Life on the farm is going well and we have been working extra hard to harvest all the flowers which are blooming at the moment. Last Tuesday alone (which unfortunately was meant to be our day off) we harvested and stripped approximately 4000 peonies. Harvesting peonies at the right time is extremely important and must be done when the buds have reached a certain size and softness (generally like a marshmallow). We harvest peonies twice a day, in the morning and late in the afternoon to ensure that as many flowers as possible are collected at the optimal harvesting time. Unlike a lot of other flowers, peonies are cut and placed in coolers in boxes without water and under proper conditions can be stored there for up to four weeks. I really like peonies however I'm sure that by the end of the 6 week blooming period I will be sick of the sight of them!
Very excited to finally have the day off today after working 9 hours days for the last 12 days straight. Hoping to get the chance to take photos of the surrounding area of Jeffersonton today to show how lovely it is here. We have had a new intern join us so there are 5 interns now in total. Having more hands definitely helps and Kate is lovely...and she makes the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever tasted. It’s almost like a little family here which is really nice feeling.
We have managed to get off the farm a few times this last week. We’ve been to see Iron Man 3 and Star Trek and last Thursday we ventured into town to the Culpeper County Fireman’s Parade and Carnival which was complete with marching bands, baton twirlers, free lollies and fully pimped out parade floats. I made sure to experience as many ‘American’ carnival foods as possible and had some pretty yummy funnel cake as well as a candy apple, corn dog and some lemonade from the lemonade stand. We were pretty excited to win 2 goldfish on the coin toss game but sadly they died the next day. RIP Sonny and Cher.
Off to a Minor League Baseball game tonight to see the Potomac Nationals play the Salem Redsox. A lot of people have told me that baseball is ridiculously boring to watch but I actually really enjoy it.
One of our interns, Jen, has just been diagnosed with Lyme disease. Luckily she caught it early when she first noticed the bull-eye like marking on my stomach and will be fine with a round of antibiotics. Needless to say we are all being very vigilant when it comes to checking for tick bites!
