There was much pride and quite a bit of showing off – seeing whose horse could operate the quickest, the quietest and with the most grace. Through this came the evolution, refinement – and adornment – of the loose-jaw spade bit, something that came to be considered to be the ultimate example of light-handed control. Is felt during that era, that the loose jaw spade – in gentle, masterful hands – could create a horse instantly responsive, due to the sensitive nature of a horse’s mouth.

In a world of screens, notifications, and the pressure to multi-task, sheep shearing is a refreshing diversion from the digital world. It requires a great deal of both intention and attention, and there is something romantic about focusing on a task where you have to be both strong and delicate in your movements.

I’ve walked past the spot a hundred times, but I never saw it before. All summer, and all winter too, my dog and I romp through the mud, snow, and weeds on our usual rounds along the edge of the field, behind the stand of trees, and around the other side, where the sun shines bright on our faces in the mornings. He sniffs everything, while I wish for more trees on the horizon. I never noticed the small clump of wild mint, not until the other day.

As a kid Laura had often thought she must have skipped a generation, somehow slept through changing times like Rip Van Winkle. Missed some great upheaval like the Revolutionary War, when that portrait of the mad Royal George was touched up to become the fatherly General George. Her mother’s folks had been farmers, who stuck with it even when a freeway cut their place in half and gobbled nearly a quarter of their 456 acres to accommodate that confused yet bustling river of speed, noise and exhaust.

The Savonius rotor was originally designed by Finnish inventor Sigurd Savonius in 1922. It is classed as a drag-type device, and is understood to have relatively low efficiency but high reliability. Interest in the Savonius rotor and other types of Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) became elevated during the oil embargo and resulting energy crisis. Also, during the 60s and 70s, the Savonius was considered as an example of appropriate technology for rural development in the third world due to its low maintenance requirements.

Meeting the day knowing what needs to be done, the choices of how to do it, the view of consequences, a vision of best outcomes; farmer’s don’t much think about such things, too busy pulling their boots on and getting to the job at hand. The assessments inside the working moment are illusive, especially if the work holds risk, or urgency, or a consuming nastiness and dread. But when there are seconds which bring relief, or joy, or wonder, there is a sliver of a window when farmers, we farmers, can observe, ‘Oh yeah, there it is, that’s it – .’ Inside that realization, that’s where we belong and it’s a long ways from downtown.