Farming in the shade

It took two years of Wednesday nights for the six boys to handcraft their wooden kayaks. Many nights those boys went home either full of dust or full of epoxy. Several men--some fathers of the boys and some simply good-hearted men--helped with woodworking, varnishing, and encouragement. Their labor came to fruition a few weeks ago when each boy took home his kayak. This weekend brought good weather, and with it a spontaneous desire to get those kayaks in the water. Only six of the boys could make it at such short notice. But boy, did they have fun. They kayaked around the windmill at Windmill Island in Holland. Holland is full of tourists just now, enjoying the Tulip Time festival. After all the work they did on their boats, these three boys enjoyed not just a pleasant paddle, but also authentic admiration from strangers on the island.

The weather is warming up gradually after the long winter. Things are greening up, and there is no sign of snow anymore. After a particularly warm day recently, we decided to take a quick trip with our kayaks. We live fairly near a river, which runs into a small lake, which empties into the big lake. We opted for putting in at the small lake, since daylight was short. The closer we got to the big lake (beyond the break in the trees in the photo below), the more ice we saw in the water. Public Service Announcement: kayaking in ice water is decidedly cold on the bottom. One of us forgot to take along the foam cushion she usually sits on. There was much joking about the Titanic. Not that this topic is joke-worthy; we just didn't want to end up with the same fate. As I am getting older, I find I very seldom try new things. Partly because doing the same things over and over is easier, and partly because I fear by trying new things I might get hurt or fail in some way. O...

Whenever there are a few moments of free time, The Farmer sneaks away to the workshop. He's got a project going. A couple of years ago he and our son each made a kayak .  Now they've started two more. Strip built kayaks are a lot of fiddle work.  But boy, are they going to be beautiful when they're done!

Just over a week ago, the kayaks touched water for the first time. It was a spring-like day, and the guys just couldn't resist. They didn't stay out long--just paddled about a bit to get a feel for the kayaks. The kayaks are finished, except for the varnishing.

Progress has slowed a bit, but the kayaks are coming along nicely. It's a long process of fiberglassing and sanding. Repeat. The "glassing" brings out the beauty of the wood even more. The potential kayakers want them ready for whenever it hits 50 degrees.

What do farmers do in the winter, when there is no tending the fields, no planting, no harvesting? The taxes are done (whew!), but the organic certification paperwork remains in its mailing envelope, untouched. We're still taxiing the boy to his extra-curricular activities WAY more than we'd like to be. And the lambs are still coming (though at a much slower rate of speed than The Farmer would like to see, to be honest). Actually, the sheep are much more work right now, as they need to be fed and watered and watched. In the summer, other than moving them to fresh pasture, they mind themselves. But the project that has consumed The Farmer this winter more than anything I've seen for a long time is out in the woodshop. He and the boy have been building themselves wood strip-built kayaks. I've almost been jealous of the project, because it's been so consuming. Every free moment is spent out in the shop. I think The Farmer is getting in touch with his inner Carpenter.