As I’ve transferred from being a full-time member of the This Old Farm staff, to being a part time member and a full time student, I’ve been struck by how much time I still spend on the farm. I still spend a decent amount of time doing work. On a near daily basis I receive a text asking me to help catch some escaped cow, or sheep, all at different times between my homework schedule. Not only am I asked to do it, but I genuinely enjoy doing it (especially when it interrupts my PSY 101 online learnsmart homework program). Or I’ll be grabbing lunch and asked to run by the farm to help receive a shipment of feed, or anything for that matter. It brings chuckles to some equipment delivery guys when they’re expecting some sweating big guy in farm boots to come out of the fields to help them unload, and they get me, in flip flops, shorts, and a clean oxford shirt, pulling over on the side of the road to help them unload before heading off to grab some lunch.
In summation, you can take the farm boy off the farm, but you can’t get his cell phone number off your speed dial list. Catching escaped animals, or running quick errands is, at this point, such a regular thing, that I can’t imagine what life would be like not doing it. In addition, I figured continued physical labor may help at least delay the effects of the dreaded “freshman fifteen”. School is my job and main priority at this point in my life, and I’m really enjoying it, but the farm is also my life, and I don’t see that changing any time soon. While some come walk away from their job at This Old Farm when the day ends, This Old Farm has and always will be part of my life.
Yours Truely,
Conner E Smith
Farm Boy Growing Up