We're so Bio

We are back from the farm.

I know this blog seems to be the blog of woes, but I promise you, these things are actually quite exciting when you consider what I'm usually doing.

That's why, when Andrea and I finally tracked down the tiny organic (bio) farm we'd be working on for five days in the Czech Republic, we practically wet ourselves when we saw where we'd be living. A toolshed, basically--one that had been left open to the birds and beasts of the countryside. BUGS. Mice shat. And dirt and stinky toilet facilities. But it actually was pretty lovely living out your childhood play fantasy of being orphaned like the Boxcar children, scavenging for food and sleeping wherever you can find a clean space. We boiled our water before drinking. We drank fresh cow's milk in the morning. We kept dirty rather than clean. It was great!

The family who owned the farm was young and idealistic and ate macrobiotically, meaning no animal products. Except milk. Oh, and cheese. Also butter. Liars. But the Mrs. made pretty delicious vegetarian soups and we looked forward to going to their house for meals after helping with the hay or weeding the carrots.

And by the end of our stay, we'd gotten very good at impersonating the family's quirks and Czech accents, as well as laughing off the grime and sweat of the day. The scenery ruled and the grasses were long and it was always quiet--a nice change of pace from our rigorous walking tours of Prague and Berlin.