muddy hands.

the skin around my fingernails are mud-stained and cracked, remnants from my first week on the farm. it's hard to believe that only a week has passed, my time here feels significantly longer than seven days. maybe this feeling of length is from all that i've already observed and learned.

four seasons farm in maitland, canada is an organic farm that specializes in lettuces but also grows AMAZING heirloom tomatoes among other delicious vegetables. it is owned by nancy and david, co-managed by their son, owen, and german farmer to be, sina. (prounounced "xena" in correct german pronunciation.)  the fall 2011 intern team includes melissa (who has been here since may), nick (who arrived in august), renee (who arrived one week earlier than me) and me. i am the only american and i occasionally get made fun of/applauded due to my 'merican accent, quirky sayings and expressions. i don't mind it at all, it serves as a fun platform from which many jokes emerge. and to further display my american pride, i proudly belted out the national anthem, with my hand over my heart, while sina hummed the tune on her kazoo and the others watched from their seats around the glowing campfire. i tried to channel whitney houston as best as i could during the highest notes.

it's nice to sit here and write, to let my thoughts wander and have my time, be that. MY time.  to make farm working times efficient, schedules have been set in place. the work day starts at 7am with an oatmeal break (i find that to be so cute and greatly appreciated! an OATMEAL break!) at 9:30 am. the bulk of the work day is from 10-ish until 2pm, when we sit down for lunch. thankfully, lunch time is an hour so after we eat, there's generally 30 minutes to rest, to check email, to read a chapter of a book or whatnot. i really enjoy working as a team (and feel grateful to be with a group of like-minded people with similar life values and interests), and i'm also finding that in between those social working times (when we harvest collectively or work side by side) i appreciate my time alone. it's nice to have that balance--of community and solo solace. after lunch, we work from 3-6, sometimes though, when duty calls, such as preparing produce for market days, we work until all the tasks are done and dinner is served at 7pm. i like how the duties are shared and as a team, we look out for each other. household duties are also divided and shared, so even the least fun tasks are more enjoyable.

one of the things i noticed immediately (and love very readily) about being here is that farm work helps me see and appreciate life in the simplest, fullest ways. i am aware of the smallest of shifts, a strong breeze that will temporarily prevent a mosquito from biting me, a sudden break in the sky on a grey cloudy day that yields a bright blue, sunshine after the rain, the warmth and mesmerizing swirls of a camp fire, the joy of the first bite of any and every meal, the crisp smells of freshly cut cilantro, basil, and tomatoes, resting my head and falling effortlessly into sleep.