Life on an organic farm is...put on hold when you drive into town for creemees (soft ice cream for you New Yorkers) at the local gas station...

One chicken has been keeping us company out in the field for the past week or so. She’ll remain fairly close to us as we travel too and from the field, and I’ll even hear her squawkin’ behind me when I’m bent down in a row digging in the dirt, look around and see her slowly inching towards me in her typical chicken-wobble head-strut. She never dines with her fellow chickens in their designated fenced in area, or lays her eggs in the coop, as she used to always lay her egg in the greenhouse. No, this chicken isn’t a conformist, she'll forage to find her own food and seems perfectly content doing so. I can’t blame her though as her peers aren’t always the brightest bunch. When I went to feed them this afternoon, at least 6 chickens were wandering around outside the fence by their coop. Once they heard me coming though, they flocked to the fence to get inside. I was able to pick one up and fling her over the fence so she could eat, but the others didn’t let me catch them, they’re loss if they want food. But eventually, most, not all, but most, of the outside stragglers found a hole in the fence to squeeze their way back in to chow down.

This afternoon, as we weeded rows with action hoes and transplanted flowers into their freshly stirred soil, Eric the farmer and Richard, Eric’s dad, drove the four-wheeler in between the potato rows with a plow attached to the back, to build up the mounds. As the plant of the potato continues to grow above ground, the dirt heap surrounding the plant must continue to build up steadily throughout the season. We watched the guys ride around in their farm equipment as we usually do, and I’m sure our chicken friend did as well. :)