JBG Day 3!

Today our group found ourselves back in the 40 acre organic farm.  We spent the whole day weeding kale. This does not sound like the most invigorating activity, but we had a lot of laughs as a group and I feel that we are much more comfortable with each other than we were on the car ride down. The rain from the morning before had made the dirt roads and the rows of vegetables VERY muddy! We were all walking in boots coated in mud and twice as large as they were supposed to be. The mud did make pulling weeds easier and once we came to peace with the fact that we were going to be getting muddy, we all dove in to the task. We got good at pulling all types of weeds—from spinney weeds that look like large dandelion plants, to thick bunches of Johnson’s grass (aka demon weeds).

                We were also able to get to know one of the workers better today. We had met Hunter on our first day, but after spending more time with him and talking with him about everything from what it was like on the farm to opinions on the environment, we felt like we had made a friend. He not only made us feel welcome and part of the team, but he also made sure to tell us that he appreciated us being there for both the help and the company. Hunter offered to show us an amazing doughnut trailer/hut in Austin after work, so after dinner at the First United Methodist weekly dinner, we met up with him and his girlfriend Chelsea to have gourmet doughnuts. They both were inspiring individuals and have only lived in Austin for a few months and were able to relate to our excitement in a new city, while still giving advice about a few more places to see during our time in Austin.