Well folks, this is it. I've been at the farm for almost five months now, and my time is coming to an end. In a few short days I'll be headed home, beginning my 16 hour journey south. My time here has flown by, and though I'm excited to return home to my friends, family, and warmer weather, there are definitely things I'm going to miss here on the farm.
It'll be strange not waking up early every day, starting my day off with chores, seeing the chickens that I have grown so accustomed to. I'll miss going to check on the pigs, bringing them scraps and watching them grow so fast! I'll miss seeing the cows and saying hello to Micah every time I pass. I'll miss cleaning and sorting eggs. It'll be so strange not to lift heavy egg baskets and get excited over high egg counts, clean eggs, and little and jumbo eggs. It'll be strange not handling egg cartons, lifting crates full of eggs and seeing them stack up until deliveries are made. I'll miss working in the farm store, where I'm starting to see familiar faces and have restocked and tidied up so many times.
I'll miss saying hello to Leroy (the pet sheep) as I head up the hill. I'll miss being greeted every morning by our livestock guardian dogs, Casey and Annie, so excited to see me. I'll miss the first animals that greeted me on the farm - the cats! As I left my own two little kitties at home, seeing the cute and friendly cats here really helped. Monkey, Moses, Peter, and Anonymous - I'll sure be sad to leave y'all! I'll miss the mornings when I feed them, the afternoons when they just want to snuggle and be pet. I'm sad I won't get to see Anonymous continue to grow.
To all of the inn guests that have come with me for chores, thank you. I've enjoyed taking you around, showing you what I do on a daily basis and sharing the knowledge that I have learned here. On those tough days when I'm missing home, your enthusiasm and excitement about the animals always makes me feel better and reminds me of why I came here to begin with.
To my chicken harvest crew, thank you. Chicken harvest was one of the things that concerned me the most, coming here to the farm. I had no idea what to expect, or what I was getting myself into. I couldn't have asked for a better group of people. From the first harvest that took all day, to our last chicken harvest and finally, the turkeys. I always enjoyed Wednesdays, knowing that meant a day I got to work with everyone, listening to y'all joke around and just genuinely enjoying myself. It'll be so strange not to head up to the chicken kitchen, eagerly awaiting Wednesdays, and I'll definitely miss everyone and harvest day!
To Bonnie, thank you for showing me how to make jam. It was a new experience for me, and I enjoyed spending the time with you, getting to know you better and learning the tips and tricks of jam-making. When I attempt to make jam in my future, I hope I can do you proud!
To Dan, thank you for looking out for me and always making me smile. Whenever I asked you a question or needed help, you always dropped what you were doing to help me. Your jokes always made me laugh, and I've enjoyed working with you these past few months. Seeing you in the morning always made me smile, and weekends just weren't the same without you working.
To Chris, thank you for showing me the ins and outs of the farm and how best to take care of all the animals. Thank you for your patience and understanding as I learned and made mistakes. I've appreciated all the time and knowledge you've given me during my stay here, as well as all the kindness you've shown me.
To Chris, Caitlin, Sam, and Henry, thank you for everything. Thank you for letting me come to your beautiful farm and experience farm life for the past five months. I've really enjoyed getting to know all of you and appreciate the kindness and generosity you've shown me. Thank you for helping to make my birthday special and helping me when I wasn't feeling well. Thank you for all the fun times, from communal meals and movie nights to just the everyday conversations. I can't believe that this is it. These past five months have flown by, but I know this is an experience I'll take with me, something I will never forget. I'm excited to see how the farm will continue to grow, and take pride in knowing that I helped, if only a little.