Just a sum up of what I've learned about myself, other people, and my surroundings
1) It's ok to just sit and chill for a bit. This is how great conversations get started! This "talk time" doesn't need to be a scheduled "coffee date" or "bear trail date," it can just happen on it's own. Planning for it really takes the fun out of it.
2) Defining the term "busy"...what does it really mean? Are you too involved in one thing to start another? Or are you just procrasting? Do you put schoolwork above friendships? "Sorry I didn't call you for the past month, I was so busy." ---> Too busy for one twenty minute phone call? Ouch!
3) Weather: um, so I didn't really learn that much here. I already knew that it doesn't rain in Waco. I also already knew that it's just stinkin hot. Dry kind of hot, not humid. I didn't know it gets up to the 105's though. New info!
4) The best way to herd goats: yell "HEYYYYY GOATS!" and try not to sound too intimidated or intimidatING. Both ways make you look stupid or scares the goats.
5) You are not working the hardest. By you, I mean me. Some else is always working harder. Humble yourself. But it's not a competition, just do your best, forget the rest.
6) Definition of a community, a group who works together in a cohesive fashion. We got a lot of chores done, sure, but we also got to know each other, learn from each other, and have fun together.
7) Texas is still the best state, but there are some pretty cool other ones out there too. I just can't remember their names ;-)
8) Don't assume. We all know what assuming does! Ask if you are unsure.
9) Africa is a continent! I used to think it was just a country with thousands of uncurable problems. One step at a time, we can make a difference.
10) How to use a bread machine. Make sure that the pan is INSIDE the machine before you dump all the ingredients inside. Hehe.
Monday
Sunday
Lasts days...ah!
Monday June 29th
Wow, last day! Couldn't believe it when I woke up this morning. Tried to pretend like it was a normal day, but it really couldn't ever be "just normal," as I was very sad to leave my friends. I know that I will be back to visit, but it will never be the same as actually living there, in community with one another.
Morning chore started off easy. I started off taking meat inventory in the Ed building freezer and in the dorm freezer. All went well until I opened up the 2nd freezer in the dorm...to find out that it had been off all night. The meat at the top was squishy...some had ice crystals, while others were barely cold. I want to estimate that we threw away 50 lbs of meat. I would have personally thrown away 20 lbs more, but others thought that it would be okay to just cook it really quickly and then freeze it again.
Sunday June 28th
I really cannot believe how quickly time has flown by at the farm! I go home tomorrow...ah!
Woke up this morning and took Brandon to UBC. Can you believe that I hadn't been there for church during my entire Baylor "career?" For those of you in the dark, UBC is, like, the Starbucks church for young folks. Very cool place, though I really needed some natural light. Sermon was excellent, as I saw a few familiar faces. It's always strange for me to be at Baylor now, because I feel like I am a member of the farm life, not Baylor life. So when I see people that I recognize (aka aren't friends with, but have seen them on campus at some point in time), I feel like I am not a part of "that" anymore. Does that make sense?
Took a three hour nap today. WHY!?!? I guess that's one way to pass an afternoon!
This evening we went to the Hess' for a little BBQ action. I had already eaten dinner, as I didn't even know we were having a party...shame shame! Guess that was announced while I was driving to DFW airport Friday afternoon. It was still really fun...again, just sitting around, talking about whatever subject came to mind. Turns out that both Matt and Sarah went to Baylor and worked for Flash at one point. They both took turns guessing which sorority I was in, which was really funny to compare stereotypes and such of BU students and greek life members. It was a great evening and I finally hit the sack at midnight. That's probably the fourth night in a row that I went to sleep so late. Can't blame a girl, I just love to sit around and talk!
Saturday June 27th
Woke up early today, which isn't unusual, considering that I am such a morning person. Read the paper, ate some breakfast, and just chatted with some folks near the porch swing. That's one of the things that I will really miss about this: community. A sense of "hey, let's just talk" without having to verbalize that we are scheduling this time together. At BU, people don't have time to just hang out and talk, they just want information about your life or about whatever pertains to them, then they want to move on. Hopefully, I will embrace the former rather than the latter after this experience.
Ran into town to shop a little at Target and run by the bike store. I am looking for a bike to cruise about campus on and to possibly take to Cameron park to ride trails with. Now, I have never really been a biker, but I think it's a good hobby, as it's low impact and you can always find a group to go with you. Next semester I plan on going with that bike shop group to CP whenever I can. I didn't purchase a bike, but I will look at other stores in Houston to see what the prices are like.
This afternoon just sort of hung out...went with Swathi to the Hess's to babysit their kids. I was only there for 30 minutes or so, but those girls are so darn cute! Later on, Melody, Brandon and I went to go find a basketball goal at the local high school. However, there was none to be found. So, instead, we decided to make ourselves as human basketball goals and just sort of goofed around that way. Makes you get creative when you have limited resources!
A former member of the farm, Susan, came today. She is going to start the PeaceCorps soon, at the end of August. In Senegal, I believe? Very cool girl. She's going to help with chores this week, as 4 other members of the farm crew are road tripping it to Illinois for a Christian music festival. Sounds like a lot of fun! Most of the drive is, undoubtedly, driving through Texas. Yee-haw!
Wow, last day! Couldn't believe it when I woke up this morning. Tried to pretend like it was a normal day, but it really couldn't ever be "just normal," as I was very sad to leave my friends. I know that I will be back to visit, but it will never be the same as actually living there, in community with one another.
Morning chore started off easy. I started off taking meat inventory in the Ed building freezer and in the dorm freezer. All went well until I opened up the 2nd freezer in the dorm...to find out that it had been off all night. The meat at the top was squishy...some had ice crystals, while others were barely cold. I want to estimate that we threw away 50 lbs of meat. I would have personally thrown away 20 lbs more, but others thought that it would be okay to just cook it really quickly and then freeze it again.
Sunday June 28th
I really cannot believe how quickly time has flown by at the farm! I go home tomorrow...ah!
Woke up this morning and took Brandon to UBC. Can you believe that I hadn't been there for church during my entire Baylor "career?" For those of you in the dark, UBC is, like, the Starbucks church for young folks. Very cool place, though I really needed some natural light. Sermon was excellent, as I saw a few familiar faces. It's always strange for me to be at Baylor now, because I feel like I am a member of the farm life, not Baylor life. So when I see people that I recognize (aka aren't friends with, but have seen them on campus at some point in time), I feel like I am not a part of "that" anymore. Does that make sense?
Took a three hour nap today. WHY!?!? I guess that's one way to pass an afternoon!
This evening we went to the Hess' for a little BBQ action. I had already eaten dinner, as I didn't even know we were having a party...shame shame! Guess that was announced while I was driving to DFW airport Friday afternoon. It was still really fun...again, just sitting around, talking about whatever subject came to mind. Turns out that both Matt and Sarah went to Baylor and worked for Flash at one point. They both took turns guessing which sorority I was in, which was really funny to compare stereotypes and such of BU students and greek life members. It was a great evening and I finally hit the sack at midnight. That's probably the fourth night in a row that I went to sleep so late. Can't blame a girl, I just love to sit around and talk!
Saturday June 27th
Woke up early today, which isn't unusual, considering that I am such a morning person. Read the paper, ate some breakfast, and just chatted with some folks near the porch swing. That's one of the things that I will really miss about this: community. A sense of "hey, let's just talk" without having to verbalize that we are scheduling this time together. At BU, people don't have time to just hang out and talk, they just want information about your life or about whatever pertains to them, then they want to move on. Hopefully, I will embrace the former rather than the latter after this experience.
Ran into town to shop a little at Target and run by the bike store. I am looking for a bike to cruise about campus on and to possibly take to Cameron park to ride trails with. Now, I have never really been a biker, but I think it's a good hobby, as it's low impact and you can always find a group to go with you. Next semester I plan on going with that bike shop group to CP whenever I can. I didn't purchase a bike, but I will look at other stores in Houston to see what the prices are like.
This afternoon just sort of hung out...went with Swathi to the Hess's to babysit their kids. I was only there for 30 minutes or so, but those girls are so darn cute! Later on, Melody, Brandon and I went to go find a basketball goal at the local high school. However, there was none to be found. So, instead, we decided to make ourselves as human basketball goals and just sort of goofed around that way. Makes you get creative when you have limited resources!
A former member of the farm, Susan, came today. She is going to start the PeaceCorps soon, at the end of August. In Senegal, I believe? Very cool girl. She's going to help with chores this week, as 4 other members of the farm crew are road tripping it to Illinois for a Christian music festival. Sounds like a lot of fun! Most of the drive is, undoubtedly, driving through Texas. Yee-haw!
Friday
end of the week
Friday June 27th
Spent the morning organizing, sorting recycling materials, and just putting things back in their spots (a lot of things got moved away from their "home" for the benefit last night). I was happy to do this work, as it meant I could stay indoors. I was really busy and it took most of the morning...just thankful to be out of the sun.
Stopped working around 11:45am to take a quick shower and take Jess (the livestock intern) to the airport at DFW. She is going on a much deserved and much needed vacation with her family in Philadelphia and Nova Scotia. Anyways, she needed someone to take her to the airport, so I volunteered to drive. Not sure why, as I have problems staying awake when I am by myself driving...but I did volunteer nonetheless. I also drove to Austin and back last Monday, and to Houston and back last weekend, not to mention that I drive back to Houston on Monday afternoon. Lots of car time!
Took me 4 and 1/2 hours round trip to go the 120 miles (one way) to the airport. Couldn't believe it took that long. AND couldn't believe how many times I ran into traffic. Literally hit hard traffic about 5 times. I hate I-35 so much and I wish it was 12 lanes across like I-10 in Houston. Listened to the radio a lot and all I heard about was Michael Jackson. I didn't realize what a huge impact he had on the world. The man who did the choreography for Slumdog Millionaire said that Jackson's dance moves really influenced him choreographer as a child. I mean, INDIA! I really like to think that Jackson isn't dead, that he faked his death, went to an island that he purchased with money made from his recent concert, and is living away from the media, finally. May he rest in peace.
For the first weekend ever this month, I won't be leaving the farm to visiting relatives, set up my apartment, or attend a wedding. I will stay at the farm, run some errands, get some good stuff done.
At least, that's the plan!
Monday is my last day here...wow. Can't believe that June has flown by to quickly. Summer school starts soon after July 4th...I can't say that I am excited for summer school, but it is always nice to start something new.
Thursday June 26th
Wow wow wow. BUSY day! Today was the WHR benefit/fundraiser dinner in downtown Waco. It was a lot of fun and we had a lot of participation, but boy was it a lot of work! We had a chef cater the event, and she was gracious enough to do it for free.
Menu:
Cream of vegetable soup with yogurt and parsley
cucumber salad
African meatloaf <--- ok, so that's not the name of it, but that's what it really was.
vanilla custard w/ nilla wafers, caramel topping
It was wonderful! The WHR vols and interns worked as the serving staff, which turned out quite well. We each got to serve a table and "cater" to their needs. I say "cater" because it's not like we can change a set menu if the guest does not like it, just gotta work with what we have! My table was super nice and I did not have any problems at all. Some of the urban gardening kids attended and talked to the dinner guests. Matt, the education director, had a whole program set so the dinner guests could hear about all that the farm does. Last year, we had this event on the farm and we served 35 people. This year, it was at the Palladium downtown, and we had 70 guests. Woo!
In the afternoon, I was using Matt's truck (which logged in at 511,000 miles. Read: NOT possible!) to run errands and pick up supplies for the party. Had to pick up rental stuff like drapes, glasses, silverware, etc.
Once the guests left, we finally got to eat the meal around 9 pm or so...boy were we starved! The dinner was so good though. There was a lot of food waste, as the portions were way too big for people to finish. It made me sad that we had to throw it all away. No way Campus Kitchen could legally recover any of that food...once it's been served on a plate, we cannot touch it. That's what happens when you serve a huge main course and have three other courses to compliment it.
I forgot that we were the ones setting up...which meant that we were the ones who had to clean up too. Every table, every scrap, had to be put away and thrown away. It took a while to get everything loaded into cars and sent away, but having so many people help makes it go by a lot faster. There were many leftovers (like vegetable broth, sliced cucumbers, whipped cream, etc) that we sent back to the farm so we could eat off it for a few days. I didn't think that there was that much food, but I was definitely wrong. 3 other girls and I spent at least an hour putting back food, freezing it, and making decisions as to what stays and what goes. It was quite a time. We put all the food in the 3 fridges in the main building.
I had never been in the "Ed building" at 11:30 at night, but it's kind of creepy. Not to mention that there are roaches living there. I counted about 5 or 6 just scurrying about...they really give me the creeps. I am also freaked out by lizards, but roaches are much more...disposable is the word I will used. I have no qualms about using Raid on the roaches...heck, just did it the other day on the three that I found in the bathroom. To treat my roach phobia, I try to send out vibes of "they are more scared of me than I am of them." This treatment sometimes works, but lately I haven't had much luck on scaring them off. Guess I am not a very scary person!
Didn't go to bed until midnight tonight. Wow. That's the latest I've gone to sleep here at the farm. And boy I was feeling it Friday morning!
Spent the morning organizing, sorting recycling materials, and just putting things back in their spots (a lot of things got moved away from their "home" for the benefit last night). I was happy to do this work, as it meant I could stay indoors. I was really busy and it took most of the morning...just thankful to be out of the sun.
Stopped working around 11:45am to take a quick shower and take Jess (the livestock intern) to the airport at DFW. She is going on a much deserved and much needed vacation with her family in Philadelphia and Nova Scotia. Anyways, she needed someone to take her to the airport, so I volunteered to drive. Not sure why, as I have problems staying awake when I am by myself driving...but I did volunteer nonetheless. I also drove to Austin and back last Monday, and to Houston and back last weekend, not to mention that I drive back to Houston on Monday afternoon. Lots of car time!
Took me 4 and 1/2 hours round trip to go the 120 miles (one way) to the airport. Couldn't believe it took that long. AND couldn't believe how many times I ran into traffic. Literally hit hard traffic about 5 times. I hate I-35 so much and I wish it was 12 lanes across like I-10 in Houston. Listened to the radio a lot and all I heard about was Michael Jackson. I didn't realize what a huge impact he had on the world. The man who did the choreography for Slumdog Millionaire said that Jackson's dance moves really influenced him choreographer as a child. I mean, INDIA! I really like to think that Jackson isn't dead, that he faked his death, went to an island that he purchased with money made from his recent concert, and is living away from the media, finally. May he rest in peace.
For the first weekend ever this month, I won't be leaving the farm to visiting relatives, set up my apartment, or attend a wedding. I will stay at the farm, run some errands, get some good stuff done.
At least, that's the plan!
Monday is my last day here...wow. Can't believe that June has flown by to quickly. Summer school starts soon after July 4th...I can't say that I am excited for summer school, but it is always nice to start something new.
Thursday June 26th
Wow wow wow. BUSY day! Today was the WHR benefit/fundraiser dinner in downtown Waco. It was a lot of fun and we had a lot of participation, but boy was it a lot of work! We had a chef cater the event, and she was gracious enough to do it for free.
Menu:
Cream of vegetable soup with yogurt and parsley
cucumber salad
African meatloaf <--- ok, so that's not the name of it, but that's what it really was.
vanilla custard w/ nilla wafers, caramel topping
It was wonderful! The WHR vols and interns worked as the serving staff, which turned out quite well. We each got to serve a table and "cater" to their needs. I say "cater" because it's not like we can change a set menu if the guest does not like it, just gotta work with what we have! My table was super nice and I did not have any problems at all. Some of the urban gardening kids attended and talked to the dinner guests. Matt, the education director, had a whole program set so the dinner guests could hear about all that the farm does. Last year, we had this event on the farm and we served 35 people. This year, it was at the Palladium downtown, and we had 70 guests. Woo!
In the afternoon, I was using Matt's truck (which logged in at 511,000 miles. Read: NOT possible!) to run errands and pick up supplies for the party. Had to pick up rental stuff like drapes, glasses, silverware, etc.
Once the guests left, we finally got to eat the meal around 9 pm or so...boy were we starved! The dinner was so good though. There was a lot of food waste, as the portions were way too big for people to finish. It made me sad that we had to throw it all away. No way Campus Kitchen could legally recover any of that food...once it's been served on a plate, we cannot touch it. That's what happens when you serve a huge main course and have three other courses to compliment it.
I forgot that we were the ones setting up...which meant that we were the ones who had to clean up too. Every table, every scrap, had to be put away and thrown away. It took a while to get everything loaded into cars and sent away, but having so many people help makes it go by a lot faster. There were many leftovers (like vegetable broth, sliced cucumbers, whipped cream, etc) that we sent back to the farm so we could eat off it for a few days. I didn't think that there was that much food, but I was definitely wrong. 3 other girls and I spent at least an hour putting back food, freezing it, and making decisions as to what stays and what goes. It was quite a time. We put all the food in the 3 fridges in the main building.
I had never been in the "Ed building" at 11:30 at night, but it's kind of creepy. Not to mention that there are roaches living there. I counted about 5 or 6 just scurrying about...they really give me the creeps. I am also freaked out by lizards, but roaches are much more...disposable is the word I will used. I have no qualms about using Raid on the roaches...heck, just did it the other day on the three that I found in the bathroom. To treat my roach phobia, I try to send out vibes of "they are more scared of me than I am of them." This treatment sometimes works, but lately I haven't had much luck on scaring them off. Guess I am not a very scary person!
Didn't go to bed until midnight tonight. Wow. That's the latest I've gone to sleep here at the farm. And boy I was feeling it Friday morning!
Tuesday
Americorps update, more goats!
Wednesday June 24th
I literally feel like I am wilting. My energy levels are like this...(picture me making a hand motion of an airplane crashing and the sound effect of it "burning." Thus, the "crash and burn").
Got up early to feed the goats, as the majority of the farm crew went on that field trip. Had to give some of the kids some medicine, which was kind of weird to shove a syringe down their throats. Wait, you've never done that before either? Weird.
We attempted to finish winnowing and threshing the wheat today. Threshing is completed, but winnowing is not. I had to hang up my basket early so that I could go lay down..the heat is just really getting to me. Part of the problem is that I left my Nalgene at home this past weekend, so it's difficult to measure how much water I am really drinking. I usually got for 3 nalgenes per day, which is about 96 oz. Without it, I am probably drinking half of that simply because I don't force myself to drink as much. My body can definitely tell that I am lacking water!
Decided to take a break this afternoon and am currently at my apartment just relaxing, blogging, doing some research on Master's programs/DI's. DI = "dietetic internship," aka what I have to complete in order to sit for my Registered Dietitian's exam. Also need to drop off my Americorps application at the office in downtown Waco. Not that that's far away.
Everything in Waco is so relative. Everything is maybe ten minutes away, at absolute maximum. Is there traffic? Not really. Do you have to plan to arrive 15 minutes early in case there is? Absolutely not.
I am cold with the A/C on. This is grand.
Tuesday June 23
Wowza! Long day today again. Woke up around 6ish (it just seems like it gets earlier and earlier...getting harder to wake up that early after a long day!) to milk the goats. Swathi and I are starting to get into a rhythm, so that was nice. We got some help herding the goats this time, which was wonderful! Helps to have a few more bodies just to guide the goats down to the main pasture. Granted, they sort of went crazy once they got to the main pasture (before we led them to the southern most pasture where they were supposed to be), but nothing as crazy as last time. I don't think I will ever get used to getting goats to move by either:
a) pulling their chain around their neck
b) gently/not so gently pushing them front their backside (think: goat hips)
c) using their ears to pull them forwards, or
d) pulling their tail upwards and pushing
Surprisingly, d) often works the best. Very strange! Certainly do have a mind of their own.
Went back to weed whacking today. Man, I really love that thing. MUCH easier than that darn push mower. Chris said I looked scary with my garb on. Granted, I wear a brimmed hat, safety goggles, and a bandana covering my entire face. And my body is completely covered in dirt. Got a really cute dirt tan, showing where my socks ended and my pale skin began. How is that scary? ;-)
After lunch, I drove Chris to the doctor and swung by the FCS kitchen to borrow some knives for the WHR fundraiser banquet on Thursday. The dean's secretary was there...please note that I did not shower before I went to do this. Secretary looks at my face, then glances at my legs, then looks back up at my face again. Ha! Guess she was not expecting me to be a student. I was kind of glad that my dean wasn't there. Not that I think she will judge me, but I think that she would get a real kick out of my filthy state.
Drove back to the farm, did some emails, some Americorps application stuff, then I went off to feed the kids again. Last night I got lucky, as someone else volunteered to feed the goats while I was driving to/from Austin. But I still have one more morning and, potentially, one more evening to feed the goats. Then, Esther comes back and I will be free!
I am not supposed to feed the kids until 6pm, so I had a little time to kill before then. I decided that a good time killer would be the new farm sport: killing flies. Now, I am a quasi-coordinated person, so I figured it wouldn't be so bad, and it actually turned out to be a lot of fun! Well, ok, maybe not a lot. But pretty fun. After the genocide of the flies, it was like a fly graveyard in their. One way that I would sucker the flies in: wait for them to "care" for their dead, then, WHACK! SUCKER! Every once in a while I would yell "SUCKER!" just for a little gratification. I think the milkers in the next room started to think that I was borderline crazy. Can't believe it's taken them that long to realize this fact.
Tonight/tomorrow the farm gang was invited to go on a "field trip" to another farm and see how they run their operations. There will be cheese making and other fun activities. I decided to stay behind, as someone had to feed the goats in the morning and deliver food to the Palladium for our benefit Thursday evening. Takin' one for the team.
Now I am all showered and clean. It's nice to get rid of that ol dirt tan!
Monday June 22
BIG INTERVIEW DAY!!! AH!!! (scroll to the bottom if you really want to know!)
First off, I signed up for landscape chores this week, meaning...more weed whacking! YES! Today, my landscape power tool of choice was the lawn mower...gives me a little variety from the weed whacker. I drove the farm truck down the street and picked it up from the repair shop, then brought it back. Should've known that it was going to have trouble all morning long. Whenever I took it on a slope or the weeds/grass got to tall, the thing would stall out. To prevent it from stalling, I had to pull the blade in the air, let it spin out, then proceed with mowing. As you can tell, this trick did not work everytime, and the engine just stopped. I thought that I would easily be able to start it again...just push the choke/gas lever and pull the cord, right? NO. Had to get a boy to pull it everytime. Probably asked someone around, whoever was just right there, about 10 times during an hour and a half to get things moving again! Good grief.
Only worked outside for that short time because we had another World Banquet. Remember last time how the kids were given a card: low, middle, or high income...and had a meal/seating arrangements that corresponded to their income level. High sits in a chair, has a table, silverware, a server, plenty of food on the plate. Middle sits in a chair, no table, with a bowl of beans and rice with spoons, small plates, and a small glass of water to drink. Low sits on the floor, with a bowl of rice, use fingers to eat with. This group of kids was wonderful. They were probably middle school aged (like the last group) but were from a church in Ft Worth. Some great discussions afterwards about unequalities, fair trade, corrupt corporations, etc. Wonderful to see the kids slowly grasp it.
A funny thing that happened: the upper class guy wanted to give his food to the lower class, but only after he had eaten the pasta (what he considered to be the best part of the meal). What a great symbol for the upper classes' world view! We are given so much, and are only willing to give once we had have the best part of the lot. Just simmer on that for a bit ;-)
Ok, here's what you really wanted (and had to scroll all the way down here for)...Americorps update! I had the interview today at 3pm at Baylor. Made sure that I was clean, combed, and had dry hair (this was truly an effort, btw!). The interview was more of a "does Americorps want Campus Kitchen as a partnership organization?" instead of "is Christine the best person for the job?" Now, the latter question was part of the equation, yes, but not the majority of it. The interviewer still has to talk to her supervisor about the situation, so we will see what goes on. I really do not want to disclose any more information at this time, so, if you have any other questions or want to know more about it, then feel free to ask me. But I just don't want that information floating around the net, ya know?
After the interview, I scrambled back to WHR to gather some cold goods to drive to Austin for the chef for the WHR fundraiser banquet on Thursday evening. I had to put lots of lbs of meat in the freezers, jet over to the gas station for bags of ice (so cheap, who knew?!?!) and then drive to Austin. I was nervous about traffic, as I didn't leave til 4:50 or so. I was having a case of the "bad attitudes" while I was driving, as I was extremely tired from driving to Houston and back over the weekend, and driving to the Woodlands and bk (meaning Houston). So I had already driven about 7 hours over the course of the weekend, and here I was about to add four more. No one was around to go with me, so the "sickness" soon spread to my mood.
I got a call about 35 miles into the drive (while I was at Subway...hm..meat!) that I had forgotten to bring the fair trade purple rice and quinoa with me. There was a debate as to whether I should turn around or not. I ended up calling the chef and she told me to not worry about it, just keep going. Thank goodness! My bad attitude slowly lifted after that call, as Swathi was so nice to me, informing me that I could call her later on if I needed help staying awake (I didn't have to that, but it was nice to have the option). Also, Amber was really nice on the phone, which made me feel guilty for being such a poopy pants! I arrived in Austin at 110 miles, dropped the meat off with the chef's husband, then drove back to Waco, arriving there at 8:50 pm.
So that was my afternoon slash evening! Wow. Can't believe how quickly it went by! One minute you're mowing the yard, fightin off the heat, the next minute you are at Baylor getting interviewed for an important position that affects your entire future, and the next you are driving to Austin wondering why there is no Buc-ees truck stop! Haha!
Sunday
3rd weekend
Saturday/Sunday June 20th/21st
Wedding day! Thought about going to the gym, but I've just been so tired on the weekend...definitely when farm life ends I will be hittin up the SLC hardcore.
Catherine came with me to the wedding, which made it so much more fun! We drove down there around 4, wedding ceremony was at 5, got to the reception around 6:30 (slight scenic detour, iphone saved us with the map application, yet again!). 3 course meal, appetizers, bride and grooms cake...it was very nice! Lots of fun dancing with graduated ADPi's, felt like old times. It was really nice to get to see everyone all dressed up. Quite a rare occassion for me to be dressed up as well. It was the first time for me to wear makeup in 20 days (since June started). Glad to spend some Q.T (quality time!) with Catherine...reminds me of what good friends we are!
Catherine spent the night and went to church with us, then met up with her boyfriend David and his family, who also attend our church. Trying to remember when I met David...but really I can't even pinpoint it! We've known their family for 10 years, at least, I would say. Funny how he ended up at Baylor, dating one of my best friends, and we still go to the same church! God works in such mysterious ways.
Last full week at the farm this week, can't believe how fast it has flown by! Americorps interview tomorrow...ahh! Pray that it all works out.
Friday June 19th
Today was spent cooking pizza dough and figuring out how in the world to accomplish the task without totally flubbing it. Luckily, Amy was able to help me in the kitchen. She made a wonderful quinoa salad and helped me make Tomato and Basil pizza and a "mexican" pizza (corn, black beans, salsa, cheese). Honestly, I didn't get to taste the second one as I had to peace out early to drive home to Houston for the wedding. I tasted a bit of the T&B pizza (got the part without the cheese, I don't do cheese) and it was good. Still couldn't believe that we made a pizza from scratch, with ingredients from the garden. How cool!
Drove home to Houston that afternoon, tried my hardest to avoid traffic. It's that darn Aggie section of Hwy 6 that always messes me up. Wasn't too bad this time, but I figure it's about time for them to wrap up that construction. It's been going on for over 3 years!
Coming home is always a little adjustment to get used to at first...it's just weird being in A/C and not being outside a lot like I am here. But I got used to it and by the time Sunday came around I knew that I had sort of adjusted back to the real world. Haha.
Wedding day! Thought about going to the gym, but I've just been so tired on the weekend...definitely when farm life ends I will be hittin up the SLC hardcore.
Catherine came with me to the wedding, which made it so much more fun! We drove down there around 4, wedding ceremony was at 5, got to the reception around 6:30 (slight scenic detour, iphone saved us with the map application, yet again!). 3 course meal, appetizers, bride and grooms cake...it was very nice! Lots of fun dancing with graduated ADPi's, felt like old times. It was really nice to get to see everyone all dressed up. Quite a rare occassion for me to be dressed up as well. It was the first time for me to wear makeup in 20 days (since June started). Glad to spend some Q.T (quality time!) with Catherine...reminds me of what good friends we are!
Catherine spent the night and went to church with us, then met up with her boyfriend David and his family, who also attend our church. Trying to remember when I met David...but really I can't even pinpoint it! We've known their family for 10 years, at least, I would say. Funny how he ended up at Baylor, dating one of my best friends, and we still go to the same church! God works in such mysterious ways.
Last full week at the farm this week, can't believe how fast it has flown by! Americorps interview tomorrow...ahh! Pray that it all works out.
Friday June 19th
Today was spent cooking pizza dough and figuring out how in the world to accomplish the task without totally flubbing it. Luckily, Amy was able to help me in the kitchen. She made a wonderful quinoa salad and helped me make Tomato and Basil pizza and a "mexican" pizza (corn, black beans, salsa, cheese). Honestly, I didn't get to taste the second one as I had to peace out early to drive home to Houston for the wedding. I tasted a bit of the T&B pizza (got the part without the cheese, I don't do cheese) and it was good. Still couldn't believe that we made a pizza from scratch, with ingredients from the garden. How cool!
Drove home to Houston that afternoon, tried my hardest to avoid traffic. It's that darn Aggie section of Hwy 6 that always messes me up. Wasn't too bad this time, but I figure it's about time for them to wrap up that construction. It's been going on for over 3 years!
Coming home is always a little adjustment to get used to at first...it's just weird being in A/C and not being outside a lot like I am here. But I got used to it and by the time Sunday came around I knew that I had sort of adjusted back to the real world. Haha.
Wednesday
Rest of this week
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Thursday June 18th
Took a while to fall asleep last night, can certainly feel it today.
Decided to abandon wheat winnowing again today and opted for...WEED WHACKING! YES!! Now, many of you know that I have an intense love for power tools. Years of Workcamp experiences have allowed me to appreciate mechanized tools in all their glory. Now, I had never weed whacked before, but I figured it was like lawn mowing, only it took longer. Note that I haven't exactly mowed a lawn since I was 12, and note that I am sort of left handed, which means I am, like, 50% more likely to die from a power tool (because they discriminate, vast majority are only made for righties. Uf.) I did some WHACKING around the Nic house and garden, as well as around some trees. But my favorite part was cleaning the ditch up. In the ditch, around the sides of the ditch, just everywhere. I was only supposed to go where a lawnmower is unable to go, but I sort of got carried away. I loved seeing a weed and then, BAM!, knockin it down and watch it lay waste to the hot sun. I admit, several times I yelled, "YES!" when I whacked a huge weed. I think this love comes from an innate love of destroying things. Don't we all just want to destroy things sometimes? Farmies kept asking me if I was tired. No way! What a blast. Gave me a nice "dirt tan" too. Managed to wear my bandana over my face, as that prevented the dirties from flinging up there. I was very, very filthy afterwards.
When I do chores like that, chores that can be strenuous because you are operating machinery, I think "Wow, this would be a GREAT time to work on my ambidexterity." Does anyone else ever think that? Like, this is THE TIME, right NOW, do or die. As I keep using my right hand, I realize how much less efficient it is than my left hand. When I was milking yesterday, it did this whole arthritis bit where it started cramping and I could feel the bones pushing against each other. Stupid hand.
Tomorrow I am cooking! Gonna cook pizza and already made some oatmeal peanut butter cookies for dessert. Thank goodness Amy is helping me...it's so much more fun to have someone else in there with you. Making the dough from scratch.
True story: I have never used a bread machine before. We never made bread when I was younger, it was never a "cute idea" or a "fun activity." We just bought it. I don't think I knew what a bread machine was or how to make homemade bread until I took Food Science at BU. Anyways, I wanted to make pizza dough in the bread machine. Directions said to just put all the ingredients in there, select "dough," and let her rip. So, I did just that. An hour an a half later, after the buzzer dinged, the mixture looked the same...the flour, salt, yeast, none of it had baked. Amy gave me a hug and said "Did you put it in the pan first?" Wait, what "pan" are you talking about? Anyways, HUGE mess, gross. I am not angry, just wishing that I didn't have to stay up late to cook dough! A learning experience, that's for sure!
Fed the goats again today. Honestly, I am really scared of the couple of "big goats" that are in there near the kids. One of them head butts the other one and it just made me nervousy. I was wearing flip flops too, so that didn't didn't ease my anxiety. I didn't want them to step on my bum toenail (which fell off last week!). I felt like the flies were breeding in the dairy barn. It has now become an official farm sport to see who can obliterate the most flies at one time. Brandon is quite good at it!
Just found out that I have an interview w/ Americorps on Monday next week...I am SO excited slash nervous slash anxious. You betcha I'll post the results here.
Wednesday June 17th
As I typed "17th," I was thinking in my head "Holy cow! June has flown by!" Then I realize that I should probably change that statement to "June has sweated by!" Haha.
This morning I worked in the garden, gettin' my hoe action on, gettin' rid of those darn weeds. I decided not to winnow the wheat again, as I discovered I had too much energy in the afternoon/mornings from sitting around and not moving. FYI, we don't use pesticides to get rid of weeds, but occassionally we use minimal amounts of pesticides IF the pests get too bad. One of them is an insecticide for a certain type of caterpillar, which destroys their digestive tract when consumed. Suckers.
Afternooon milking with the dairy gots. Did I tell y'mention that I had a stress dream about milking? I think that I am getting ever so slightly better at it, so hopefully we won't repeat that dream again. Lucas turned on "All Things Considered" on NPR, which made the time go by so much faster. There was an excerpt about a girl texting champion...she won $50,000. Woah. I read about her in the paper. She texts 400-470 texts per day. Ridic-ulous.
After my afternoon milking session, I fed the kid goats in the early evening. They love love love the milk replacement stuff we give them, which smells like sugar cookies. It's like a liquid Krispy Kreme donut (see previous post for KK reference) for goats. Very addictive. Brandon showed me how to do it, so it was much easier with his guidance. We filled two buckets with milk replacer and water, then put these little "nipples" on the outside of the bucket, which flows to the inside. Then you go into the kid pen, and they go CRAZY, you sort of kick and shove a bit until you can set it down. It's pretty hysterical.
Had a good meeting with Matt regarding CSA veggies for Campus Kitchen in the fall. That meeting got me really excited for graduation, made me want to just get out of school and put more CK stuff into action!
This was my first "full day" of work. Usually I don't have that many chores to do all in one day, but today I did. After my shower and a quick dinner, I sort of zonked for about an hour, then read for an hour, then went to sleep. Makes me feel like a weenie, as the interns do so much more work than I do everyday. Much respect!
Monday
week 3
Tuesday June 16th
For those who are truly curious, yes, I am all better from Sunday night's sickness bought. Thank goodness! Still don't know the culprit of the sickness, I am just glad that it is over. The fan blowing softly on my face did wonders for my sleep. I hope that sentence was poetic enough.
Funny story: I had a stress dream last night about milking the goats this morning. I dreamt that Jess (our livestock intern) had us on time schedules for each milking tasks and that I wasn't fast enough. Reason I had the dream is because I am not very fast at milking, so I get stressed because I am not good at it. Is anyone else like this? If you aren't good at something, then it makes you like it less? I can say this is true for certain sports too, all of which I am not good at. Case in point: volleyball, golf, throwing a frisbee, etc...But milking turned out to be fine today. Swathi and I did well, I was so proud! At the end of milking, we have to herd the goats down the road a little ways to their pasture. You can probably imagine two females walking around yelling "GOATS! GO!" and grabbing goats by their ears and hindsides. It must be kind of funny to watch, but really not funny at all if you are there. We managed to get them all to their field (with Carl's help, of course!) and were very thankful when it was over.
After we finished milking (we missed devotionals), I was "in charge of" more wheat winnowing. Such a therapeutic task, but it does get old after doing it for two days previously (Monday and Friday). Later on, Amy and I got to use 2X6's to break up the wheat chaffs in a huge barrel and separate it from the hay. I do love me a good hit. Makes me really want to learn how to kick-box, STAT.
Had a fantastic Campus Kitchen meeting this afternoon with Anna, AGAIN! We are so full of ideas, it's sort of ridiculous. We met with Shirley of Restoration Haven, our primary community group, and talked about nutrition classes, exercise classes, cooking classes...we were all over the place! I love checking my email in the afternoon and see 15 emails in the inbox! Basically just everyone on the CK team writing back, saying "Yes, I agree! Great idea!" and executing these ideas. BAM!
Monday June 15th
Woke up this morning after completely sweating out last night's torturous affair. No fan = no air movement. And sleeping in your underwear doesn't always relieve the situation either. Also, having diarrhea/vomitting in the compost toilet/in a plastic bag is really no fun, in case you ever considered multi tasking like I did. I wasn't sure what it was that I ate, but it was definitely dinner, as the evidence positively indicated. However, I don't think that chickpeas and vegetables make you that sick. Using my convenient food safety knowledge, I am still trying to brainstorm how it all happened and how it will NEVER happen again. I think it might have been due to the heat, but I really haven't found evidence to support that hypothesis (NERD!!!). Finally fell asleep after 2am and awoke at 6 again. Wow. Long night! Whenever I throw up (which is rare, about once every 4-5 years or so), it makes me realize that I could never survive as a bulimnic.
Wasn't feeling too well this morning, so I decided to winnow wheat again (and not go out in the fields), which was considerably more lonely this time because I had no one else doing it with me. Luckily I brought my ipod with me, so at least I could be soothed by the finer medleys of Journey and Boston. Later on, Brandon came and chatted with me for 2 hours or so. We always have such great conversations! Relationships, the future, the purpose of education, etc. I felt bad because we were especially shorthanded today (with one other intern as a sicky poo, another left for home this week, and another left for a long weekend). I sometimes feel like winnowing isn't strenuous, so therefore others are working much harder than I am. But it is a chore that still has to be done!
Milking the goats twice this week instead of just once and am cooking on Friday. Whoop! Gotta find a good recipe. Also, leaving for Houston on Friday for a wedding on Saturday evening. It'll basically be a big ADPi shindig.
For those who are truly curious, yes, I am all better from Sunday night's sickness bought. Thank goodness! Still don't know the culprit of the sickness, I am just glad that it is over. The fan blowing softly on my face did wonders for my sleep. I hope that sentence was poetic enough.
Funny story: I had a stress dream last night about milking the goats this morning. I dreamt that Jess (our livestock intern) had us on time schedules for each milking tasks and that I wasn't fast enough. Reason I had the dream is because I am not very fast at milking, so I get stressed because I am not good at it. Is anyone else like this? If you aren't good at something, then it makes you like it less? I can say this is true for certain sports too, all of which I am not good at. Case in point: volleyball, golf, throwing a frisbee, etc...But milking turned out to be fine today. Swathi and I did well, I was so proud! At the end of milking, we have to herd the goats down the road a little ways to their pasture. You can probably imagine two females walking around yelling "GOATS! GO!" and grabbing goats by their ears and hindsides. It must be kind of funny to watch, but really not funny at all if you are there. We managed to get them all to their field (with Carl's help, of course!) and were very thankful when it was over.
After we finished milking (we missed devotionals), I was "in charge of" more wheat winnowing. Such a therapeutic task, but it does get old after doing it for two days previously (Monday and Friday). Later on, Amy and I got to use 2X6's to break up the wheat chaffs in a huge barrel and separate it from the hay. I do love me a good hit. Makes me really want to learn how to kick-box, STAT.
Had a fantastic Campus Kitchen meeting this afternoon with Anna, AGAIN! We are so full of ideas, it's sort of ridiculous. We met with Shirley of Restoration Haven, our primary community group, and talked about nutrition classes, exercise classes, cooking classes...we were all over the place! I love checking my email in the afternoon and see 15 emails in the inbox! Basically just everyone on the CK team writing back, saying "Yes, I agree! Great idea!" and executing these ideas. BAM!
Monday June 15th
Woke up this morning after completely sweating out last night's torturous affair. No fan = no air movement. And sleeping in your underwear doesn't always relieve the situation either. Also, having diarrhea/vomitting in the compost toilet/in a plastic bag is really no fun, in case you ever considered multi tasking like I did. I wasn't sure what it was that I ate, but it was definitely dinner, as the evidence positively indicated. However, I don't think that chickpeas and vegetables make you that sick. Using my convenient food safety knowledge, I am still trying to brainstorm how it all happened and how it will NEVER happen again. I think it might have been due to the heat, but I really haven't found evidence to support that hypothesis (NERD!!!). Finally fell asleep after 2am and awoke at 6 again. Wow. Long night! Whenever I throw up (which is rare, about once every 4-5 years or so), it makes me realize that I could never survive as a bulimnic.
Wasn't feeling too well this morning, so I decided to winnow wheat again (and not go out in the fields), which was considerably more lonely this time because I had no one else doing it with me. Luckily I brought my ipod with me, so at least I could be soothed by the finer medleys of Journey and Boston. Later on, Brandon came and chatted with me for 2 hours or so. We always have such great conversations! Relationships, the future, the purpose of education, etc. I felt bad because we were especially shorthanded today (with one other intern as a sicky poo, another left for home this week, and another left for a long weekend). I sometimes feel like winnowing isn't strenuous, so therefore others are working much harder than I am. But it is a chore that still has to be done!
Milking the goats twice this week instead of just once and am cooking on Friday. Whoop! Gotta find a good recipe. Also, leaving for Houston on Friday for a wedding on Saturday evening. It'll basically be a big ADPi shindig.
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