Flight of the Snowbirds

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We were busy for the first couple weeks of November, preparing the farm for winter, preserving food, and packing to flow southward.

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Kristin & her dad patching leaks atop the semi trailer barn
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sweet pumpkin pickles
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the new firewood shed about to get filled up
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peppers drying over the woodstove
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#2 – the back door of the composting outhouse
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2014 final harvest – mere hours before 16″ of snowfall began

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potato salad senposai wraps w/ bok choi, arugula, pea tips, spinach, mizuna, carrots, beets, & dill

 

November 13th was one year to the day from my last day at my internet marketing job in downtown Minneapolis. Coincidentally, it was also the day that the four of us rolled out from the farm, for 4 months of travel and working on other farms down south – WWOOFing as we did last winter.

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packing up the electric fence – and opening up the remnant buffet for the deer (who leave us all kinds of free-range grass-fed fertilizer in exchange)

Why leave? For one thing, the farm is not yet ready for us to overwinter – the well would freeze, the firewood pile is too small and uncured, the trailer is drafty. These things could certainly be overcome, but we prefer to travel anyway – escape the worst of winter’s cold, meet new people, see new places, learn new things – and spend some well-earned time away from the farm, where we have spent almost every day working fro sunup to sundown for the entire season. Winter’s frigid spell gives us an opportunity to leave the field behind for a while, and get out of well-worn ruts of routine and responsibility.

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Over the two days before we planned to leave, a storm buried the farm beneath 16 inches of snow  – and nearly trapped us there.

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in the bullseye

The snowplow took 2 and a half days to clear the road, just in time for us to leave – and our amazing neighbors Dave & Marcie helped us escape – plowing us out, and then pulling us up and out of their driveway when we got stuck there while trying to drop off some veggies as we departed.

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To start the journey off, we picked up my mom and drove with her out to Illinois, to my sister’s house – where I’m writing from now. My mom flew back to the Twin Cities after a few days – we’re staying here for two weeks, enjoying the company and beautiful home of my sister and her husband and their two whippets.

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We leave for Yokna Bottoms Farm in Oxford, Mississippi in Saturday. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. We have much to be thankful for … and look forward to leaving on our journey filled with good food and fortified by two weeks of family relaxation!

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One thought on “Flight of the Snowbirds”

  1. Oh, so wonderful to hear from you. Glorious pictures…Ahhhh greens, greens. We traveled down our muddy road today – and commented that we must send you a note – and then – there it was – a note from YOU. Thank you – thank you.
    We (me for sure) are envious of your adventure, sharing work and knowledge, 8 dogs and 4 cats.
    Happy to know you are fine, Cleo and Widget too.

    More later – I have ‘stories’ …..Marcie

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