Friday Feb 28th

Today we worked in the chicken pen to shovel out chicken poop for 3 hours. I was lucky that I was on lunch crew because I didn’t have to shovel. In the afternoon, we played broomball with Andy and that was very fun. We ended our school day with working on our micro eco projects. Overall, I really enjoyed today.

The White Stretches Out

            The white stretches out before me until it joins with the snow-laden trees. The land is a stunning white and has a peaceful feel to it that you can’t find in the city. It is cold out, but for a few minutes I am able to forget my freezing toes and fingers as I gaze out into the winter wonderland. I stand in three-foot deep snow that is almost impossible to navigate unless you have snowshoes on which make walking on the deep snow feel like walking on regular ground. Standing there and staring out reminds me of just how small I am in this world and how much is going on around me that I have no part in. We get so caught up in our own lives that it is easy to forget that there are others in the world around us. That is one of the things I like most about Farm Stay. I am able to experience a different life that opens me up to the lifestyle of others and makes me greater appreciate the contributions that everyone makes to this world and that I am not the only one and everyone has to do their part to create a successful community and in a bigger sense, the world.

            We arrived yesterday to this eye-opening experience. The day was full of orientation and getting an idea of what our lives were going to be for the next eighteen days. I had two adventures outside. The first was a walk we took with our Mentor Groups. We didn’t go very far, but I had a lot of fun climbing, crawling, and falling through the snow. My second experience was a snowshoe hike that we took as a group. This was much different because instead of sinking into the snow I walked on top of it. We hiked through the woods and were able to enjoy winter in its natural state, something you will never come by in the city.

            These experiences were the first time I realized the true beauty of winter. I am very happy that I chose to go on a winter Farmstay. It has made me realize how lucky I, and Minnesotans, are to experience the different seasons. That even though winter can get long, boring, cold, and wet sometimes it is a season of beauty and I think that we need to recognize that more.

Quinlan