Our first day as a farmer

We woke up in time for breakfast (amazing since we don’t have an alarm clock) then out to do work at 8:00 sharp. The morning started fairly easy, Lucas was harvesting strawberries and I was sent to the green house to plant and tie up tomatoes. It was a hot sunny day and very muggy and hot inside the green house. When I went out to visit Lucas in the breezy field I commented on how nice it was and told him “I wish I was doing strawberries.” He said “he wishes he was in the green house.” I said to him “I think the grass is greener on the other side.” We continued this work after our 2^nd breakfast until lunch.



The strawberry field

While eating lunch (usually our biggest meal of the day) Ulf said he had to meet someone at 2:00 to do hay bales and that he needs one of us to help, the other was welcome to come along and watch. Lucas volunteered to be the helper since my allergies were a mess. The guys got started and it was Lucas’ job to catch the hay when it flew out of the shoot of the machine that makes it. I got myself a comfy spot in the sun and watched them go around and around and catching hay bale after hay bale filling the trailer until they started to fall off the back. We then drove them very slowly back to the farm. Lucas was quite the site to see! I wish I would have taken a picture of him. I asked at the time but he was too grumpy to let me. He was covered from head to toe in straw and dust, he was so sweaty from the hard work that it all just stuck right to him. He had two little white spots on his face where his eyes managed to survive the debris. (I still chuckle when I think back)

I feel that this would be a good time to tell you about the swimming hole. It is a man made hole in the ground full of water. It looks much like a small pond back home. (see picture below) Ulf told us we are welcome to swim in it any time we like. Also, he showed us the sign near by stating that it was a NUDE swimming hole! He said “you are welcome to wear your swim suits like most other young adults do, but beware when you are around the swimming hole.” We both agreed in private that we did NOT want to swim in that thing with or without our swim suites! We also had no interest in seeing Ulf in the nude. We never thought that the very next day Lucas would be more than happy to jump into the swimming pond, NUDE even! He was very eager to get the itchy straw off his skin and was not allowed in the house that filthy. I fetched him a towel and some clean clothes while he relieved himself of the itchies in the swimming pond. Hahaha!



The swimming pond. Behind is Ulf's log cabin that he built on wheels because the government would not approve him to build it.

The swimming pond up close and personal. Needless to say there is many frogs that call it home.

 Once cleaned up Lucas then had to pitch fork all the hay off the trailer onto the ground. That is where I had to load 5 bales at a time onto a wagon and walk them to Ulf where he would throw them up into the loft. Lucas was now in the loft where he would then get them, throw them over a wall, climb the wall himself and then arrange them in a suitable fashion! (Keep in mind the loft was very hot and muggy) We did this over and over again until we had no more left. We then had to go back and get all the ones that fell off the trailer. Lucky for us the trailer got stuck in the mud towards the end and that is what ended our work for the night. It was 8:00 by the time we got back for dinner.

We woke the next morning so sore we were barely able to walk. It was a cloudy day so Ulf wanted to start right away and get the rest of the hay up into the loft so it wouldn’t get ruined by rain. Thank goodness this was a smaller load or I don’t think I would have made it. I should mention that we call Ulf “The machine” He will be 50 this month and he has more strength and endurance than anyone I know. He amazes us more every day.

That is how we started our very first day of work, on our first farm of the trip, Moving190 bales of hay!

Ulf's solar panels that generate enough power to run the farm. He also owns a wind turbine that generates enough power to run his entire village