetables and newly grafted fruit trees. (So far the deer aren't as discouraged as we had hoped.)
• We also had a small pumpkin patch that served as a beautiful backdrop for the fall weather and fun for many of our new friends in the area. Thanks to all who helped us celebrate the changing season and our first pumpkin harvest!
• Many, many loads of horse manure and yard debris have come into our lives--and our field--over the past few months thanks to Richard's ambitious plan to build our soil into something wonderfully fertile. We will have the area's largest compost pile in no time flat!
• Over the Thanksgiving holiday we were fortunate to have a dry day to press cider from the apples on our lone apple tree, Dorothy. This was our second year pressing apples and the abundance of our harvest and the sweetness of the cider were still just as surprising and fresh to me as the first time. We are trying our hand once again at hard cider as well.

As we finalize our marketing plan for 2008 and anticipate our upcoming harvest, we'll have a better sense of how many families we can serve and which projects to put first on our list for the spring. We are learning that the work of this farm will be a gradual coming together of many pieces--a process that will change our lives over time. Much of the work of it is also in believing in our dream to provide good, wholesome food to members of our community. Doubts are part of the bargain, but so is hope and the tangible results of our work so far.

K, R & A