Farm Friday, March 8th, 2024

Sap season is on!

Andrew Gaertner
3 min readMar 9, 2024
I caught Pippa during a golden hour moment this week. All photos by the author.

We have had students here on the farm for the last two weeks. It has taken all of our attention and energy to support this Montessori community experience for 13 and 14-year-olds. It is satisfying to see the farm being occupied to its full potential. The young adults are hiking the land, caring for the animals, starting seeds, tapping maple trees, monitoring wild bird populations, and making a variety of products to sell. Plus they have to play, study math, cook and clean up after, and make and eat many baked goods. I can barely keep up, and I am supposed to be leading.

Today is International Women’s Day and I want to honor all the amazing women in my life. Starting with my partner; moving on to my mom, step-mom, and mother and sisters-in-law; moving on to my amazing co-workers past and present; moving on to all of my friends and extended family, both here and in Honduras; and moving on to all the women writers of Medium, I take off my cap to you and recognize your amazingness and thank you for being in my life.

Pippa and her ball. A love story.
Boiling sap. So weird to not have any snow!
Sap collection on chilly mornings sometimes means ice in the buckets. We could skim it off because the water freezes first. That would save us some boiling time.
We had a thunderstorm the other day and I took a photo of the first retreating cumulus clouds of the year.
I love when the sun rays come through a hole in the clouds.
It is a brown winter.
More beautiful clouds.
Little Bear
Seed germination tests
Moon dog around the moon last week

I have been thinking about the war in Gaza and I know I have nothing to add to the discussion. I don’t want my silence to be a marker for my lack of compassion. I am heartbroken for everyone involved. I fully support all Jewish people and their inherent rights to exist and thrive. I strongly oppose the war being carried out by Israel against Gaza. The impact on people is beyond horrible and will have repercussions for generations. There is nothing rational about what is happening.

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Andrew Gaertner

To live in a world of peace and justice we must imagine it first. For this, we need artists and writers. I write to reach for the edges of what is possible.