Updates from the Flats

I got stuck behind a tractor on my way to work the other day. And though I don’t support using a phone while driving, it came to the point where my speed, focus, and hand-eye coordination were not a safety hazard. (I will say without shame that I was listening to the country music station when this occurred.)

It has been a long time since I last posted– two weeks flew by without my realization. So, it’s time for an update!

Some great news from the Flats Mentor Farm– we’re finally drying up! The sun is finally shining on the farm and within two weeks, not only have the puddles disappeared, but vegetables are enthusiastically shooting up from the ground. Between the high-rising corn, rainbow colored swiss chard, and low-growing bean plants, I’m finally getting to see the Flats as it blossoms to life. What’s more is that you can literally smell the onions as you walk by, taste the basil on your tongue as it’s being harvested. There are even a few flowers that sprout up here and there.

I am glad to say that I am still learning something new every day at my internship. With the sun out, I’ve had some more tasks at the farm than in the office. That includes making sure everyone has access to water in the morning– which sounds like a simple task, but it usually takes up to an hour of making sure that it’s going to the right plots– taking a lot more pictures, and interviewing farmers on-site while they’re taking a break. One of my most recent and interesting assignments was writing a report on how the farm and everyone at FMF were affected by the increased precipitation these past few months. I am thrilled to be finally applying my writing to non-profit work; this is exactly the type of work experience I have been looking for, and now I’m exploring how to use my writing in this sort of field first-hand. Another event I’m really looking forward to is the NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association) conference in August– World Farmers has been kind enough to invite me to go. Click here to learn about the types of lectures and events that will be going on that weekend.

As far as life outside of the internship, it has been a fun and busy time. I have been lucky enough to spend time with a friend at her lake house in New Hampshire, and have friends whom I haven’t seen for over a year come visit. One night I even had a few friends over and made pizza from scratch (thank you Bobby Flay, you have a great pizza dough recipe). When you’re living at Holy Cross for the summer, however, a few people quickly becomes a dozen and next thing you know, you’re entertaining a crowd and serving “the purge,” my summer roommates’ favorite summer drink: water and cute up lemon, ginger, mint (from the farm!), and cucumbers. And maybe, just maybe, my roommates and I ended up spontaneously deciding to make pesto with that basil one of the farmers kindly gave me the other day.

So all in all, things have been going up and up here in MA. The only sad part is that soon enough, my internship will be over, as well as my time on campus for the summer… then summer vacation, then first semester, then second… next thing you know we’re all graduating….!!

Or, we can stop flipping through the calendar that quickly. We’re still only in July. Enjoy the time you have and don’t make things end sooner than they have to.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 24th, 2013 at 12:29 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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