So it's official; I'll be doing an apprenticeship at Bobolink Dairy (see photos) this summer. I gave my notice at work a week or so ago. They weren't really surprised...I had asked them a few weeks prior if I could do this as a leave of absence. They said no, and my mind was pretty much made up. My last day of work is May 6th and I start on the farm on May 16th. From then on, I'll be living on the farm for 2-3 months. Yikes.

Seriously, though, I'm excited and really looking forward to this. I'm hoping that it's a way for me to decide whether or not this cheesemaking thing is something I really want to do in the future. Knowing next to nothing about farming (I have a feeling the cheesemaking is actually the easy part), I really need to get some practical experience if I have any chance of doing this for real sometime down the road.

Why now? It just seemed like the best time to do something like this. Kari and I have little in the way of financial responsibility (no kids, no mortgage, etc) and I've been restless at work for some time anyway.

Obviously, this will be a huge change for us - even if it is temporary. The biggest adjustment will be living apart from Kari. I'll be back in the city on my days off - and probably working in the city one day a week - but we haven't spent any significant time apart since we moved in together 7 years ago. That will take some getting used to, but ultimately I think doing this is good for both of us - in terms of our future work and life together.

The rest will come easy. Getting up at the crack of dawn, working twelve hour days, wading through cow manure and mud, eating nothing but bread and cheese? Piece of cake.

I plan on keeping this blog up-to-date during the experience. I'll have internet access and a digital camera with me, so I should be able to document the experience for anyone so inclined to read along. I assume my time will be very limited, but I'll try to carve out as much as possible to post here.

Wish me luck.