Give and Take

Two contestants in the Race For Poop arrived at the starting line early yesterday armed with shovels, buckets, and big smiles.  Kellan and William offered asked to muck out the two stalls not already spoken for by Earle.  My mama didn't raise any dummies and I wasn't about to refuse that request.  As I continued milking and they shoveled, we discussed the relative virtues of horse versus goat poop, and they came down on the side of goats, stating that the ruminant digestive process leaves the product weed free.  This might seem an unlikely topic for discussion, but Kellan and William take their manure seriously.  They have chosen a lifestyle that takes them nearly off the grid, growing vegetables and rotating crops for a continuous supply, as well as raising meat animals.  Anyone who has ever had a backyard garden knows that it is hard work to do it right, and they plant on a large scale.  I know how hard they worked yesterday to get the food for their plants.  I heard the passion in their voices as we later stood talking about agronomics, economics, and life on the land.  They are so informed.  William almost talked me into raising a couple of pigs here; his arguments were sound and his enthusiasm contagious.  I just can't take on any more mouths to feed.

Their "thank-you" gift was half a mushroom.  Before anyone snorts at "half a mushroom," let me say that this is a homegrown oyster mushroom that must have been the size of a dinner plate.  This half will serve me for at least two meals.  Its fluted layers are a thing of beauty, and to think they grew it themselves!  I thawed chicken, planning to use part of this true gift for chicken Marsala for dinner, but the Superbowl got in the way.  It was a real nail-biter of a football game right down to the last few seconds, and I couldn't leave the television.  (My hopes for a Patriots win were dashed.)  I know for sure what is on the menu tonight.

William and Kellan are very conscientious about closing gates, returning tools to their place, and, as William says, "Leaving everything the way we find it."  I think they are going to leave the Earth a better place anywhere they go.