Notes from the Farm: My Favorite Day

Last year, Katie asked me, “Mom, when Joe and I are at school, what is your favorite day of the week?” (Her favorite day: PE-and-Music-with-Michael- and-Josie day.) I thought a little. “Wednesday, definitely, Wednesday.” On Wednesdays, Maki Lou and I had been routinely catching up on chores at the farm. We’d go down after dropping off the kids and dig up some beds, pull weeds, tangle with the blackberries — whatever needed doing. It might seem strange to pick a day of sometimes hard manual labor as a favorite, but I love spending time outdoors, working with a friend, talking, sometimes not talking… the peaceful camaraderie can calm and soothe your soul. And there are so few things in the world that you can fix or make better, but in an hour or two, you can turn a weedy plot into something beautiful.
A few more parents (and grandparents) started to join us, so this year we are making Wednesday an official, open work day. From nine till around one, we’ll be at the farm — come on down if you like, for some fresh air, an upper body work out, and some free and highly effective therapy. (Not to mention work hours!)
–Barbara Ayers, Waverly Organic Farm Coordinator