December Chill – Fall Share #8 – 12/11/24

The other day I was walking with a dear friend whose husband is an apple farmer. In our life catch-up, she mentioned how November seems to be a really hard time for her partner.

You ever have a moment where someone describes your experience so perfectly that you feel like they are in your head? My friend did this. As she described what she witnessed her husband experience from the outside, it provided me with a certain clarity around my annual journey through the month of November.

While the season slow-down is gradual, November marks the month where we are basically done with the majority of field work. For my team, their work mostly transitions into pack shed work indoors. My work transitions into office work in my barn office.  For those of us that work outside, this transition is so very difficult. VERY.  We go from the breeze, wind, rain, smells and sights of outside (how does one encapsulate how good it feels to be outside?!) to the very stale monotonous indoors. I myself feel caged. I have a really tough time focusing. I practically run outdoors any chance there is something outside that needs doing. Pick more brussels? Yes! Pull dirty, wet plastic from the hot crop fields? Yes, please! Get straw stuck in every pocket and crevice as we cover the strawberries?  Sign me up. ANY chance to get out of the office is cherished. Any farm job, no matter how back-breaking, dirty, or cold seems better to me than sitting at the desk all day.

If you pile on top of this experience everyone’s general experience of November… i.e. gray skies, rain, and what feels like so much sudden darkness…. you can probably understand why November is a tough month for many of us here on the farm.

Like any transition, however, there is a surrender. An acceptance to the new reality. So while November is very tough for both my mind and body, I enter December fully in chill mode. Hockey is in full swing. Duties of the CSA boxes dwindle. I begin to have little freedoms during my work day, as I am no longer anchored by what the ground is producing.  Everything simplifies. There’s just my list, my office with its little heater, and me. (Well and this season, 3 kittens that hang with me in the office – precious!).  The life of the crew simplifies as well. After this week we’ll go from a team of 4 full time down to 2 part-time. With the super cold temps, suddenly being inside feels okay. I sort of settle in, and December feels oh so chill.

Thank you for support this fall season. We appreciate you so much!
I wish each of you a cozy, relaxed winter season.
Cheers,
Farmer Cassie