Transitioning to Spring

May has been a month of transition in a lot of ways. Where we are, this month tips the scales for fresh, local food and a lot of delicious things start coming on—rhubarb, asparagus, and lots of herbs and greens. We had fun at the Huss Project making “hand salads,” or one-bite salads, out of a variety of edible plants, including flowers.

The seedlings that Rob has been tending in our basement for the Huss Project Farm have been going crazy and we finally reached days in the middle of the month that were warm enough to get them in the ground. Thankfully we’ve had lots of help from Dan and Margaret, as well as a new group of folks who moved to Three Rivers through the AmeriCorps VISTA program to work with us for the next year. It’s been an interesting experience getting to know new people through quarantine and social distancing. The sad part has been having to say goodbye to friends who finished up their year-long term of service here and moved on to what’s next. We couldn’t have the goodbye party we would have hoped for, but found other creative ways to send them with encouragement and well-wishes.

Kirstin started going back on site for work some days, with many safety precautions in place. It’s been really good to reconnect with dear co-workers face-to-face, including Puck (the goat) and Minna (the pony). These happy, wily critters have no idea what’s going on in the crazy world around them, and it’s just as well. They bring comfort and joy to many just by being alive and reveling in spring.