Dear Farm Journal,

I love that Rufus pushes me to learn skills that I am initially inexperienced in and uncomfortable with. Today we built some sketchy scaffolding which I hesitantly made my way up to remove some hardware from a shop entryway. I was extremely uneasy and thought about how much my elbow still hurt from a few days ago when I hopped off the kitchen counter and my wool socks slipped on the wood floor, sending my elbow and head slamming to a stop at an alarming speed. Now I was much … much higher off the ground and operating a hammer, massive crow bar, and electric drill. I proceeded with extreme caution. I felt better when we properly secured the scaffolding. I was surprised at how my confidence slowly grew and I achieved the task in less time than I expected. Within minutes I was on the ground and operating a circular saw for the first time, a tool I have managed to avoid up until this point. My natural clumsiness, spacial unawareness, and high probability for error and accident have lead me believe that I should not operate power tools beyond the electric drill. However, Rufus gave me a sexy pair of safety goggles, instructed and encouraged me, and after a few cuts, I wasn’t sure what I had been so afraid of. I appreciate that he treats me as a true partner, not designated to any social norm or bull shit weakness appointed to the female gender, but a true equal.

~Joy