Yes!

Well, I am about three weeks behind with blogging but a lot has been going on.  First of all, now that we are in full swing with harvesting food for 375 families, our days are even busier!  Our mornings start promptly at 7:00 a.m. which means I usually wake up between 5:00-5:30 a.m. to get ready for our long day.  Jeff says "The harvest truck waits for no one!" which means our boots better be strapped, our bladders emptied, and our sunblock applied by 6:59 a.m. so that we can go-go-go until our hour lunch break around noon.  Then we start back up promptly at 1:00 p.m. until about 5:00-6:00 p.m. depending on how the day turns out.  We work about 55 hours Monday-Saturday with only Sunday off but that's what needs to happen to get everything done.  Our week begins with a check list of 100 things and we end our week with an even longer check list!  Farming is squishing 12 months of work into 8 1/2 months.  Four months in, I am feeling a bit fatigued but still loving being a farmer!  So, despite being hungry, tired, and dirty all the time, I am still happy!  A woman with a newborn said to me "Wow!  You sound like a new mom!"  Except, I probably get a bit more sleep.

Here are some fun pictures of the past three weeks:

Shoveling between the rows of carrots with my International 274 tractor 

to kill weeds and provide air flow to the growing plants.

Underneath view.

Beautiful foggy morning on the farm.

A crop that I had never heard of, this purple beauty is a kohlrabi.  A member of the cabbage family, there are endless ways to prepare and eat this softball sized vegetable.  From peeling it and eating it raw, to making coleslaw, to boiling & mashing like a potato, click here for even more recipes!  

Oh, and the leaves are edible too!  

Jeff slacking off and taking a nap in between two beds of crops.

Harvesting Chinese cabbage.

June is strawberry month!

Beautiful radishes!

You know what they say, when life hands you slugs that have 

crawled into your boots and left slime trails all over then....

Oh wait, is that not a saying? 

Monday, June 9th was my and Matthew's four year anniversary of being together.  

We couldn't celebrate that day so he took Friday the 13th off to celebrate/farm with me!  

Aren't we adorable in our matching Carhartt rain coveralls?

Well, little did I know, he had grander plans than just farming.  While Matt and I were washing the harvest at the farm shop, my boss Jeff came out of the woods saying that he had heard an owl out there while he was taking a leak.  My co-worker Taylor said he had seen an owl just two weeks prior but I never had the chance to go look for it.  So knowing that Matt and I are birders, Jeff told us to go out there to find the owl.  I protested, saying that we can work until lunch time since it was just twenty more minutes.  Jeff insisted so Matt & I went out into the woods searching.  After walking for a few minutes on the beautiful trails that navigate the border of the farm perimeter, I was about to tell Matt that we should head back to finish up washing the vegetables.  He disappeared around a corner, making me frustrated but needing to follow him.  Every minute of work on the farm counts so I was feeling anxious and guilty about not working!  I finally caught up to my bearded birder and he pointed to a tree saying "I think I saw something in that hole.  Check it out."  I lifted my binoculars and didn't see a thing and was about to turn around to head back.  Matt said "What does that sign say below the hole?"  Again, frustrated and feeling anxious about time, I tried handing him the binoculars so he could see but he insisted that I look.  Begrudgingly I lifted my binoculars to a sign that said "Will You Marry Me?"  It took me a few moments to realize that the sign was for me with the most important question of my life!  I took the binoculars away from my eyes to find Matthew on bended knee, unwrapping a leaf and holding up a ring that my Poppy had given my Nanny years ago.  "Kristin Theresa Ward," he said, "Will you marry me?"  To which I responded the only way possible "Of course!"  So if that is not the greatest proposal story, then I don't know what is!  So not only do I have the privilege of marrying the greatest guy eve I get to wear a ring that my Nanny had worn for years.  But I really can not wear a nice ring while farming, which Matt thought of, so he made me a wooden ring for everyday wearing!

Here are some fun pictures of us emerging from the woods to my awaiting co-workers:   

Compost confetti!

Celebratory hug from my boss Jeff who had known about Matt's plan and helped make it happen.

The beautiful sign made by Matt and his sister Kate.  Notice the long ladder behind us that Matt used to climb up the tree and the hammer he used to nail the sign into the tree.  The tree was dead so he didn't feel bad about putting a hole in it.

All smiles :o)

That weekend, we went camping at High Point State Park to celebrate our years together so far and our years to look forward to spending together in the future.  We are so lucky in love <3

To see more pictures of the engagement and our camping weekend, check out Matt's photo website under the album title "HockWard Engagement 2014."  

My youngest niece Aria visiting the farm with her adorable curly hair that she got from me!

Toad butt.  Moving him or her out of the way so I don't run it over with my tractor!

Happy as a pig in mud.

Sometimes when it's raining and the pig pasture is really muddy, you slip and fall in pig shit.  But Julie makes it look classy with a thumbs up and smile on her face!

Nothing a hose, washing machine, and shower can't fix!

  

Taylor and I singing at the Solstice Potluck.

There you have it folks!  Our veggies are growing, I'm engaged, and it's summer!  Let the fun and celebration continue!  Enjoy this wonderful weather and I'll try to keep up with blogging...but no promises.  I have a DIY wedding to plan!