Check Out That Head Gear!

Apprentice Tim proves that one doesn't have to give up fashion in order to be a farmer.

Relaxing Sunday

Today was a very relaxing Sunday. I spent most of it in Cowichan Bay, a small village not far from the farm. My first stop was True Grain Bread where I bought a coffee, an almond croissant, and a loaf of flax 'n rye bread. The last time I visited True Grain Bread, the girl behind the counter told me my pronunciation of the word "croissant" was excellent, so I felt some pressure to repeat that success. Today's result, of course, was my butchering of the word "croissant" and some confusion as to what exactly I was ordering.



Next, I went out back to the docks to look at the houseboats and wonder what life on the water would be like. I also made sure to eat, drink, read, and be merry. I'm trying to finish The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs. I've joined Farmer Brock's book club and I'm supposed to have the thing done by Tuesday. I'm on page 226 of 376. I like to leave things to the last minute because I'm totally bad ass.



It was while reading on the docks that I saw this:



I'm not exactly sure what was going on, but rest assured that man, dog, and kayak remained afloat and a-okay.

Also while visiting Cowichan Bay, I saw some unusual use of boots. Flower pot boots! Check it out:





And here I've been wearing my boots on my feet like a sucker!

Easter in Vancouver

Last weekend, I headed to Vancouver (pictured above) to visit my friends Jon and Julia. I had a splendid time, including a potluck Easter dinner (featuring a ten pound ham), an incredible dinner out at a sushi and oyster restaurant, shuffleboard and Molson Canadians at a Royal Canadian Legion, a delicious breakfast, a mysterious plant sale, and all-round good times.

Here are some other things that happened:

1) I bumped into some dudes without torsos. No biggie.



2) I hung out at Long Life Place. I wasn't there long, but it felt like forever.



3) I leaned against this ride to impress all the ladies.



4) I stuck Jon and Julia's cat, Ten Brooks, into a box and poked at him. Hilarity ensued!



5) I hung out by the docks and swore like a sailor.



6) I couldn't resist taking a picture of this handsome dude on the ferry between the Mainland and the Island.



7) I saw this beautiful business on the same ferry ride where I saw that handsome dude with the Blue Jays' hat. I guess beautiful things come in pairs?



8) Back on the Island, I stopped at this magnificent vista along the side of the highway between Victoria and Duncan.



Happy be-lated Easter! I hope you celebrated the occasion by putting some Peeps in the microwave.

5 Photos of Rhubarb

To be honest, I know nothing about rhubarb. Until I gave it a nibble the other day, I wouldn't have been able to tell you anything about its taste. (It's got a little kick to it! But not my favourite.) The plants don't mind the cold, so they're one of the more successful and established crops on the farm right now. Despite rhubarbs' poisonous leaves, the ravens still enjoy pecking at them, so that's why there's netting covering all the beds.

Irrigation is Pretty Cool

I think I kind of love irrigation. Seriously. I'm all into the diagrams, hoses, pipes, sprinklers, levers, clamps, and other bits and pieces.





This isn't to say that irrigation isn't frustrating. It's crazy frustrating. Farmer Brock is still trying to figure out a system for his fields that finds a nice balance between cost, manpower, water conservation, efficiency, and water pressure management. The result has been many attempts and experiments involving burst pipes, broken clamps, and getting wet. I'm finding that I have a knack for somehow getting soaked while everyone else stays bone dry.



Above is what you call a "scarecrow." When Farmer Brock first mentioned that we'd be putting up scarecrows, I was excited because I thought we'd be constructing straw effigies with old, floppy hats and rusty pitchforks. How wrong I was! Silly, Apprentice Mike. Instead, "scarecrows" are these fancy motion activated sprinklers that are meant to scare away the ravens who are busy pecking away at the rows of garlic. When activated, they look like this:



Reason #1 why Apprentice Mike is always getting wet while setting up irrigation systems? He's the only idiot wandering down the line taking pictures:

In summary, I think irrigation is pretty cool. That and it's much easier to work with 3/4 inch hose than one inch hose.

Motley Farming Crue

From left to right: Apprentice Jill, Apprentice Tim, Apprentice Me, and Farmer Brock.

(Photo by Heather)

Attention Alex Davis of Oakland, California!

Above is a picture of Alex Davis' dog. The dog's name is Tank. Alex Davis and I made a bet based on the legitimacy of this email. Alex Davis lost this bet. As a result, he owes me a pitcher of beer! Tank did not partake in this wager.

When I return to Oakland, I look forward to drinking from this pitcher of beer.

(Photo by Alex Davis)