Plowing plowing plowing BREAD!

Beauty. True beauty. It exists.

This evening I looked across the valley at the neighboring hillside and couldn't comprehend how such an amazing sight could really be so close to me. Now I understand what inspired artists such as Monet. And until tonight I had to look at a picture to see even a glimpse of the magnificence that nature can conjure.

There was a big full moon right above a mountain rich with the colors of fall. Never in your life have you seen autumn's splendor at such a scale, I can almost guarantee.

And then I turned around, looked up our hillside, and saw the sky painted a deep pink. I've seen plenty of sunsets, but none like this; none of such radiant color and texture.

I couldn't take it all in. It's similar to when I went with Duncan to see Gabriel Iglesias and I felt as though I couldn't possibly express how funny I actually thought something was…like even though I'd be laughing as hard as I could, it didn't feel like enough.

That is why, at some point, I want to take some time to learn how to take it all in. Just be with nature. I know that sounds very cliche' and hippie-like…but it's the only way I know to describe it. Just be with nature. No cell phones, no music, no school, no farming. Simple. Time, Space, Earth. That's it.
I believe that would be the only way I could learn to deeply inhale such sights.



… so, on to my week since, yes, a week has passed since I began writing this entry.

I already explained the majority of my Yale visit, the only things I didn't mention were that Michelle and I did have dinner with Bernardo and later I met one of Michelle's friends, Kimo. He's my favorite of everyone I met there. Genuinely interested in me as a person, didn't seem at all stuck up, and very sweet. He also didn't try to recruit me, which was a bonus.

And dinner with Bernardo? Well that was really fun! Bernardo's a really neat person and it still seems strange to me that we haven't seen each other in 4 years or so, because it honestly feels like we've been good friends for my whole life. I know this isn't true though since he definitely didn't like Michelle or I in elementary school! He crossed our faces out of the yearbook.

I got home late that night, around 11:30 and I was exhausted! So exhausted that my subconscious conjured a dream in which Tess texted me: "Jen said you could sleep in since you got home so late." Because of that dream I ended up sleeping past when I normally do and actually getting up at 8. With another intern around I feel especially horrible when I do that because then she has to start the chores alone and I look lazy in comparison.
I'm just not a morning person!

It was a slow morning anyway–a good one though. Kai was home because of Columbus day and so he made some super delicious pancakes and all of us sat in the kitchen and chatted. Have I mentioned how much I like the people I work for and with? They're very intelligent, very fun to talk to, extremely patient, and don't treat me like I'm a child, even though I'm the youngest in the household, besides Sebastian.

After Breakfast Kai and Jen both had to run a couple errands so Tess and I journeyed up our hillside. I hadn't been up there since my first day working here, so it was quite a sight to behold. It's amazing how much something can change in such a short amount of time. The view which was just a month and a half ago a sea of green was now a mix of oranges, reds, and yellows.

Seasons. Oh how I enjoy them.

At the very top of the hill there was a drop off, and at the bottom of that drop off was tons and tons of trash. It was disheartening to see so many glass bottles that could've been recycled, however, it was interesting to see all the different brands from various different years. There were some really recent things like Sobe and other very not-so-recent ones. Kai later told us that this was the old trash dump and that every farm has one..

The rest of the day we plowed and moved rocks and plowed… always my fav. activity! :p

And the next day? We plowed! Even though Kai wasn't there, Tess and I got on our big girl boots and plowed away. It wasn't easy. But a lot less agonizingly horrendous as I had remembered. In any case, I don't like that machine. It frustrates me to no end. Which is funny because for Tess? She could deal with it, but she hates the chainsaw–I however, love those spinning teeth of death!

We were almost finished, only about 10 more passes to go, but we checked the blades and they were worn down so much that we were hesitant to continue. So we brought it up to the house, looked at it, determined we couldn't fix it, and then proceeded to move it to the barn garage. But as I was moving it, the plower attachment just fell off! So after putting the rest of the tractor back in the garage and hauling the plower to the side of the driveway, we were tired of machines.



So, I made bread! It was called: the first loaf, and it was a simple yeast rising white bread, but I was so damn proud of it! When it came out of the oven and I cut that first slice…it was amazing! And shocking…I don't really understand how the crust can just end up as the crust and the middle is so soft. Anyway, I MADE BREAD!

We also made homemade pizzas again, which were just as delicious. And I made most of the sauce and sauteed the peppers! Ahh cooking. How I love it now. And right before college too–so it's gunna blow not having a kitchen.

Oh yeah, and Tess decided to "powder" her face with my leftover flour...