A Whirlwind Summer Month

Sweet, sweet summa-time.

Wow, talk about a whirlwind! Of course I let another month slip by without more than one post...my baddd. August came and went in the blink of an eye, and it wasn't until today that I truly had a chance to reflect on the busy highlights (why hello there, September!). This morning was the first time in over a month that I had the pleasure of sleeping in past 6am, with nothing more than coffee and some NPR dialogue (after several presses of the snooze button) to awaken and soothe my heavy and exhausted body into existence. Exhale...a weekend without ANY plans! After shaking off my sleepy but refreshed state, I delighted in a few phone calls in bed while the morning sun crept in through the curtains, my legs and toes outstretched under the covers reveling in a relaxed and un-rushed morning. A yoga class eventually followed, my first since leaving Steamboat waaay back in April (finally!). This, plus lunch downtown and an upcoming potluck at one of the other farms tonight makes for an all-around lovely Saturday in my book, and a much needed "day of rest' compared to the events of weekend's past. Here's the quick and dirty on what I've been up to the last few weeks:

Sunset and Squash.

So, the weekend after my sibs visited, I headed down to Idaho for a three-day climbfest with some friends from Steamboat that I met at City of Rocks National Park. Holy cow. The City is un-reeeeal!!! Epic rock, epic views, epic weekend...'nuff said. The weather mostly cooperated minus a late-afternoon thunderstorm that rolled through out of nowhere, making us frantically scramble to clean routes and pull ropes amid crackling lightning and booming thunder. Yowzers, that shit was cray! Thankfully, we were all spared, and lived to climb another day (safety first, people) and we definitely took full advantage of the blessing. As some of you know, I've recently taken the plunge into "lead climbing" bolted sport routes, and thus continued this quest to push my limits and rid my mind of unnecessary fear. Several 5.9s, a three-pitch 5.7/5.8, and my first 10a became the noted "lead" accomplishments of the weekend, with many a laugh, smile, beer, knee scrape, washer toss and shooting star to fill in the gaps and round out a fantastic weekend. City of Rocks, I'll be back! Unfortunately, the confidence gained on the trip was short-lived, as the following weekend back in Montana I found myself half-way up a 5.9 scared shitless, and I ended up bailing half-way up. Ya win some, ya lose some, and it just wasn't my day - so I guess I'll take the honorary "pink beaner" until next time... ;)

Cherry Toms...!

Vine-ripening Heirlooms :)

The last two weekends found me hustling vegetables at the weekly Saturday Farmer's Market, a great bonus to the bank account but at the cost of having a 6-day work week. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE working the farmer's market, but admittedly one day off after a 60ish hour work week makes for a faaast Monday turn-around and very little chill time. At least the second weekend of craziness was made all the more enjoyable by a visit with my lifemate/best friend, Laraine, up in Great Falls, Montana. She just happened to be up there for a weekend work conference, so I hopped in the car after market and made it just in time for pizza and a lengthy face-to-face gossip sesh (just barely avoiding a potential speeding ticket outside of Helena on my way up, I might add...7mph over? Seriously?! I thought this was MonFUCKINGtana, land of trucks, campers, and only recently, state-imposed speed limits that also eliminated man's favorite cold beverage from being open and shot-gun in the front seat cup holder. WTF Montana State Trooper - but thanks for the electronic warning....). It's amazing what just a few hours of face time with your bestie will do for your overall mood and general outlook. It was a quick and bittersweet send-off the next morning, but totally worth the quick trip and it won't be long until I'm reunited with all of my Steamboat faves this winter! Woop!

Full and happy belly.

Aaaand, last but not least, the fields of GVB. Not much has changed since the last post - we are still harvesting, packing, selling, eating, etc veggies out the whaa-zoo, but here are some of the most notable moments:

-TOMATOES!! omg, I haven't eaten locally grown tomatoes since...I don't know, probably childhood?! They're like crack. Or candy. Whichever your preference. Either way, once you pop, the fun don't stop. So. Frickin. Good. 
-Beans. Quite the contrary in my enthusiasm, or lack thereof. Love eating them. Absolutely HATE picking them (at least, 10 rows of 200+feet of them, which typically results in endless amounts of time spent hunched over. Shudder. Now you know why I was so pumped for yoga today.). For better or worse, we had our first "mini" frost last Friday and (not) sadly, lost all the beans; which meant I had the honor of flail mowing the shit out of them on Wednesday. Hells to the yes. Especially since the Thursday prior, we were out with HEADLAMPS until 10:30pm picking them ("it builds character" - or something like that). Yeah, sweet sweet vindication. 
-Despite the frost, Montana somehow managed another few days of record high temps in the upper 80s and low 90s. Ew. So over it. Also over the smoky air quality from all the fires. Geesh. Thankful for all the wildland firefighters still working their asses off, but seriously mother nature, how about a break already. Not sure what's in store regarding the MT and ID blazes, but a much needed afternoon thunderstorm swept through town today, and walking back to the red dale tonight I caught the first scents of fall. Pulling on my melanzana hoodie and my favorite knitted hat, I glanced at the week's upcoming forecast that listed day time highs in the mid 70s - glorious. Anxiously anticipating the upcoming seasonal changes, even if that also means chilly mornings where I don't want to get out from under the covers :)

That's about as natural as it gets, folks!

-although the farm has implemented and followed organic growing principles since it began 10 years ago, it wasn't until this past Tuesday that we became officially "Certified Organic" by the USDA. Ya-hoo!

Whelp, I guess that about wraps it up. I'll do my best to check in with another update sooner than October 1st, but a farmer never can truly guarantee anything! 

Until next time, friends - all the best.

Aaaaaaand. Being that it's the opening weekend for college football: GO GREEN!

xo,

B

heart-chu-all ;)