Early in the morning I drive to work. Now that my co- worker is back on board I can be at my paid work by 7am. Though I am aiming for earlier – I do my best work in the morning. 
Here is the road I drive to work on in the morning. So long and straight. I drink my coffee and let my mind drift away from mud and trouble and prickly relationships. I feel enormous relief when all the animals are fed and I am on the road.
I love working. Certainly at The Mill but all my life I have been lucky or picky or maybe easy-going enough to always have work I enjoy.
I am going to give the chickens an extra week. They are much slower growing than previously – I have created their diet myself this time: milk, corn from the mill, bread and sprouts. The grass is not as good as usual either – I did not get them as far as the hay field. I was going to send the men out to do one more cut but at this time of year it will need longer to dry and I cannot find a break in the rain.
If we get stuck I can always fence it and put the cows out there. I will only have five cows this winter but they still eat a lot. A ton a winter really.
If this went out last night by mistake I do apologize. I actually have no idea how that happened. But now you have seen the unfinished and then the finished product the only difference being words – more of them – you are the first people I talk to in the morning you know.
And now I must get to work. There is bread to be baked then the pigs then off into the world! My little world. 
Celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
36 responses to “DRIVE”
Good morning Celi! I love that photo of the road – such beautiful colours. What do you do for your paid work? Are you teaching English? I think I remember you saying that you did a course to teach English as a second language. I’m in the middle of applying for one and feeling quite excited.
I loved that course. But no, I am working at the organic flour mill that will stone mill the wheat I hope to harvest next year. It is really great work – I talk bread and sell flour and test bake bread and feed people good food! It is great!
That sounds like a fun job, even though it means early starts (but I know you’re used to those at the farm). And freshly baked bread has such a delicious smell!
Long straight empty roads are very good for switching brain modes, especially if there’s a dose of coffee involved. When I was still working full time, I had an hour and a quarter’s drive to work, down a hairpin bend mountain on the way out, and up the same hairpin bends on the way home. It sure did make me concentrate on something other than what had gone wrong at work that day…
Yes! Definitely coffee involved. Hair pin mountains would be treacherous in the winter!
They were, and after storms, when leaves were ripped off the trees and then ground to a slippery pulp on the road surface. More scary than frost, because you weren’t expecting it. Thank goodness for 4WD… but it did get the blood pumping and the brain sharpened.
I’m envious of your temperatures. We are already down to the 50’s and the feeling of cold is evident. Septembers here are usually sunny and a lovely welcome to autumn. We may have skipped that altogether and gone straight to early winter rain.
Oh dear. That maybe it will warm up again for you- in late fall
Riders on the storm.
Lol, MadDog, while I don’t think it’s what you intended, my mind went to “there’s a killer on the road…” and got stuck. Did you ever wonder what he meant? https://genius.com/amp/The-doors-riders-on-the-storm-lyrics
Ha ha – I was thinking of the Doors song because of the clouds in the first picture- it’s stormy here too and the song starts with thunder.
Love that part! But those creepy lyrics…
I’ve known the song so long, I was just thinking of the thunder and the title. Apparently it was inspired, in part, by Ghost Riders in the Sky.
Always loved Ghost Riders in the Sky (I like the Doors too), the ghost riders remind me of when I was little and my dad and I would sing it.
The Doors!! Brilliant . Now that is a welcome sound!
Somewhere in my late 20s I discovered that no matter what the work, if I invested myself in it, I enjoyed it. My current job is one that I’m often aggravated at, but because I care about it, it’s still a job I like. I think you thoroughly invest yourself in whatever endeavor you take on. So you enjoy it.
That is an excellent angle to
Look at it from – and we are never wasting our time it Marking time – we are involved in Time. I like it!
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I love the early morning road drive pictures!!! I used to enjoy that driving 1.5 hrs to my folks to help Dad farm!! But I only drove on Monday morning ~ stayed all week and back to Chatsworth on Friday or Sat nite. And yes the mind enjoys the landscape and thinks much about lots of stuff!! Have a good day ~~
The landscape is relaxing in the morning and in the evening it makes me sleepy!!
Has anyone been watching the Ken Burns Country Music series? The roads you drive made me think of Hank Williams.
I know nothing about country music but it is a very American look. That long long straight road. I have always wondered how long 116 actually is . I should look it up
Please be careful dear; you’re doing too many hours. It’s a good thing the ditches are gentle.
Yes. It is the driving home at speed to get on with the farming that is dangerous. But things will settle in the winters
Your photo reminds me of the song “On the road again”…..nice that your co-worker is back- have a lovely week!
At least I don’t have to milk the cow now. Much as I love her
Possibly counter-intuitive but daily or regular drives are where the brain can switch off. When doing them, it’s been entirely possible for me to arrive at my destination with bare but necessarily sufficient recollection of the trip. Sort of a driving meditation. I like to say, after all these years… 19 to-date… that my car quite often navigates its own way.
A terrifying thought – but I do it for sure/
Yes, I used to drive 45 min. to an hour to work. On the way in I organized my day, on the way out I let it all go. I also spent a great deal of the day driving and often startled myself on the freeway, wondering if I had passed my exit – kind of zoning out! Probably not a really good thing but it did tend to get pretty automatic.
Probably quite common too
Methinks that beautiful straight road widens every kilometre every morning en route from troubles and prickly relationships . . .to spend your hours being useful, remunerative and satisfied . . . may these roads remain free of hindrance all winter until January dictates home . . . . . .
Yes. I love moving – so driving is always a pleasure
. . . it does lead to the future . . ., and there seem to be straight roads in Illinois . . . biggest hugs . . .
I always have unbounded admiration for your courage and zest for life, for your uncomplaining determination to put your whole self into everything you do – you are an inspiration… with love, Valerie
Your photo of early morning drive shows reflects your love for work. Nice article 🙂
Cecilia, If you have time, please visit my blog and have a look at my aricles…. 🙂
The longer I study this photo, the more I see; it is so wonder-filled Celi! There is such an amazing change from the glowering intensity of that first shot to the glowingly hopeful golden sunrise a few moments later. In the closeup the golden corner appears to hold a screeching bird(T-rex?) but in the larger version, it’s magically transformed into a swooping golden Phoenix… Ahh… such Flights of Fancy in the clouds; )