Back from the Barrens

So, when you think about it, I must really like contrast. I go from here - from this lush, green, temperate farm which is all about growing things - to there, the tundra, with continuous permafrost and less than 5% vegetation cover (and none of this vegetation more than about 10 cm tall!). And back. It's a whole other world at 73 degrees north, and I'll get around to putting those pictures up sometime soon - but for now, I'm just really happy to be back at Greenfields.

It's phenomenal, how much a farm changes in a month when that month is from the summer solstice to now! My garden is a riot of colours and, until yesterday, weeds. They're harvesting all sorts of good things, including peas, lettuces, kale, chard, basil and I don't know what else (because I haven't been here!) up there. I did go for a walk up to the field, and saw lots of weeds too. I forgot to take the camera.

But then, really, all the pictures today should be gratuitous dog pictures. Is this not the best looking dog you've ever seen? Hard to believe that's Boris! He doesn't stink, he doesn't have dreadlocks, he doesn't look like he's a portly old dog. The difference a haircut makes - it's like the makeover pages of a pet magazine! This Boris, I love to touch (and I don't feel like I need to wash my hands after touching him!). If he only knew how much more likely he is to get belly rubs when he's this sleek, groomed dog, I'm sure Boris would have a frequent client discount card with the doggie stylist!

There is other animal news, too: Ruth has taken Fay and the baby (who now has a name, it's Finnegan) and Nemo to another farm. Instead, she has Barry keeping Odin company, and Nicos in with Hobo. I always laugh when I look at Odin, for one with such a large name, he's an awfully small horse. Oh, and those things at the right is what happened to those incredibly cute, fluffy yellow things that we saw pictures of in the spring! That's what happens to roosters: they grow. They also go through rooster puberty, in that their voices change. I'm not kidding, right now they sound like a kid playing with one of those blow toys you get in loot bags at birthday parties. Sort of like going "cock-a-doodle-doo" on helium. But those poor suckers, they have no idea what's going to happen... tomorrow morning, they get to go for a car ride. Tomorrow evening, the freezer will be full of - well, you can figure it out. Farm life.

And this week, there will be no Lorenz on a tractor photo (instead, just for fun, I give you one I took of Ruth on Lorenz's tractor back in June!). It's hard to take pictures of Lorenz on his tractor when he's whooping it up at the Stampede in Calgary. Of course, when the boss is away... the farm crew works even harder! There is a cast list on the office door - Tara has been declared "king pin" in his absence, Sean is the "weed scout", Justin the "scroll writer" and J.P. the "harvest manager". Boris got supervisor and Ruth was assigned disciplinarian, everybody gets a job! Except me! Because me, I get to loll in my bed when I hear them getting the van ready to go harvest before 6 a.m. in the morning. I get to roll over, look at the clock, and think "crazy farmers". For me, every day at Greenfields is like the boss is away, because Lorenz is not the boss of me! (it seems trolls get uppity if not kept in check...)

So, epic adventures behind me or not, I am glad to be my usual ornery self in the red barn. When Lorenz gets back, I'll revert to following him around and pointing at various implements and asking "what does that do?" and then acting all smart-like on these webpages. Does it not strike you as funny that the one person who bubbles on about this whole farming thing on-line is the one who doesn't actually farm? But then, I bring you a farmer on a tractor picture almost every week, and the only thing better than chicken pictures are tractor pictures... (with apologies to Fred Eaglesmith for bastardizing his one-liner: "and everybody knows the only thing better'n a chicken song is a tractor song!")

Ah, summer. Finally.

Posted by Johanna at July 20, 2004 10:54 PM