While Rufus was on the road today, I worked on harvesting for the CSA; 150 lbs of tomatoes, 120 lbs of summer squash, 40lbs of pickling cucumbers, and about 100 heads each of joi choi and fennel. I make the familiar trek from garden to pack shed with a full crate of veggies and by the time I take my last load in around 3:00 pm, my arm muscles are quivering beneath the weight of the haul. I take a much needed break for lunch, which comes out of the oven just as Rufus is pulling into the driveway. We share some baked pasta, a few tall glasses of water, and then go into packing mode. It’s pleasant to be in the coolness of the pack shed in the afternoon heat. We listen to music and snack on melons and ice cream as we pack boxes. Around 7:00 pm, I head into the house to catch up on laundry, dishes, and the mayhem that is our house in the summer. Rufus hops on the tractor and cuts some more hay. When darkness finally falls on the farm, it’s time for a long cool shower and crashing into bed in the A.C. These long summer days really take it out of us. There is nothing like a good night’s sleep from sheer physical exhaustion. I sleep like a dead woman, which is great, because we have to get up and do it all over tomorrow. 

~Joy