Building a New Foundation.
I lifted a barn. I did. I turned the crank on the twenty ton screw jack and watched as the barn lifted, one little centimeter at a time. And then I did it again. And then again. Don’t worry, there was a professional there, thank goodness. But, under his guidance, I walked to each of the front six pillars of our barn and slowly, but surely, lifted the barn bit by bit. I listened to it creak and settle, not unlike the sound of my back and body recovering from a long day out in the fields.
Over the last several weeks our farm has embarked on a project a long time in the making. We are rebuilding from the ground up. We are clearing out the basement of our barn and rebuilding the foundation on which it stands. A few weeks ago, with the help of the Town of Greenfield, we cleared the old floor of the barn, removing the tripping hazards and clearing the path for future uses–maybe cold storage? Maybe a new, covered wash station? At the very least, clean storage for our farm supplies! Once it was cleared out, our contractor was able to get to work, making a plan to solve the puzzle that is; lifting barn.
So, I invited myself to join in the fun. I pulled on my quilted overalls and kept showing up insisting that I be put to work. And then I was handed a sledgehammer and told to get to work on removing a small piece of concrete blocking our access to one of the pillars. Two days later–and lots of advil later–the concrete was removed and I was invited to keep helping! And so I show up most mornings to be a part of what feels both physically and metaphorically a big turning point for our little community farm. We are investing in making our barn stronger, our farm stronger. We are investing in the long term health of this beautiful community resource. In doing so, we are believing in the future of our farm and our project to grow food and become a gathering space for our community. It’s no coincidence that this is all happening on the heels of being granted an extension on our farm lease from the Town of Greenfield. Making it clear that this community farm is and can be a valuable asset to our town and its citizens.
All of this foundation building is invigorating me! It’s making me love our barn more. It’s making me dream bigger and bolder for our future. It’s making me antsy to get out and start the seeds next week for this growing season stretched out ahead of us. I hope you will join is in this year of strengthening and deepening our foundation. We will celebrate by eating delicious vegetables together all season long.
From our farm to your table,
Meryl (on behalf of the Just Roots team)