Season’s Changes; Decisions Decisions!

When I first arrived at the farm, it was still late spring, and a lot of things were still in the early stages of growing. It felt like plants were taking foreeeever to get going in those first few weeks. And I even jumped in well after Stephan had already seed started, and done some transplanting already! But my how things have changed in these three months! The Zinneas I so timidly pruned when they were small, are now bushed out and in full bloom. The grapes which were the size of small peas when I arrived, are now turning purple and getting close to being ready! Farm resident Sarah, planted a bunch of Dahlia tubers in the ground in May and June, and how they’re full plants, with beautiful blooms! Sunflower seeds that I watched get planted are now 6-12 feet tall. The tomatoes in the high tunnel, which were barely 2 ft tall when I arrived, are now crowding the ceiling, and have fruits just falling off the vines! It is the season of abundance, and its SO life giving. Seeing what this earth provides when we actually steward it well is just incredible. It’s the reason summer is my favorite season. The heat is just a small price to pay for this wonderful produce coming from the land.

But despite the lush and bountiful surroundings I get to exist in, life is not devoid of changes and things to contemplate. My fellow intern Cristina has returned home. She is an RA this year in her dorm building, and had to get back to school early. Her bubbly, warm, cheerful and energetic presence is definitely missed here! I’m back to occupying this intern apartment by myself, and I have to try a lot harder to be social. Turns out, living with an extrovert provides opportunities for social interaction at a much higher frequency than what I typically provide myself as an introvert. Who knew??

I also hit a phase in later July where I began to miss home more. Being able to visit home around my family trip reminded me how much I like my little Evanston neighborhood, as well as my apartment and neighbors. There are pros and cons to urban and rural life. Rural life is much slower, calmer, and more peaceful in many ways. But urban life is much more convenient…many necessary places are walkable, access to public transit is great, there is a huge variety of food, grocery and entertainment options all around… and I miss having many of my friends in close proximity (which is why I’m so grateful for the many visits I’ve received!)

I’ve lived abroad a few times before, so I’m not a stranger to the uprooting of life for an extended period of time, nor to the concept of culture shock and that there is always a period of missing home. Since the beginning of my time exploring the possibility of quitting my job to come work on a farm, I debated on the amount of time I should spend away. Some close friends of mine pointed out that if my goal was to learn, then I should jump all in and stay for a full season if possible, to get a more complete idea of what it might be like; from planting to harvest, to winterizing. I decided that’s what I wanted to do, and was lucky enough to receive enough support from my community to allow me to do so. But here I am, in the middle of the growing season, now questioning whether I actually want to stay that long!

I’ve been thinking and processing for a few weeks, reflecting on what it is I’ve been hoping to get out of this experience, and considering outside factors that I felt had influence on whether or not I -should- stay or not. Ultimately I’ve come to the decision that I do indeed want to stay the full season, like I planned all along! While I’m happy with my decision, it didn’t come easily or without a personal loss, and the knowledge that I’m missing out on more things back home while I finish out my time here. But I’ve been trying to take solace in the beauty of the nature here, and seeing the gardens continue to grow and thrive, and taking it as a reminder that I’m lucky and blessed to be in this place. The farm staff I work with have been warm and supportive, and its been lovely to be able to get to know them more as we work together through the season. I’ll be staying at the farm until mid-October, and I’m excited to watch this land evolve as the season turns to fall.

I also wanna update on some little things I’ve been doing around the farm! I’ve started making flower arrangements for the farmers market, with flowers cut from the garden! We usually get 10-15 bouquets each week that vary depending on what’s in bloom, and from what I’ve heard, they all sell out each week!

I’ve also slowly been working on some directional signs for around the farm, so guests can more easily figure out where they’re going, and I finally got some of them hung this week! Take a look!