August- Studying Ergonomy

Out of all the tools on the farm, these two bodies of ours are most heavily used...more than the tractor, our hoes, harvest shears...I guess it goes without saying but they are the knives in our set that are most favored: worn handles, edges widdled and withering from use and sharpening. But we MUST mitigate the withering: grease the joints, and soothe the soreness, and most importantly: use these incredible bodies the way they were meant to be used and no more.
After yet another night slipping on a pair of arthritis gloves to ease the neuropathy in my hands in order to sleep, I woke up to morning coffee with Rich. He commented on my aggressive hoeing the day before in the onion patch. He said...you really GO TO TOWN when you hoe. And in fact, it isn't me 'getting the lead out', but rather an intensity within me that has been present since handwriting class when I choked up on my pen so hard, I carried indentations on my forefinger into the lunchroom. There is a beauty to a sharpened hoe, and if you hold it just firmly enough that it is snug in your hand and utilize the sharp edge of the blade, allowing gravity to carry the weight of the tool shallowly through the infiltrating roots, and out into the open air...it almost feels seamless.
Later in the morning, after our four bodies were satiated with buckwheat cakes and fruit, I headed out once more and mindfully hoed, giving my forearms a break and allowing the hoe to do its job, rather than exerting full force and carving away the soil...less quaking for the wiggling worms burrowing beneath me. Rich is a natural...I am something else. But that conscientious hoeing session reminded me that each tool, including my body is designed to perform optimally. But it's in the hands of the user to appreciate the design. Those tools are there to make it easier on my body: Further evidence that the best way is the path of least resistance.
And so goes my study of ergonomics...settling that intensity and fire and looking for the more gentle way to finish a project to completion. And in the name of going with the flow, I suppose I should pluck my heels out of the soil where they are dug in deep trying to slow the speedy pace of summer...this summer in particular. Mid-month our May, who has been with us day in and out on the farm for five years, will be packing her bento box lunch and heading off to full-day Kindergarten down the road in town. I can't decelerate the passing time enough. But I have been breaking lots of my boss's (my) rules and enjoying whimsical days of fun with the kids to capture more of that time. Isn't that part of going with the flow too? Playing when the playing is good and while the oppressive sun beats hot on an open vegetable field, draining our energy at an ungodly rate? I think sometimes, like an overworked machine's battery giving out, calling to be shocked backed to life, the best ergonomic decision is to plug in to our own energy sources: shade, repose, play, hair down...I'll love ya tomorrow, field.
What's going on:
-We're missing Oakwood Market on August 6th. Come see us at our pop up nextdoor to Ghostlight Coffee Midtown/Old Scratch Pizza Downtown on Patterson on Friday the 5th from 5-6:30 pm.
-We'll see you at Oakwood Farmers Market the rest of the month. We have a great late summer offering for you.
-Two more ewes lambed last month :)...all ewe lambs (female) this year meaning 6 additional future mama ewes. We intend to sell lamb but have been simply growing the flock in the meantime. Looks like 2023 will be our first year bringing grass-fed lamb to market.
-Our hens are laying eggs :)...It feels like Easter daily as May is collecting upwards of 4 times before bedtime, "just in case" there are more
-We've seeded fall crops and look forward to a nice variety of roots, greens, tomatoes, peppers, squash, onions, etc.