Sorry for the delay… I arrived on the farm Tuesday and have been rather busy since. I just got a chance to set up the internets last night. I also haven’t taken a ton of photos yet, I feel like a tourist boob whipping out my camera at every single interesting thing. I’ve certainly missed a lot of cute baby photo-ops thus far (cute animal babies, that is). Just yesterday there was some feeding of a newborn lamb in the house next to the fire. It was the only one of five to survive, so a sad morning, but happy that this one pulled through and got up on its wobbly too-big legs and is now back in the barn nursing.

The area is beautiful, even when it’s all melty and muddy. Last night we got a dusting of snow, so it’s back to a lovely winter white, if you’re into that sort of thing. Personally, I’m rather done with winter and am looking forward to seeing this place put on some fuzzy green pantaloons. We were working in the greenhouse yesterday, and will do so again today. It was one-hundred degrees in there when we opened the doors… rather nice to work in short sleeves and sweat a bit, although my back is sore from preparing the beds for planting greens.

We have to feed the fire in the greenhouse a couple of times a night, and my shifts are gradually getting later and later as I am less and less the new guy. I hope the nights warm up soon, so we can all get uninterrupted sleep again. Even with the slumbertime chores I’m finding it pretty easy to get up around six or so. That might be because things wind down here around ten and I find it hard to stay up much later than that. Certainly is a schedule shift, and I’m struggling to figure out how to separate free-time from work-time and how to relax and also get other personal projects done. Today we’re taking a wee break before going out to work. Everybody is gone but Adam (the other intern) and I.

OK, it’s almost the top of the hour, time to check on the soon-to-be-mother sheep and get down to work. Expect more bland stories and flaccid insight in the weeks to come!

In order to more gently ease into the great outdoors, I went to Mendon Ponds park on Sunday with some of my most special Rochester friends. We experienced “nature” by walking through its well-groomed paths and feeding the ferociously wild Chickadees out of our bare hands. No doubt these skills will come in handy when dealing with the various domesticated fowl on the farm.

I’m currently at my parent’s house in Floyd, eating some niblets in preparation for more travel. I’ve got about three hours of driving left, hopefully with a stop in the middle to check out Troy and its curious inhabitants. I’m not sure what to expect upon arrival at Sangha Farm this afternoon. I visited them of course, and it seemed really great. I’m just bracing for it to be a big change of pace in so many ways. But, I’m excited and ready to get down to it. Keep an eye out for a plentitude of photos and more blathering… soon!