We’ve had some interesting adventures during our first few days on the Penner farm. As usual, I end up covered in dirt every time I step outside, and since the “experts” aren’t always dirty I can’t assume it’s because I’ve been doing some real farming. But I’m learning!
And, also as usual, I’ve made vows not to eat three times my body weight at each meal, but it still seems to happen. Sydney’s mom doesn’t seem to think seconds are enough (something tells me she wouldn’t think thirds were enough), and since I eat faster than anyone else at the table she has lots of opportunity to pile my plate despite my protests. Not helping me in my efforts to resist is the fact that Nelson’s been making a lot of the food, so there’s really appetizing stuff on the table, begging to be eaten and enjoyed.
It’s been nice to spend our first few days just being on the farm with the rest of the family. I suspect that some visits to aunts and other families in the community will be filling up the next few days, though, so the days of weeding onions, playing with cats, and hunting down tomatoes in the greenhouses may be scanter in the future.
This morning Sydney, Nelson, and I headed to the farmer’s market in Wolfville to sell produce. It was great fun! The boys, being the Penner men that they are, were more than happy to hand over the people-dealing to me, and though I had never really looked at Canadian money before I was soon happily handing over carrots and greens and making change. It’s nice going to the farmer’s market; unlike time on the Penner farm, at the market I can step back and realize that I do actually know more about farming by now than many people on the other side of the table. Interesting times. Sydney’s hoping to capitalize on the people-rush I had this morning: if I let him buy land and work up a larger garden, then I can go sell produce at our own farmer’s market in Ithaca. To me it seemed a bit cruel to take advantage of my people-high to get me entangled in major lifestyle decisions, but thankfully I had “no!” on autopilot.
Erin
Alan Schmierer