Day 16

I woke up at the alarm, and played back a few people like usual, and then went down for breakfast.  But the unusual thing was that no one was down in the kitchen...classic.  I made toast, and to my surprise there were new flavors of jelly in the fridge! #score.  I put the jelly on, and then proceeds to top the toast off with some peanut butter.  Why not I guess.  As I was eating Zoelli was waiting for the chefs lady to come pick her up,  because thats where she was working today.  And that meant that she would not actually be working but watching the cheese lay work.  Wish I could've gone.  So she left, and then slowly the family made their way down to breakfast, just as I was going outside to start the chores.  I went and fed the turkeys, and as I was going to feed, and collect eggs from, the chickens I noted a group huddled around something in the grass.  I walked over to find a dead chicken, but not just dead.  The chicken had been eaten out from the behind and no organs were left in her body.  Just the skeletal frame was visible from this hole in the rear side.  That was definitely the first time I have seen second hand chicken cannibalism.  I left the dead bird outside the fence so the birds couldn't peck at it anymore, and I went to the kitchen dropped off the eggs, and went back and watered the turkeys and chickens, and then picked up the eaten out chicken on my way back up.  I buried it, and went directly back to the kitchen to wash my hands, as Laura eyed me maliciously because I didn't take my boots off before I came in the house.  I went back out and decided to just weed what Zoelli and I didn't finish weeding yesterday.  I weeded for 3 and half hours, straight.  I wasn't dilly dallying either, because Josh was helping me, so I felt like I needed to work.  Weed after weed after weed.  AFter about the second hour Josh left, and I cold go a little slower, but I still worked pretty hard.  I worked long enough to have Harold come in and stop me for lunch.  I kind of did this on purpose because I wanted to show them that I was working hard ;).  I came in and washed my hands while the whole family was waiting for me.  We had chicken potatoes, and salad.  One thing I have forgotten to mention, is that the Grams don't use utensils to scoop out salad.  They will go along and just grab with their hands a generous portion for themselves.  This bothered me for awhile, but then I guess I got used to it, because I had to.  After lunch, I rested for awhile, and thought about doing some SAT prep but realized one section would take up my whole after lunch rest, so I didn't.  I went downstairs at 130 while Troy was painting inside the house, and I washed the morning eggs.  After I went back to weeding.  I weeded until 345, when Harold came in and told me he wanted to teach me how to plant spinach in the basement.  Now, I was planning to be done for the day in about another 30 minutes to an hour or so because that is what a usual day is like here, but as soon as Harold told me the news I knew it was going to be a long day.  So he brought me to the basement, which is kind of creepy in itself, and taught me how to scoop the soil up with a cookie cutter type tool, and then plant the seeds in each little divot that the cookie cutter tool also makes.  The cookie cutter tool has five little square slots, that you need to fill with soil, and then when you place the tool on the flat with all the soil, you slowly press down on the handle, and then there is a lever to release the blocks of soil, leaving five small squares of soil.  Each flat has enough room for 12 rows of five squares.  I finished filling 16 flats, and seeding them ( and after you stuff two seeds in the divot you have to press them down with a pencil eraser ) after dinner at 715.  When he first showed me what to do, I thought maybe I would be doing this tomorrow and he was just showing me now, so he wouldn't have to show me tomorrow, but when Harold decided to pour a mountain of new soil on to the table where I was collecting it, I knew he meant business.  After giving me some broken directions he told me had to go make dinner...So he expected me to finish this whole mound before dinner without any help?...I was actually kind aggravated because I had been working so hard all day.  When Zoelli isn't here I get down and dirty.  I was making sure that I was extremely focused while weeding today too, and then he loads this load on me.  I wouldn't of minded doing this job if it were tomorrow morning or something, but it was 430 when I actually started.  Looking back a few hours ago, I was a lot more mad, then I should have been , because when I finally finished at 715 I felt pretty accomplished.  I was angry that Zoeli got to do nothing today, and the fact that I was busting my butt during the day.  I worked a total of 9 hours today, and I guess I can say that that was my longest on this farm by far.  The reason it felt so much longer than at Whitmore is because here I am constantly working.  When you weed you stay in the same spot for the most part, there isn't much walking around.  With so many animals at Whitmore, I was driving around in the JD and walking around for a good portion of my time.  Anyways I am glad that its over, hopefully I won't have to work this late until I leave for home.  One more thing.  Zoelli has gotten extremely curious about my blog, and has asked me more than once if I can show her the url to my blog.  I have just squeaked by, by either saying Oh its on my Facebook page!  or, Oh I forgot the url actually.  I don't really want her to read it because, 1. we already talk about what I write about during the day and 2. I talk about her on here too.  I never thought about creating close relationships with other woofers, and writing about them in my blog, but I guess that happened.  Hopefully, it blows over.  Well I am exhausted and I want to get to read and work on SAT garbage.  Nighty.