Entry #1--The First Farm Field Trip!

Today, in Environmental Literature and Film for Children & Adolescents, our class went to our school’s farm, at Eden Hall campus. I was really unsure about this prior to going, since my past experiences with gardening were pretty bad. My mom always gardens, but I’m one of those people that tends to kill all plants I try to grow. Plus, waking up at 7:30? Not a fan of that part either. But I did wake up, and I did get to go. After a long and loud car ride there, we arrived. It was such a relief just to get out of the crowded van and into an area filled with fresh air and land and an overall calming and peaceful atmosphere. We were told about all the different things we could do on the farm, weeding, watering, transplanting, and more. I went with a small group to the greenhouses, since I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to tell weed from regular plant in the garden itself, causing more damage than help. Danielle and I volunteered to ‘transplant’ black cherry (at least, that’s what we assume they were!) tomatoes. I found out that this meant taking the plants that were growing in little confined spaces and moving them into bigger pots , so they had more room to grow. We did that relatively quickly, and then had some time to spare. I decided to use this time to sit outside, while the rest of the group was inside, and just enjoy being outdoors and reading. I know it sounds pretty cliché, but after reading what Richard Louv had to say in his book that we’re reading for the course, Last Child in the Woods, I’m realizing that I don’t spend as much time outdoors as I used to when I was younger. I still do go outside and just revel in nature, but being in college and having a more hectic life, I don’t have that much time to do so. So I did take a moment to just sit there and read in silence, no technological distractions as I usually have, no loud classmates, nothing, just myself and nature and the sound of flipping pages. Absolutely lovely. I’ve decided to use this beautiful spring weather to my advantage. If I was in my hometown, Charlottesville, Virginia, it’d be in the 90s by now. I’ll be going back there in just a few days, and I know I’m going to spend most of my time indoors, since I *hate* the heat, so I should really take advantage of this beautiful spring weather we’re having here before I lose that opportunity.