2-22-10

PRIMING THE WALLS

MAKING BOXES FOR CSA PACKAGES

ONIONS FOR THE CSA

WE'RE WHERE WE WANT TO BE

IF YOU THINK THIS LOOKS CRAPPY, YOU SHOULD
HAVE SEEN HOW IT LOOKED YESTERDAY

There was a deluge of rain last night. Thunder and lightning made the dogs howl for hours. We woke up to a field of enchanted mist outside our cottage, but missed the photo op. We got straight to repairing the farm house this morning before eating breakfast. Jen worked with Laurie sorting through the kitchen: cleaning, scrubbing, and organizing. Will's mother Virginia had 18 sets of dishes all with service for 20 and countless pots, pans, and miscellaneous kitchen crap. They threw plenty away, but there are still boxes and boxes and boxes remaining, which must get double checked by Virginia to make sure keepsakes are saved. Who knows, maybe the 30th salt shaker was a gift from her great Aunt Patrice for Christmas when she was four? Or maybe that hideous candelabra was an antique that's worth something? Probably not though. Laurie is happy to get rid of most of it. Meanwhile Aaron worked with Michael, under Will's direction, and primed the second bedroom.

After oatmeal, fruit, coffee, and yogurt for breakfast, Aaron worked with Will on moving and repairing the cabinets in the kitchen, and then with Michael helping Travis, the Moore Farms warehouse manager, prepare boxes for tomorrow's CSA shipments. Meanwhile, Jen went with Laurie on an excursion all over town. First they went to Sears which is significantly smaller than any back home, to get a new stove for the farm house. Negotiations proved fruitless, and unable to get a good deal, they left and went to the post office, and then to Fred's. Fred's is sort of like a Wal-Mart or Amazing Savings, but presumably they treat their employees much better than Wal-Mart. They got lots of goodies for the new WWOOFer kitchen, along with other stuff for the house. Then back to Sears to get the stove after all, along with the hood and a new lawnmower, which was all delivered this afternoon. Because Laurie and Will live in such a rural setting, gas companies do not provide service to their area; instead they use local propane gas. The next stop Jen and Laurie made was to the propane store, where they set up an appointment for someone to come tomorrow to properly install the gas in the new stove. Then off to Aubrey's, a unique local store that sells seeds and all kinds of other farm necessities. The Piggly Wiggly was the next stop to get a few groceries to tide us all over until a bigger food shop can be done in Atlanta to get more organic and fresh edibles. The supermarket was a fairly scary experience. This place made other supermarkets look quite desirable in comparison. Alabama state laws still allow smoking in public places, so the stench of cigarettes overwhelmed the store. After a few more errands, they finally were back.

We ate rice and beans for lunch, and then it was right back to it. Aaron and Michael painted the room an off-white and then Aaron helped Will build a bed frame for the bedroom. Jen and Laurie tackled the kitchen again and spruced up the bathroom. All these chores needed doing, and they were exciting for Will and Laurie, who have wanted to renovate the farm house for years, but have been unable to because their mom's lived there. While we learned valuable house repair skills, we both looked at each other at one point and said "I want to learn more about farming."