Perfection?

There is a game that I used to play with my sister, Avery, called; Perfection.  It is a board game, an evil board game. (And by evil, I mean, wicked fun).  There are about twenty little plastic pieces that are all differently shaped, with little handles on them.  Each piece is supposed to fit into it's exact spot on the board...but you only have a little bit of time to pick up the piece and fit it into the correct space.  Someone cranks the timer...is it a minute? ten seconds? who knows when you are a kid.  The timer is pulled back and all the little pieces are scattered on the kitchen table.  Avery yells, "go!" and I'm off.  My hands shake ferociously as I reach through the pile of pieces; the half moon, the square, the squiggly thing....so many shapes, all destined for just the right spot on this trembling board that is about to explode.  Sweat gathers on my child-size brows, determination wells up in my arms as try to move them as fast as possible....the timer clicks louder and faster.  I am down to the last two pieces...when...boom! The timer clicks with a sound that jumps my little body of the wooden chairs in our kitchen and the board evacuates each hard fought piece out of its place.  Arms to sky...Noooooo! Perfection!

That game.  That frustrating, but fun game.  That is July on the farm.

July is like a race against time.  The weeds are popping out of the board and we are trying to gather them up as fast as possible.  The timer is the the sun in the morning, calling us to race through harvest to get fresh, morning vegetables up to the stand and washed before they wilt in the humidity.  I walk around the fields day after day, making lists of tasks that can't possibly get done in the course of one week--yet we try.  We gather our strength and go about finding each piece of the puzzle to its correct place on the board.  As soon as we finish one giant task, like harvesting hundreds of bulbs of garlic, there are another thousand in another part of the field waiting to be pulled.  As soon as we gather the early potatoes from the fields, there are carrots sitting, ready, in the seeder about to be planted.  There is thinning and weeding and picking cucumbers until you hate the idea of eating pickles.

Perfection.  On a farm, letting go of the idea that everything look the way you want it to look, is the most important thing that I relearn every day.  There are always a million pieces waiting to be picked up be eager, strong hands, to find their places on the board.  And that timer is always running.  And in July, that timer is loud, and the weeds are as mighty as the heat that grows them.  And there is no perfection.  But, boy, is it a fun game.  Let's play.

See you in the fields, (or in the game room)

Meryl & the Powisset Farm Crew

 

What's in the share:

In the Barn: lettuce, bok choi, basil or cilantro choice, radish or scallion choice, onions, leeks, beets, carrots, chard, carrots, potatoes, cucumbers, squash

In the fields: beans, dill, flowers!

Flower Garden Opens!

Welcome back to the Powisset Farm flower Garden! We are so proud to have planted another beautiful flower garden this season, thanks to the leadership of our flower lady, Powisset Farm Apprentice, Kasey!  The garden has recently started blooming, and we would like to welcome you to come in and cut some flowers.  The next few weeks, it will be slow, as the flowers are just blooming, but picking the flowers will encourage more to grow!

We will provide scissors, but feel free to bring your own, or leave vases at the farm that you would like to donate!  All members are welcome to flowers each week --we will let you know how many to take up at the barn--but if you want extra, feel free to leave a donation in the drop box by the flower garden. 

Make beautiful bouquets!