4/16/10- 4/18/10

4/16/10
6:45 a.m.

There is nothing like taking a morning piss in an outhouse and seeing your breath, but honestly, this pee hole/ outhouse thing is the most comfortable thing I have ever sat on!

Oh and did I mention there is a window to look out at the farm while you sit on the hole and just like last night… the view was impeccable.

4/16/10
6:55 a.m.

I have realized Eric is a princess.

I question this aspect of his personality as he tries to shave his face and he responds, “A girl needs a certain amount of comfort.”

4/16/10
10:45 a.m.

Morning chores done!

Just fertilized the plum trees and mulched them = spread shit around the bottoms of baby trees.

Hard work = I feel good.


4/16/10
“Meeting New People”

The WWOFER (volunteer farmer) from last year is a rad woman from Minnesota. She brought whoopee pies from a place called “Big G’s.” They were amazing…peanut butter filling…yummy!

The old Wwoofer, my employer, and I built a fence for the pigs’ new pasture. We had to get these huge rods out of the ground and transplant them along with the metal fencing.

It sucked.

My arms hurt afterwards, but I knew it was really good for my muscles.

We, then, talked about the man we will call the wwoofer’s boyfriend (he’s her boyfriend let’s be honest, terminology can always be a challenge, I definitely know this). He is Greek, they all call him “The Greek.” He’s Greek and he is also a boat builder.

Also, I forgot to mention: the old wwoofer is 21. She left college in search of other things. She landed here at the farm last July/ August and now is just like family towards the owners of the farm. The wwoofer will be working part-time at the farm and also at a dairy farm in a town called South China, Maine.

Yes, for all of you non-mainers, South China is a town in Maine and for the record there is also a China, Maine; Mexico, Maine, and Paris, Maine; just to name a few interesting town names.

The wwoofer informed us that China, Maine is the only town/ city in America named China. I doubt this, but plan on researching it at a later date.

I would just do it now, but internet access is not super good out here… very slow for the likes a city girl like myself.

Later, we all eat ribs and the boyfriend comes over. Eric and I have been vegetarians for a long time and Sadie had never ate meat, but I rationalized it as they were “happy pigs,” ha!

4/17/10
6:20 a.m.

And we wake up and there is snow! I say there is a lot Eric says, no it’s barely any.
We are in a cabin with no heat, any snow at all is a lot to me.

9:45 a.m.

Chores done.

Luckily, the snow has stopped and it really isn’t too cold out.

One of our employers is off to auction and the other is headed to a Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association (MOFGA) in a different part of Maine, so we are free for the day… yay!!! Off to Hussey’s and then Damariscotta.

4:20 p.m.

We went to Hussey’s! The sign outside did advertise it as a place for “Guns, Wedding Gowns, Cold Beer!” like everyone had told me.
I got lost on the way there and we ended up in Augusta, Maine… the capital city. I got flustered and upset. Flipped out a little bit, but broke down and got an iced coffee from my secret, favorite place…

We turned around and I made Eric get out and go into a lonely gas station to ask for directions.

We then made it to Hussey’s.

We got our rubber boots (and camo hats, it was buy one, get one free!) and then headed to Damariscotta.

I love, love, love Damariscotta. Such a cute town, we got library cards, got on the internet!!! And took out some movies and Eric got a book… (“Arctic Tales” & “Black Stallion” for Sadie; “This is What Democracy Looks Like,” for Eric and I and Eric got a Phish biography).

We then went to one of Maine’s finest, “Reny’s,” and got gloves to use to work. We heard there was a midcoast sustainable living expo at the local YMCA so we hit that up, but this didn’t last very long.

We were in and out. Good space, though. Eric ate a “Big Mac” meal from McDonald’s and back to Whitefield we went. Now it is off to chores.

4/17/10
9:15 p.m.

After chores today while I was cleaning the milking contraption our boss asked me if I wanted veggies and meat for dinner tonight.

Being the newly, non-vegetarian, I kind of did want some meat; but had no clue how to cook it. I told her this and she pulled out some cabbage and ground pork. I had no idea how to cook ground pork. She said it’d be easy, so I took her word for it.

We got back to our cabin, Eric went to get water from the hose across the street and I started on dinner. There would be rice, cabbage and my attempt at pork patties.

The cabbage was steamed just right and a combo of the rice with the butter that came from the one cow here, named Liberty, and it was just lovely. But then there was my attempt at pork patties. First, I boiled the frozen ground pork. Eric laugher, later told our friends, Ryan and Sarah via cell phone conversation and text message respectively, but I just kept on cooking.

I threw some onions in with the pork and while the meat seemed a little tough, I found the meal to be an ultimate success. The red wine I was drinking did not hurt a bit.

Now it is off to pee right outside the doorway because at this time of night I am a little too scared to walk the twenty feet to our outhouse. Wish me luck!

4/18/10
7:10 a.m.

Eric is off to take a shit. His description of his crap today is “Herculean.” Ha!

I made oatmeal for breakfast. I put too much salt in so it sucked. No amount of raw homey or rice milk could subdue the taste of salt. 