As the morning sun peers through my window, I wake up and begin to take stock of my situation. My arms are covered with angry scratches from the two days I spent cutting down a hedge row in the orchard. My lower back aches from the twice-daily ritual of carrying buckets of water to the chicken coop, and my dreams are filled with images of hay, mulch, and manure. I've learned two things this week. First, farming is hard work! Second, I need to get back in shape. Over the years, I've tried to maintain a regular weight lifting schedule, but my body is clearly unprepared for farm life. I groan like a ninety year-old man in need of a hip replacement as I sit up on the edge of my bed. To say that I'm discouraged is an understatement. "Is the whole six months going to be like this?" I wonder. I try giving myself a pep talk about the good work that I'm doing here. I think about the people that will have healthy, chemical-free food to ea
by Sensei Alex Kakuyo