65, cloudy and windy

Things have been so busy lately, there has been no time at the end of the day to write, or even to blog, which isn't actual writing, is it? There has only been time to sink into the sofa, muscles sore, hair dirty, face and arms glowing from the sun and wind.
The exhaustion that comes at the end of these days may seem terrible to the soft city folks who might be following along, but it is not at all terrible. In fact, quite the opposite- it has the effect of feeling really alive. Knowing what got accomplished today, and it is substantial. Getting soil turned. Seeds into the ground. Recalling how open and wet with dew the lawn looked when I first arrived this morning, and how when I finally quit there was a new chicken coop sprouted up. Or how it feels to keep plugging away at the major parts of a long-term task, things we've been planning and working on since winter, such as the started indoor tomatoes, or the cold smoker. It is a great feeling of deep satisfaction and accomplishment to work toward a part of a big goal.

Today, I finally realized my funny, cool, quirky and genius goal of building my own cold smoker on the cheap. After several months of planning and thinking and scoping and scrounging, I finally had the parts and the time, and I dug out my trench smoker. I did it with a grin on my face, since I knew I had a few pounds of fresh side pork curing in the fridge with maple syrup and salt, waiting to be smoked into bacon. As soon as my smoker was ready and the first trial fire burned, I put that slab of sweet and salty pork into my smoker, and fueled it with apple wood. The culmination of many hours spent tending the pigs, and dark cold winter nights researching and dreaming about home made bacon and other smoked meats was everything I had hoped it would be.

So it is anything but a terrible feeling when I sink into the couch, and maybe enjoy a cold beverage before I hit the shower to wash off the soil. I think humans are meant to work, as the feeling of satisfaction that comes from knowing we put in a good day at it ranks way up there. Of course, the work we do needs to be meaningful to us, not simply random in order to have this effect.
There is no other work I would rather be doing, than to be creating and building our own food and shelter systems. It just makes me happy. The fact that I get to do it outside while listening to the wind and the birds and the distant sound of neighbors tilling and plowing and planting just makes me feel connected and alive. If I only have one life to live, I am lucky that I am able to work so hard in this way, able to create and see and feel and eat the fruits of my labors.
I will post pictures when I can access them!