Meanwhile, other farm boulders are slowly getting pushed up the hill. Our shipping container was delivered and the driver was able to put it exactly where we wanted it to go. And we finished and placed our seed order. We solidified our greenhouse plans and the frame will be getting shipped early next week. Soon we will be out there wailing on ground posts and wrestling with steel pipe, building the place where the majority of our produce will begin is path at Lake Divide. 

This week, I also completed the general field plans for the coming season. This is just the start of my planstravaganza! One of my jobs in the winter is to make a clear enough outline of the things to come so that Summer Helen doesn't have to make a lot of decisions. The goal is to mentally walk through the activities that will happen this season and make sure that Summer Helen will have all the tools and information needed to make the best choices. Now I will decide how soon the weed the carrots after they are seeded. And how I will deal with the onslaught of critters that will also want to enjoy our vegetables. We will make contingency plans for possible missteps. We will make signs, think of recipes, streamline data entry, and the mailmerge. We will repair our equipment and fabricate new equipment. All this and more so in the flurry of the the summer fury, all she has to do is keep her head down and work, plodding (or sprinting) along the path carefully laid by Winter Helen, prioritizing based on predetermined quantifiers. I am so excited to be doing that now. To finally be laying the groundwork of our life farm. Of course, in order for the season to be a true experience, some off script things must happen. And cheesily enough, I am excited for that too. 

We are all writing the stories that make our lives. No time not to love any of it.

The pace of this winter is reminiscent of July, a time when everything happens at once and sacrifice and prioritization is key. Here are the highlights by day.

Monday: House gains some semblance of home as Jim and I unpack and put away. All I really care about is a kitchen and a bed so I feel settled already.

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent catching up on the overflowing office work. (Pricing out gravel, coordinating the delivery of the shipping container, listing our internship (if you or someone you know is interested), updating our website, getting an instagram (@lakedividefarm), and working on planning.)
I also made a giant frittata using (almost) all goods from the Dexter Market including eggs from Rustic Roots and garlic salt from Shurmur Farms. It was so good that I put a frittata recipe in here for your perusal.

Thursday: Gravel delivery (29 tons!) for the new greenhouse we will be building. I was amazed at how beautiful it is! rounded stones of all colors. Honestly, it made me feel rich! The Case 695 ("big tractor") refused to start because it was sooooo cold so Jim and I ended up shoveling a lot of gravel.

Jim sealed the upstairs balcony door (sans balcony) closed both to prevent disaster and to make our house insurable. 
Friday: I finalized the shipping container delivery and then we enjoyed some respite. We headed to the Detroit Institute of Arts with Will, Jim's brother and my wonderful friend Roza, to enjoy some creativity and each others company.

Saturday: Jim left for New Jersey with his brother to pick up his car and to supervise the pick up of the shipping container. My brother and I change the oil in my truck and worry over how the shipping of the shipping container will go and whether the tractor won't start because it is cold or for some other reason. I know worrying doesn't really accomplish anything, but I guarantee it takes up time!!

Sunday: I wrapped the tractor in a gigantic tarp and put a heater in there with it. Ultimately, after looking at the forecast and forcing my anxiety back into the closet, I ended up waiting to start it until Monday, and it starts up just fine. After wrapping the big tractor, I headed inside to research engine block heaters for it. If we want to use this machine to plow snow in the cold, it better be able to start!! 

Tuesday: The shipping container has an unbalanced load! We need to get together a crew to repack the 9,000 pounds contained within. The shipping yard agrees to let us work in their yard and not to charge us the storage fee.
Before I leaveI meet with our NRCS agent Jeff at 1 pm. We walk the property together, planning for the future. It was seriously windy and towards the end sleet was stinging our faces. Jeff suggested some cool options for creating wildlife habitat on our farm like girdling (killing a tree by cutting through the bark) to make bird and insect habitat, and selecting food producing trees (ie oak) and reducing their competition. I am so excited to really get to know all the plants and creatures at our farm.
After our field walk. I discovered a growing puddle in the basement and dug a channel to the sump pump. 
After sending out a desperate email to family, friends, and veritable strangers, pleading for help, I managed to get out the door around 3:30 pm to head to NJ. Jim managed the incoming responses to our plea as I drove. Inclement weather roughed up the ride and my head didn't hit the pillow until 3:30 am.

Wednesday: Up at 6:15 am, with just under 3 hours of sleep, Jim and I set out to meet up with our rag tag crew (Alex, Sam, Bridget, and Lara) at the tow yard. Amazingly, it only takes us five hours to complete our task and we are all wrapped up and eating pizza by 2:30 pm!  ​

Thursday: I sent out a few important emails, and headed over to my friend Jess's farm where I had some of my last Whistling Wolf items stashed in a trailer we own. A few weeks back when we were packing the trailer, Jess noticed something off with our hub bearings and volunteered to fix them for me. She fixed one the day prior, and when I arrived at her place Thursday (after spending 2.5 hours in the truck because I got lost!), she showed me how it's done. Steve, her dad, was around helping out, and we all checked my truck and trailer over, along with the load, to make sure it was safe. It was a family send off. New skill acquired, trailer loaded, hugs and tears shared, I set off to Michigan, for the last leg of the giant move. 
Of course, then I realized the trailer lights weren't working and had to stop to get a new adapter. ​

The trailer was all lit up and I was on the road home by 6:30 pm Thursday night. On the way, I stopped by the wonderful mechanic shop in Emlenton that fixed my alternator in December with a bag of candy and well wishes, and arrived (after a two hour siesta around 2:30 am) at 6:30 am. Friday morning. 

Today, after a little more sleep, I unpacked the pickup, harvested, updated our mailmerge, and now am writing this long, long email. My brain could do nothing else but list it all for you. Next email, I will share details of one event rather than the outline of all of them.

Jim is en route as I write, Exie the dog is sleeping. A marathon, at a time when we are supposed to collecting our strength and envisioning. But I'll take it!

All our love,
Helen, Jim, and Exie the dog.

Fresh from the hoop!
Choi
Kale
Garlic
Radishes
Tatsoi
Turnips