Yesterday I took some time to clean all my garden tools. I soaked them for a few minutes, then scrubbed off all the caked-on red mud and chicken manure. I took a wire brush to the rusty spots and today I will apply a thin coat of oil to stop any further rusting.
As I cleaned I remembered all the hours of hard labor on this farm, working alone and getting to know my own physical limitations and the strength of my willpower during the days spent forking mulch around my trees and turning compost, cutting new furrows into the spring garden, and sweating through the tear-inducing frustration of trying to pick-ax a planting hole in dry, red clay. There are so many stories behind each of these tools. There’s the hand maul that finally did in my rotator cuff while I was splitting wood during this winter’s polar vortex and the elegant little hand weeder that was a gift from an exboyfriend who did more than any one else save my parents to support my farm dream. I don’t ever want to lose my favorite short-handled red cultivator, which I bought to use at this farm’s predecessor, my community garden plot in Arlington, and that’s almost always at hand. And of course I’ve prepared homes for hundreds of trees and plants here using that one shovel and a couple trowels.
For historical perspective I’ve kept a couple of delicate “Lady Gardener” tools that I was given as a skinny kid who just wanted to dig in the dirt. I guess I’m not a lady gardener now that I’ve graduated to the man-size tools, but if you’ve ever seen me caked in dirt, sweating and bleeding and cursing as I try to bend the earth to my will, you’d know that anyway.
This humble little collection of steel and wood is what brought Bonafide Farm to life. The least I can do to thank my tools for their service is give them a garbage can bubble bath and a little hot-oil rubdown.
Hello! I just wanted to finally thank you for having such a great blog- I love your writing and beautiful pictures! When I discovered your blog in March, I immediately sat down and read through the whole thing. You’re a huge inspiration to me, as a teen who wants to have a farm some day. I’ve had a vegetable patch for a few years now, but you inspired me to take the next step and order chicks! Everyone always asks how I’m ever going to manage acquiring a farm without marrying into a farming family, but you are living proof that it is possible
Sorry for the long, rambling post. I wish you all the luck in the world with your gardens, chickens, and dog!
Thanks!
Caitlin
I so love your blog and pictures!!
Hi, Caitlin!
Thanks for your lovely letter. It really touched me that my lifestyle has had such an effect on you.
I have no doubt you will have a wonderful farm some day. You are already on your way with the chicks. If there is every anything else I can do to help, let me know!
Also check out http://www.coldantlerfarm.com and http://www.diydiva.net for blogs written by two awesome farming ladies who might give you even more inspiration.
Best of luck with your farm!
Thanks for reading, Kate!
Thank you so much for responding! I’ll definitely check out those websites.