One of the best things about this farm are the people (and there are now people aplenty!). We now have eight interns, and maybe one more on the way. There are also three permanent residents that live in the house year round. I don't know how long all the interns will stay, but at the time, there are enough of us to get the work done, and kick back a little, drink a few beers, and have some fun.
Marcia, who I've written a little bit about before, is the farm owner and powerhouse of the farm. She runs a cleaning business, and takes care of the farm, and leads the interns (kind of). She tries to avoid complaining, never feels sorry for herself, and rarely says anything negative about anyone. She is even the soul of patience with her cranky, controlling husband John, the second permanent farm resident. He delivers milk to the accounts and dabbles in the cleaning business. Finally, there is Craig. He is an energetic, nervous, sweet guy in his early fifties who works for the cleaning service as well. He wants to be a farmer someday, but is cleaning in the meantime to build up a little money. Individually, I like them all pretty well. As a unit, the house dwellers make me insane. They squabble, they chatter, they mess up the house. They actually remind me a great deal of the new litter of puppies we have right now. Except they are even more ineffectual than puppies when it comes to farming.
Speaking of ineffectual...
We interns are an interesting and somewhat uninspiring mix.
First, there is me. I've been here the longest, and, as revealed in earlier postings, am clearly the bossiest if not the most experienced. If I make it til mid-April, I will have been a farmer for all of three whole months. In this time, I have learned that to be a farmer, one must enjoy physical labor, monotony, and being poor. Only time will tell if these things sound as incredibly appealing as they do now.
Caroline, our happy hippie, has been here for about two months. She is no longer quite as happy. But she is still a free spirit. She plays the guitar, songs she wrote herself, but refuses to write them down, on the grounds that she plays only to capture the moment, so the music is only true in the moment. I like her a great deal, even though she insists upon being idealistic and optimistic about life.
Tom was third to arrive. He is twenty, and has never lived away from home before. He has only recently learned how to toast bread, launder his own clothing, and imitate normal human behavior. His interests range from antiques and estate sales to helping birth the baby goats, but with very little in between. He has yet to show any initiative or personality, or willingness to help with chores. I think he will improve with age, but he has a lot of ground to make up.
Then there is Steve. He has been awesome. He works harder than anyone, and has great ideas about how to get things done in an efficient manner. Plus he has more upper body strength than the rest of us combined. He can get a little intense though. We have taken over the farm together- we write the schedule, make the to-do lists, decide what needs buying, and so on. Then we make an evil plan for how to get it done. We make a great team- he lets me be bossy and I let him do all the digging! He is also hilarious and keeps me entertained everyday.
Fifth to arrive was Ben. He is twenty-one or two, and has spent the last few months hitchhiking and train-hopping across the country. He showed up high, looking like he'd been sleeping under bridges the last few months (he had) and hadn't showered in awhile (he hadn't). My judgy side kicked right in, and I thought he'd be be awful. But he is actually a pretty responsible kid, and has taken on all the gardening. He is the only one of us that has ever done any farming before. He'll probably move on before long, but its good to have him here.
The next two interns to arrive were Charlotte and Lulu. They are 19 and 18, and soooo nice, and sweet, and seem very young. Charlotte is my new roommate, and she tells the best stories of silly things she's done, and her recent life in Germany. Lulu is more practical and levelheaded, and makes cookies frequently. Obviously a keeper. They have only been here a week, but with their arrival, things really started getting done. Though they have never farmed and aren't super strong and ask two thousand questions each, we make so much more progress now.
The most recent farm acquisition is a fifty-something year old man named Glenn. He arrived yesterday and I am already worn out. I know I should have learned from my experience with Ben to withhold judgement til I get to know a person, but I cannot help myself. He talks. And talks. And laughs loudly. And talks even more loudly. I usually appreciate talkative people and am impatient with those who are reticent, and yet... he makes me crazy. But he is very glad to be here, and has read everything about farming ever written, so I'll try to be nice.
So that is the crew. I will post pictures soon, so the characters in my story are easier to know. Until then, its back to the low-paying, back-breaking drudgery that I love!
