Vermont, USA!
Wow, ok so here I am in Vermont. Yup, so I decided that since I have about a month until I plan on leaving for Costa Rica (I have plane tickets for Dec 2!), I might as well do something useful. So I’m working for a family farm in Vermont in return for food and housing. It’s pretty sweet! The colors here are BEAUTIFUL! There are several small towns about 7 miles away but here where the farm is is mostly woods and a little river running along and back and forth under the road. The trees are mostly from what I can tell so far about the same as in Michigan, but it is way colder way earlier and it gets lighter far earlier, like aroud 6, and gets dark maybe at about 6 also. Or at least starts getting dark.
I arrived on Tuesday and spent the evening getting settled in and trying to learn my way around. On Wednesday morning the husband and the son left for a week in Ohio, and Jenn left for work at the animal hospital, so I was left alone to wander the farm, harvest pumkins, and shuck beans. It was really nice and chill. ON the farm there are tons of plant varieties, including the aforementioned pumpkins, tomatoes, potatoes, beans, garlic, onions, salad greens, squash, rhubarb, carrots… probably lots more. As for animals there are meat chickens, egg chickens, guinea hens, turkeys (Jenn likes birds a lot), cows, sheep, a horse, the neighbors male goat, two dogs and four cats. I think that’s it. The sheep aren’t in a pasture per say, they just hang out in the pastures up above the house with the horse to protect them. I guess it’s really pretty up there and they have a LOT of space to roam, I’ll have to head up there sometime. In the afternoon we picked some stuff and then went into town to delivour an order to the market. And in the evening we watched a movie.
Today I spent most of the day peeling and cleaning onions and then picking tomotoes. In the afternoon I rode a bike into the town 7 miles away to return the videos… it is a gorgeous ride! Just the right kind of small rolling hills so that it feels like it’s downhill both ways, beautiful river scenery, not too much traffic on most of the route. I think I will like it here, it’s already starting to feel a lot more comfortable.
At first it was a little awkward just BEING here, in someone elses house and not sure what my role or responsibilities are. I guess I better get used to this, but it’s worse here I think than some places right now because i’m the only one. I don’t have any other young people to hang out with or feel awkward with. I’m certainly not bored though, there’s plenty of work and beautiful places to explore, and guess where I’m staying… in the library!!!! There are so many books about plants and birds and butterflies and ecology and Mushrooms Demystified which I have started reading for real, and SOOOO many books about farming and cooking.
Well, more updates soon when something else interesting or somewhat noteworthy happens.
If any of you have ever had an urge to visit Vermont…. do it before November 18 or so! Do it now! Come visit! I don’t have any place for you to stay though, you’re on your own for that….