"Hey, you dirty hippie" and other crunchy experiences

On Thursday, all 4 of us Boston YAVs, our site leader, 3 tents, a cooler, our packs for the weekend, and assorted camping supplies crammed (and I mean CRAMMED) into a small four door sedan and set off for Maine. Unity, Maine to be exact- the home of MOFGA's Common Ground Country Fair.

MOFGA is an acronym for Maine Organic Farmer and Gardeners Association. MOFGA is a veritable smorgasbord of programs and resources for agricultural types in Maine. It organizes farm apprentice programs, coordinates policy campaigns, and publishes articles and fact sheets on almost anything someone would need/want to know about farming.
The one and only major event of the year is the annual Common Ground Country Fair. This is the place to be. People drove from all over to attend the fair; I even saw a Virginia license plate! The Fair is a one stop shop for beginners to experts, farmers to cattle breaders, kids to grandparents. I guarantee that almost anyone could find a workshop or seminar that would appeal to them or their curiosity, even if they've never planted a single seed before.

Being the ever-growing farm nerd that I am, most of the ag workshops appealed to me but workshops on canning and GMO labeling also tugged at my curiosity. Not to worry though, I got to see what I wanted to see and more!

I attended workshops on how to dry and save seeds, how to make and use soil blocks (a review of what I learned at Broadfork this summer), how to build a movable hoop house and attended an apple

tasting where I was asked to be the scribe (taking notes on what people thought of the different apple varieties). We tried around 14 varieties of apples, a few mass produced, some heirloom, and some English varieties. The favorite was a variety called Cox's Orange Pippin, an English variety.

Apples were a popular item in all parts of the festival. The five of us volunteered in the kitchen from 6-10pm the night we arrived and helped make huge apple spice cakes for the gobs of volunteers that were privy to the Common Kitchen meals. A hard cider workshop was also offered, which I attempted to attend, got lost because all the tents look the same and only caught the last 30 minutes. The logo for the Fair a few years back was apples, which we saw many people wearing this year.

To pass time while in traffic on the way out, stuck in a seemingly endless line of cars, we discussed what we learned and if we had any favorite parts. We were all very pleased with our experience and were as patient as we could be when exiting a fair with what seemed like the entire state of Maine. At one point our conversation was interrupted by a roar of laughter when we heard one of the Fair-goers greet a friend by yelling "Hey, you dirty hippie!"

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Common Ground and will return in the future if my schedule so allows... or maybe I'll make time to attend. It was that rewarding. Its comforting to know that other people, lots of other people, are interested in this movement we call "food justice." There's a term for us: crunchy. I'll wear that badge proudly.

Agape

Have you ever been to a place that feels magical and you fall in love instantly? If you have, don't you love it? That place holds a special place in your heart. If you haven't, I hope you have the incredible feeling someday.

Vermont is that place for me.

This past weekend my roommates and I spent some time in East Craftsbury, Vermont on invitation to attend the presbytery meeting of the Presbytery of Northern New England. Being the Presbyterian nerd I am, I was excited to attend a presbytery meeting in a different presbytery than my own but I was also REALLY excited to see another part of New England I had never seen before (I've never been to New England prior to setting off on this year long journey).

Our travels starting with a seemingly easy drive from our home base in Watertown, up through where Alex works north of Boston, all the way up to Haverhill, MA on Massachusetts-New Hampshire boarder. There we met with my pastor and his wife and carpooled to Vermont. Well wouldn't you know... traffic. We arrived in Haverhill later than expected but with enough time to arrive in Vermont before dark. In all, we were on the road for 5 hours. Boy was it worth the trip!

Welcome to Vermont!

 We drove through the most picturesque Vermont country side, saw road signs alerting us to be on the look out for moose (sad to report we didn't see any), and listened to all sorts of music including Mumford & Sons because lets face it, we were in a car full of Presbyterians.

Its hard to complain about spending 5 hours in the car when this is your view.

East Craftsbury and Greensboro, Vermont are neighboring towns on the Caspian Lake. My heart was full of awe when we pulled up to the lake house we would be staying for the night. It pushed all of my nature-loving buttons. Lake. Trees. Mountains. Flowers. Fresh air. And a trusty black lab mix, Shadow.

The hosts were a lovely couple, the Stoners, who are friends to many in the Presbyterian circles around Boston and the Northeast. They own a gorgeous lakehouse and allowed 8 people to crash at their place to attend the presbytery meeting the following day.

THE lake house.

Presbytery was interesting in the Presbyterian nerd sense but it was also interesting because there was some drama. I can't/don't want to go into the details but it was really different than what I'm used to concerning presbytery meetings.

What I learned during our time in Vermont is that God leads you to places and puts people in your life to teach you a lesson. This is not meant to be like a parent teaching a child but more like someone shedding light on an issues or perspective you're having trouble with or perhaps have never thought about. Vermont was a weekend of glimpses of the fullness of God. The weekend happened to coincide with a bittersweet anniversary for me and I saw little love reminders everywhere. Everywhere and in everything. God is Agape.

John 14:27- Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

Learning a new language

Things I've learned since moving to Boston:
-drop your R's
-add R's to the end of words that end in a vowel (ie: pizzar, drawring)
-Worchester= Woostah; Watertown= Wahtatawn
-shopping cart= carriage
-the Jets and Yankees are evil incarnate, its a good thing I love baseball, I will need to learn to love football
-drive like a bat out of hell to keep up with traffic... unless traffic is at a standstill, which is often

Waatatown.

Some of the plates are in the cabinet, 
some are on the dining room table.
My warm fall and winter clothes, 
that may not be adequate, 
are still in my duffel bag.
Empty boxes are stacked in the living room.
Our bookshelf needs books.
There's a bike on our back patio,
one windy, narrow staircase away from pavement. 
Nights are spent tossing and turning
on an air mattress that loses air with each movement.
Such is life in Watertown.

We have moved into our house/unit/apartment in Watertown. (What does one call a part of a multifamily house?) Its a wonderful place and has great architectural detail, the wooden floors that cover the house creak and moan, we have a small backyard, and we're a block away from a bus stop. Its what I was hoping our Boston YAV house would be.
The move in process has been a bit slow as we have been working this week as well. After dinner my roommates and I go through the boxes of donated items that almost assuredly have been sitting in garages for some time. While we have found some odd items we have also struck gold. We have tons of great pots and pans, a set of 4 matching plates and bowls from Target in beautiful condition, loads of containers for leftovers and bringing lunch to work, and even a mug with a big K on it which instantly became my favorite.

A mug made for me.

Due to the holiday we started work on Tuesday. I spent Tuesday at my church, Hartford Street Presbyterian, and I learned all about the ins and outs of the garden project. The church has partnered with the city of Natick but the city, as government tends to do, has been dragging its feet on clearing the land. We can't plant until the land has been cleared. I've also started to reach out to people and organizations that might have grants for these sorts of community garden projects but we haven't had much response in this department either. I just have to keep on keepin' on. Slow and steady wins the race I'm told.

Yesterday I was at my non-profit placement, A Place to Turn. Its a wonderful place that serves thousands of people annually. A Place to Turn (APTT) is a "choice pantry" where clients come with a referral, they are logged into the in-house database, and a volunteer or employee walks around with them as they choose what they want from the grocery area (the employee or volunteer even bags the groceries for the client). There is a color code system to designate for different family size so that those with young children can take formula and baby food, for example. APTT also has clothes, shoes, personal care items, home care items, and even some toys for little ones. I have really enjoyed my time there and the employees are friendly as can be.

As a client was leaving the clothing area this morning, talking to his friend he came with, he said "This is the best pantry I've been to... by far... by far." I just happened to overhear the comment and it made me feel like I made a tangible difference in someone's life today. What can you do but keep that in your pocket and thank God for being so blessed? I will remember that moment for years to come.

Thanks for embarking on this adventure with me.

In peace.