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Hit by a Farm: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Barn
Farms have fences. People have boundaries. Mine began crumbling the day I knelt behind a male sheep, reached between his legs, and squeezed his testicles. This took place one blustery November day when I joined other shepherd-wannabees for a class on the basics of raising sheep. I was there with my partner Melissa, the woman I'd lived with for twelve years, because we were going to start a farm . When self-confessed "urban bookworm" Catherine Friend's partner of twelve years decides she wants to fulfill her lifelong dream of owning a farm, Catherine agrees. What ensues is a crash course in both living off and with the land that ultimately allows Catherine to help fulfill Melissa's dreams while not losing sight of her own. Hit by a Farm is a hilarious recounting of Catherine and Melissa's trials of "getting back to the land." It is also a coming-of (middle)-age story of a woman trying to cross the divide between who she is and who she wants to be, and the story of a couple who say "goodbye city life" — and learn more than they ever bargained for about love, land, and yes, sheep sex.
254 pages, Paperback
First published March 27, 2006
32 people are currently reading
1796 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Friend
31 books165 followersCatherine Friend had what she calls a "boring" childhood, but she says that boring was just fine -- because it gave her more time to read. She read so much her parents had to set a "no-reading-at-the dinner-table" rule. She was slightly shy as a child, but enjoyed playing Beauty Parlor with her sister, taking family trips, and watching STAR TREK and TIME TUNNEL.
She studied Economics, but because of her love for books and stories, she eventually found herself drawn to writing. Since then, the author has written six children's books, including THE PERFECT NEST, a hilarious read-aloud illustrated by John Manders; and two books in Candlewick’s Brand New Readers series. She is also the author of the acclaimed adult memoir, HIT BY A FARM: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BARN. When it comes to her writing, Catherine Friend likes to try new things and seek new challenges -- but she always likes to write stories that make her laugh.
Catherine Friend lives on a small farm in southeastern Minnesota -- which inspired both THE PERFECT NEST and HIT BY A FARM. There, she raises sheep, goats, and llamas, and has an energetic border collie named Robin.
She studied Economics, but because of her love for books and stories, she eventually found herself drawn to writing. Since then, the author has written six children's books, including THE PERFECT NEST, a hilarious read-aloud illustrated by John Manders; and two books in Candlewick’s Brand New Readers series. She is also the author of the acclaimed adult memoir, HIT BY A FARM: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BARN. When it comes to her writing, Catherine Friend likes to try new things and seek new challenges -- but she always likes to write stories that make her laugh.
Catherine Friend lives on a small farm in southeastern Minnesota -- which inspired both THE PERFECT NEST and HIT BY A FARM. There, she raises sheep, goats, and llamas, and has an energetic border collie named Robin.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 284 reviews
June 23, 2017
I love reading books about people who work the land for a living -- particularly those who have forsaken city life for a "taste of the way life used to be." I'm not sure why I have the fascination as I'm pretty sure this type of life wouldn't suit me at all! Yes, I love raising my chickens, but my basil plants are already dead this year due to lack of attention, and I don't even pretend to plant a garden any more.
This book is an enjoyable little romp through farm life, with quite a bit of depth and honesty about what happens in a relationship when one person's life-long dream is at odds with his or her partner's.
This book is an enjoyable little romp through farm life, with quite a bit of depth and honesty about what happens in a relationship when one person's life-long dream is at odds with his or her partner's.
March 15, 2011
As an aspiring hobby farmer, I wanted to read this book to get an idea of the transition one makes when starting a life in agriculture. While I was expecting this memoir to cover the fish-out-of-water aspect of an author not raised in farming delving into cultivation and animal husbandry, I was surprised to find that it became in the second half a saga of loss and repair.
Starting a country homestead was Catherine's partner's dream and not her own. She was supportive of Melissa through the years, but when the reality of farming duties hit her she found her ambitions as a writer sinking to the bottom of the heap. Friend is more candid than most memoirists about the anxieties and temptations to give up that she felt through the early years in the country. Many people would throw in the towel, but Catherine hung on until finding a balance between her partner's costly career choice and her own.
I recommend this book not only to those wishing to farm, but to anyone in a relationship where one person's ambitions take up more space than what's comfortable (for example, a career in medicine or international diplomacy). Additionally, for farmers, this is unlike any other book about agriculture out there. Friend has been able to fill a void both in literature on relationships and books on farming. I hope she publishes more of her humorous and enlightening insight.
Starting a country homestead was Catherine's partner's dream and not her own. She was supportive of Melissa through the years, but when the reality of farming duties hit her she found her ambitions as a writer sinking to the bottom of the heap. Friend is more candid than most memoirists about the anxieties and temptations to give up that she felt through the early years in the country. Many people would throw in the towel, but Catherine hung on until finding a balance between her partner's costly career choice and her own.
I recommend this book not only to those wishing to farm, but to anyone in a relationship where one person's ambitions take up more space than what's comfortable (for example, a career in medicine or international diplomacy). Additionally, for farmers, this is unlike any other book about agriculture out there. Friend has been able to fill a void both in literature on relationships and books on farming. I hope she publishes more of her humorous and enlightening insight.
April 4, 2015
Every once in a while, I take a break from reading thrillers and mysteries and pick out something of a different genre, perhaps an historical fiction or a memoir. Honestly, Catherine Friend’s Hit by a Farm would not have been on my radar at all had I not seen a flyer at our local library announcing that she is speaking there next week. Hmm, I thought, I had looked for this book a few times in the past, because I actually knew her partner Melissa thirty-some years ago when we were in a women’s group in Minneapolis. I bumped into her at a concert in Zumbrota a couple years ago, and she told me that she and her partner, writer Catherine Friend, had a sheep farm. I looked up her books; she has authored several children’s stories. Among the adult books, her first was a memoir: the two lesbians from the city who buy a farm. Maybe I would like this book. After several attempts to find it at the library and finding it always checked out, I eventually forgot about it until I saw the flyer.
From the title alone, it sounds like farming did not come easily, at least not for Friend. First of all, I smiled through the opening chapters because Friend’s description of Melissa reminded me so much of the person I remembered from those days in the early 80s – a gentle, funny, considerate woman. I could totally picture her doing all of these things that Catherine details so vividly – driving the tractor, eagerly learning everything there was to learn about sheep and chickens and grapes. But as the chapters went on, so did the depiction of breeding and birthing and one problem after another. There was plenty of humor, yes, and both women learned to laugh at their struggles and their failures.
But there was also stress, a lot of stress. There were arguments. Catherine felt as if she were losing herself. She couldn’t write. She felt trapped by the farm. She called her relationship with Melissa and the farm a “ménage a trois”, which I felt was an apt metaphor. She came to recognize that the farm was Melissa’s dream, not hers, yet there was much to love about the animals and farm life. Parts of this diatribe became frustrating to me, because both women seemed to be spinning their wheels in the manure for quite some time, unable to verbalize what was happening, stuck in the daily grind that was, for Catherine, the stuff of nightmares. As a reader, I was quite relieved when the “aha moment” finally arrived.
Along with the day-to-day toil of shepherding (and raising chickens, trying to establish a vineyard, coping with an ailing parent) and the personal struggles within the relationship, Friend writes about things that some readers, especially those of us who have never been exposed to farming, may find challenging to think about. Those who farm have livestock; they also have “dead stock.” Nature is not idyllic. Sure, lambs and baby chicks are cute and cuddly, but death on the farm is not an uncommon experience. Even though Melissa and Catherine did not name their sheep, they still tried to raise them humanely and it was painful to lose animals. There were some animals with names, and pets that they lost. I almost didn’t finish one particular chapter, having lost two beloved cats in the past six months, one only two weeks ago. I also identified with Melissa’s loss of her father, experiencing the deaths of my mother and mother-in-law only a few months ago. These personal stories made this memoir feel very real to me.
It also made me feel more conscious of the meat that I eat. While I don’t eat huge quantities of meat, nor any lamb, I felt that Hit by a Farm shows a kinder, gentler way to raise our food.
I read some reviews that complain that Catherine Friend whines too much in this book. I have a feeling that in reality, her misery was much worse than what she reveals in print. I give her and Melissa so much credit for respecting each other, for accepting the challenge, and for working it all out. Like any other choice, the farm came with a learning curve. As we all say on the journey, “Are we there yet?” Isn’t getting there what it’s all about? Thank you, Catherine Friend, for an eye-opening, entertaining look at life on your farm.
Four stars
From the title alone, it sounds like farming did not come easily, at least not for Friend. First of all, I smiled through the opening chapters because Friend’s description of Melissa reminded me so much of the person I remembered from those days in the early 80s – a gentle, funny, considerate woman. I could totally picture her doing all of these things that Catherine details so vividly – driving the tractor, eagerly learning everything there was to learn about sheep and chickens and grapes. But as the chapters went on, so did the depiction of breeding and birthing and one problem after another. There was plenty of humor, yes, and both women learned to laugh at their struggles and their failures.
But there was also stress, a lot of stress. There were arguments. Catherine felt as if she were losing herself. She couldn’t write. She felt trapped by the farm. She called her relationship with Melissa and the farm a “ménage a trois”, which I felt was an apt metaphor. She came to recognize that the farm was Melissa’s dream, not hers, yet there was much to love about the animals and farm life. Parts of this diatribe became frustrating to me, because both women seemed to be spinning their wheels in the manure for quite some time, unable to verbalize what was happening, stuck in the daily grind that was, for Catherine, the stuff of nightmares. As a reader, I was quite relieved when the “aha moment” finally arrived.
Along with the day-to-day toil of shepherding (and raising chickens, trying to establish a vineyard, coping with an ailing parent) and the personal struggles within the relationship, Friend writes about things that some readers, especially those of us who have never been exposed to farming, may find challenging to think about. Those who farm have livestock; they also have “dead stock.” Nature is not idyllic. Sure, lambs and baby chicks are cute and cuddly, but death on the farm is not an uncommon experience. Even though Melissa and Catherine did not name their sheep, they still tried to raise them humanely and it was painful to lose animals. There were some animals with names, and pets that they lost. I almost didn’t finish one particular chapter, having lost two beloved cats in the past six months, one only two weeks ago. I also identified with Melissa’s loss of her father, experiencing the deaths of my mother and mother-in-law only a few months ago. These personal stories made this memoir feel very real to me.
It also made me feel more conscious of the meat that I eat. While I don’t eat huge quantities of meat, nor any lamb, I felt that Hit by a Farm shows a kinder, gentler way to raise our food.
I read some reviews that complain that Catherine Friend whines too much in this book. I have a feeling that in reality, her misery was much worse than what she reveals in print. I give her and Melissa so much credit for respecting each other, for accepting the challenge, and for working it all out. Like any other choice, the farm came with a learning curve. As we all say on the journey, “Are we there yet?” Isn’t getting there what it’s all about? Thank you, Catherine Friend, for an eye-opening, entertaining look at life on your farm.
Four stars
February 6, 2013
What I didn't love about this book: I was a little disappointed by how much the author whines about life on the farm. I understand that this is the story about how she *learned* to love the barn, which means that at first she didn't like it very much, but a lot of her complaints seemed silly to me and so I had a hard time feeling a connection with the writer. I am much more like her partner (in fact, I convinced my own spouse to buy a farm and totally change our lives) and so I had a hard time understanding the authors point of view especially when it came to conflict in their relationship. I feel like I'd get along great with her partner, though!
What I did love about this book: so many of the stories she tells are absolutely spot on. I love the story about her roosters and their different styles of courting. I have had very similar thoughts watching our fellas out in the yard with their hens. In fact, some of her stories read so "real" that I had a negative reaction to them-- I'm not ready to laugh about them just yet! For example, the stories about chasing sheep around and around in a stall until you give up and realize a sheep has outwitted you. I think those stories would be funny to either people who haven't actually done that before, or those who have a bit more time between reading the story and experiencing the embarrassment and frustration of it! Many of the bits of advice she was given by experienced farmers, farming books or workshops are the exact same ones I've been given. It was very interesting and comforting to hear how similar our experiences were, both good and bad. For someone who is thinking of starting a farm, many of her stories provide accurate insight into what its like.
In summary, I loved the stories about life on the farm and the challenges and rewards inherent to farming. I did not particularly care for the author's personal journey, though that is likely because I am a very different personality type than her and had a hard time empathizing.
What I did love about this book: so many of the stories she tells are absolutely spot on. I love the story about her roosters and their different styles of courting. I have had very similar thoughts watching our fellas out in the yard with their hens. In fact, some of her stories read so "real" that I had a negative reaction to them-- I'm not ready to laugh about them just yet! For example, the stories about chasing sheep around and around in a stall until you give up and realize a sheep has outwitted you. I think those stories would be funny to either people who haven't actually done that before, or those who have a bit more time between reading the story and experiencing the embarrassment and frustration of it! Many of the bits of advice she was given by experienced farmers, farming books or workshops are the exact same ones I've been given. It was very interesting and comforting to hear how similar our experiences were, both good and bad. For someone who is thinking of starting a farm, many of her stories provide accurate insight into what its like.
In summary, I loved the stories about life on the farm and the challenges and rewards inherent to farming. I did not particularly care for the author's personal journey, though that is likely because I am a very different personality type than her and had a hard time empathizing.
July 15, 2017
Wonderful. Parallel to Beekman Boys, but much more real - more true to the challenges of farming, more true to the feelings of the people, no Martha or Oprah. Not an advertisement for their products, either.
"Half writer, half farmer. Half city girl, half country girl. Half crazy, half sane."
"Nature is not some pristine concept to be marveled at or worshipped.... We are part of nature, not just observers, and must acknowledge that nature has winners and losers, predators and prey."
"But then I kept falling in love with [Melissa]. Talk about unoriginal--other men and women fell in love with different people, but I kept falling in love with the same one. It was entirely her fault... whoosh... head over heels.... It was damned irritating."
"[T]he classic one-handed farmer move: grab bill of cap, slide cap back, scratch top of head with same hand, replace cap."
"Half writer, half farmer. Half city girl, half country girl. Half crazy, half sane."
"Nature is not some pristine concept to be marveled at or worshipped.... We are part of nature, not just observers, and must acknowledge that nature has winners and losers, predators and prey."
"But then I kept falling in love with [Melissa]. Talk about unoriginal--other men and women fell in love with different people, but I kept falling in love with the same one. It was entirely her fault... whoosh... head over heels.... It was damned irritating."
"[T]he classic one-handed farmer move: grab bill of cap, slide cap back, scratch top of head with same hand, replace cap."
July 8, 2012
I normally listen to audiobooks as I travel back and forth to work. My commute isn't long (only 20 miles), but the drive can be tedious - especially when trapped behind farm equipment. The only genre I prefer to have the author narrate is memoir. Memoir also happens to be one of my favorite genres. So I was thrilled when Barb and Tracey reviewed and recommend this book on their podcast 2 Knit Lit Chicks. I was even more thrilled that Catherine Friend, the author, narrated this book. I began listening on my ride to my summer job (which is about 5 miles away but cuts through lots of farm acreage, which means lots of farm equipment to be stuck behind). From those few minutes listening, I was hooked! I quickly realized that the book was on my iphone (thanks Audible app), and that meant I could listen to it pretty much anywhere. (I now have to avoid Stop and Shop for a few weeks or until people forget who the crazy woman was laughing her way through grocery shopping.) I have always had a vision of owning sheep. What could be more perfect. They will take care of the grass and provide food and clothing. As I knitter, I happen to think that sheep are truly the perfect animal - food and wool. What's not to love? After listening to Catherine, I think this Jersey girl will stick to the suburbs and ordering yarn online. The book is hilarious. I still chuckle thinking about "unauthorized sheep sex," but it is not just humor. It is truly a tale of growing up and finding yourself - at the age of 40. The trials Catherine and her partner Melissa go through on the farm can map onto adult life in the suburbs. I found myself gripped by the story she tells about love, life, and relationships. I'm looking forward to reading Sheepish.
February 5, 2021
The formula has been done dozens of times. Two inexperienced people decide they want to take up farming and it's not all fun and games. The thing that is different here is that the two people are both women and life partners. No men around to help with the heavy work. It was interesting to read about the animals. Sending the animals to the butcher the first time was a traumatic experience. I wouldn't be able to do that even if my animals didn't have names. I only have one critique which brought my rating down a star, and that is that I wanted the author to have a better attitude and enjoy what she was doing but I guess in the end it turned out ok for her.
March 15, 2015
I kept waiting for the author to stop complaining and "Love the barn" -- but it never really seemed to happen. While I did enjoy her descriptions of the quirky personalities of her livestock and some of their novice farming adventures -- there was far too much whining and despairing for me to really get invested in the author and her narrative. And it was hard to sympathize with her woes when she and her partner knowingly went from their urban lifestyle with zero farming experience to a flock of 100 sheep -- if you're not willing to take your time and ease your way into this new lifestyle, then you don't get to complain about how steep your learning curve is! Overall, I was looking for an uplifting and amusing farming memoir to satisfy my own pastoral daydreams -- but this was not that book.
July 4, 2014
A must read. Here are some of the gems I walked away with:
"Stories connect us more deeply than any gift."
"Raising livestock pulled me into a symbiotic, intense relationship with animals: I feed you, then you feed me, my family, my friends. As I ate, a surprising emotion swept through me--deep, deep gratitude."
"I have come to see that all I can do, out of respect, is pay attention to nature, to see it for what it is, not for what I want it to be... Yes, it is true, as many poets have appropriately captured, that nature could be beautiful. But just as often nature can be brutal. Now and then, if I really paid attention, I found something that was both."
"What is it with lesbians and straight lines?"
"Stories connect us more deeply than any gift."
"Raising livestock pulled me into a symbiotic, intense relationship with animals: I feed you, then you feed me, my family, my friends. As I ate, a surprising emotion swept through me--deep, deep gratitude."
"I have come to see that all I can do, out of respect, is pay attention to nature, to see it for what it is, not for what I want it to be... Yes, it is true, as many poets have appropriately captured, that nature could be beautiful. But just as often nature can be brutal. Now and then, if I really paid attention, I found something that was both."
"What is it with lesbians and straight lines?"
June 11, 2015
This book was funny. The author and her partner leave the city for farm life. They do not shed a romanticized eye on their new life. It sounds hard and really hard. But it was so funny. I was certainly entertained.
It turned out to be about more than just farm life. Towards the end, they were near separation. So they dealt with that as well. This was nicely balanced.
August 10, 2019
I quite enjoyed this book about two women, some sheep, some chickens, a couple roosters, a couple guard llamas, some honking geese, quacking ducks, barn cats and house dogs all living together on a farm. Actually the women made a farm out of several acres of land in Minnesota. It had all the elements you'd expect of two city girls who move to the country for a simpler way of life. Besides the problems you'd expect when city slickers move to the country - burning up a tractor engine, sheep sex, lambing season (s), electric fence shocks - to name a few, the author pretty much admits up front that the whole farm idea was not hers. An author of children's books, she looked forward to free time to write. The problem being her muse up and left before the house was even built. Let's just say she was not a real happy camper. I learned a lot about things I never knew I didn't know. Who knew llama can be used to guard sheep from hungry predators?
I knew I would like the book, because a few years ago I read the sequel, not knowing there was a previous book. Catherine Friend is my kind of writer. If you ever want to give up your ho-hum life and move to a farm, read this book first. It might not change you're mind, but you'll have a good idea what you might be getting yourself into.
I knew I would like the book, because a few years ago I read the sequel, not knowing there was a previous book. Catherine Friend is my kind of writer. If you ever want to give up your ho-hum life and move to a farm, read this book first. It might not change you're mind, but you'll have a good idea what you might be getting yourself into.
September 15, 2017
I really enjoyed listening to this book. I was looking for something to listen to while walking the dog, something light that didn't require my full attention if I got side-tracked and missed a couple blurbs here and there. This book fulfilled that quota and then some.
While I cannot imagine ever having a legitimate urge to become a farmer (or a lesbian for that matter), I found parallels with my life and that of the author's. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the farm antics, and moved nearly to tears at some of the author's revelations. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys comedic inspiration during their morning walks. ;-)
While I cannot imagine ever having a legitimate urge to become a farmer (or a lesbian for that matter), I found parallels with my life and that of the author's. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the farm antics, and moved nearly to tears at some of the author's revelations. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys comedic inspiration during their morning walks. ;-)
July 1, 2017
I found this one to be entertaining. Part of it is that I grew up with family that farms and I know how hard work it is, so when "city" people jump in to farm and there is drama I find it funny. I'm also familiar with the area that these women farm, so that is nice. But as much fun as it was to go with these women on their journey I'm glad that my own role is to listen.
March 27, 2020
I love these kind of books. I really appreciated the honesty of the author. Farming obviously was not her forte but I think it was interesting to hear from a less than enthusiastic farming partner. I read several reviews that she complained and whined a lot but I never got that. Perhaps the fact that I listened to the audiobook version, the narrator softened the impact. Either way, I really enjoyed the book.
March 7, 2018
I always wanted to live on a farm, but it never happened, so now I live vicariously through others who have chosen the farming life. This book didn't disappoint. I enjoyed the author's tales of learning to farm. Some were funny. Others were poignant. All were enjoyable. And the short chapters made it a quick read.
February 21, 2018
This was a delightful listen. I truly enjoyed the author narration. Although it felt more like hanging out with a new friend, drinking vino and learning all about her life on a farm. I laughed, I cried, I wondered what adventure would be next. Very fun.
March 4, 2024
A well written memoir. I enjoyed her physical and emotional journey with a major life change and navigating that and her relationship..
January 30, 2023
Laugh out loud funny book written by Catherine Friend, who is in a long-time relationship with Melissa. It describes their neophyte attempt at sheep farming, and their sometimes awkward methods at managing their flock, and farm which consisted of chickens, a couple of llamas, a few goats and ducks, along with a struggling planting of wine grapes.
It starts out right away, with the nitty-gritty of male sheep and their testicles...
"Farms have fences. People have boundaries. Mine began crumbling the day I knelt behind a male sheep, reached between his legs, and squeezed his testicles. This unsettling event took place the blustery November day when I joined a group of shepherd-wannabes for a weekend class on the basics of raising sheep. I was there with my partner, Melissa, the woman I'd live with and loved for twelve years, because we were going to start a farm.
Janet, the course instructor, had motioned us closer. 'Grab his testicles here, around the widest part,' she commanded. I shot a look of panic to Melissa. Janet wanted us to what? We moved in to hear her over the frigid wind. 'Ram testicles should be about sixteen inches around,' she said.
I huddled closer to Melissa as I tried to stay warm in my leather aviator jacket, red scarf, and white sneakers. My head was numb from the cold, but a hat was out of the question because I would not appear in public with 'hat hair.' I snuggled down as far as I could into my collar, and realized something soft and lumpy was stuck to the bottom of my sneaker. Melissa wore a heavy winter coat, massive wool hat with flaps,, bulky winter snow boots. She looked ridiculous...
Wincing, I reached between the ram's back legs with my thumb and forefinger.
'Don't pinch him,' Janet cried.
By now the rest of the class had turned to watch. Embarrassed, I took a deep breath and wrapped both hands around the pendulous testicles. They were warm, squishy, and wooly. I squeezed gently, wondering briefly if this was the ram's favorite part of the course.
I let go and shot to my feet. 'Okay, next.'
'Me, me,' Melissa whispered as she dropped to her knees and immediately bean poking and prodding by poor guy, even craning around his hip to stare at his penis. The books we'd read had said when you buy a ram you should manipulate the penis to collect a semen sample for testing. Even Melissa, a hands-on person if there ever was one, had reservations about this procedure. Luckily Janet hadn't included it in the weekend's curriculum."
Managing a flock of sheep requires fencing which are electric, to be effective.
"When an electrical current contacts your body, the first thing it wants do do is go somewhere, anywhere, and it's perfectly happy using your body to get there. If you're touching the ground, it wants to go to the ground, and if that means traveling through your muscles and bones to get there, no problem. If you're not touching the ground, the electricity has nowhere to go, so you don't feel it. That's why birds can sit on electric fences--the electricity has no place to go.
I finally got the hang of the ground-level thing and was more careful. At the time, I owned a pair of stretch jeans--not he height of fashion, but comfortable to work in. I felt slimmer wearing them, for they compressed my tender pink thighs to an almost slender state. But I had worn these jeans so much--and those women with thighs will understand--that after a few months of farming, I'd rubbed a large hole inside one thigh. My stretch jeans did a great compression job, except at the hole, where my tender pink thigh bulged out like rising bread dough. One day, wearing these jeans, I crossed the fence where I had crossed many times before. I always gripped the metal fence post to steady myself, and this time was no different.
But I failed to compensate for the extra inch of tender ink thigh. When that tender pink thigh hit the fence, the electricity surged up through my entire body and out the hand gripping the post, and my whole body spasmed in shock. I flung myself over the fence with a shout. Melissa came running and held me as I whimpered, then she generously shared her bag of M&M's. I eventually stopped shaking and recovered, finally aware that I sat on the top of a grassy hill with sheep contentedly grazing below, sunshine warming my face, the lush valley stretching beyond, Melissa's arm around me. This farm adventure was proving more physically challenging than I'd expected, but at least we had each other."
The whole point of raising sheep was not for their wool, which was not a huge money maker, but for their meat. (They avoided giving them names...) And the lambs giving birth in the spring was part of the cycle. Their first was giving Catherine nightmares...
"The books were so matter-of-fact it made me crazy, as if dealing with birthing problems were a perfectly natural part of life. Certainly not my life. My favorite was the advice for a lamb born with breathing problems: 'grasp it firmly by the hind legs and swing it aggressively in an arc several times in order that centrifugal force will expel the mucus. Make sure that you have a good grip on the lame to avoid throwing it out of the barn.' Wow."
The book went on to describe the many different abnormalities that could occur during lambing, such as abnormal presentations.
"I felt faint.
Lambing loomed ahead of me like a giant black hole, one of those swirling phenomenon that clutches your spaceship in it gravitational pull and sucks you in, even as you're frantically flipping all your levers and pushing all your buttons and sending out a mayday call. There was no way around lambing; all I could do was go through it."
---------------------
'Our two peacocks (long story, don't ask), brought an element of exotic elegance to the farm, until they began pooping of the hood of my car. All winter long they'd leave these grayish swirls of poop the size of a Dairy Queen ice cream cone, which froze solid to the hood. Of course, after I started the car and drove on the highway for a few minutes, the heat of the engine would thaw the poop, and it'd come flying toward my windshield at 65 miles per hour. The peacocks have, not surprisingly, left the farm."
Melissa took to the farm famously, much to the dismay of Catherine. She, the writer, struggled to create, and viewed the farm, which Melissa loves, as a rival for her affection. She worried that it would break up their relationship. They even visited a counselor to work out their problems. Along the way, they decided a division of labor, and Catherine learned to help out only when needed.
"I don't regret the farm. The animals enrich my life. How many people on a daily basis see newborn lambs cavorting in their back yard, llamas yawning with excitement as you bring their feed, or have a baby goat fall asleep in your lap? Somedays, of course, I wish we owned nothing more than a goldfish so we were free to travel, but then that dream would obliterate Melissa's.
I still think boundaries are a good idea, but I've learned they need to breathe a little, just as a barn must breathe, and a relationship must breathe. Embracing the daily chaos of my life is a bit like trying to hug an octopus, but when I consider the alternatives--death or boredom--the chaos on a farm, on our farm, is beautiful."
I so enjoyed this book and was sad when I finished. I hope there are more tales to come.
It starts out right away, with the nitty-gritty of male sheep and their testicles...
"Farms have fences. People have boundaries. Mine began crumbling the day I knelt behind a male sheep, reached between his legs, and squeezed his testicles. This unsettling event took place the blustery November day when I joined a group of shepherd-wannabes for a weekend class on the basics of raising sheep. I was there with my partner, Melissa, the woman I'd live with and loved for twelve years, because we were going to start a farm.
Janet, the course instructor, had motioned us closer. 'Grab his testicles here, around the widest part,' she commanded. I shot a look of panic to Melissa. Janet wanted us to what? We moved in to hear her over the frigid wind. 'Ram testicles should be about sixteen inches around,' she said.
I huddled closer to Melissa as I tried to stay warm in my leather aviator jacket, red scarf, and white sneakers. My head was numb from the cold, but a hat was out of the question because I would not appear in public with 'hat hair.' I snuggled down as far as I could into my collar, and realized something soft and lumpy was stuck to the bottom of my sneaker. Melissa wore a heavy winter coat, massive wool hat with flaps,, bulky winter snow boots. She looked ridiculous...
Wincing, I reached between the ram's back legs with my thumb and forefinger.
'Don't pinch him,' Janet cried.
By now the rest of the class had turned to watch. Embarrassed, I took a deep breath and wrapped both hands around the pendulous testicles. They were warm, squishy, and wooly. I squeezed gently, wondering briefly if this was the ram's favorite part of the course.
I let go and shot to my feet. 'Okay, next.'
'Me, me,' Melissa whispered as she dropped to her knees and immediately bean poking and prodding by poor guy, even craning around his hip to stare at his penis. The books we'd read had said when you buy a ram you should manipulate the penis to collect a semen sample for testing. Even Melissa, a hands-on person if there ever was one, had reservations about this procedure. Luckily Janet hadn't included it in the weekend's curriculum."
Managing a flock of sheep requires fencing which are electric, to be effective.
"When an electrical current contacts your body, the first thing it wants do do is go somewhere, anywhere, and it's perfectly happy using your body to get there. If you're touching the ground, it wants to go to the ground, and if that means traveling through your muscles and bones to get there, no problem. If you're not touching the ground, the electricity has nowhere to go, so you don't feel it. That's why birds can sit on electric fences--the electricity has no place to go.
I finally got the hang of the ground-level thing and was more careful. At the time, I owned a pair of stretch jeans--not he height of fashion, but comfortable to work in. I felt slimmer wearing them, for they compressed my tender pink thighs to an almost slender state. But I had worn these jeans so much--and those women with thighs will understand--that after a few months of farming, I'd rubbed a large hole inside one thigh. My stretch jeans did a great compression job, except at the hole, where my tender pink thigh bulged out like rising bread dough. One day, wearing these jeans, I crossed the fence where I had crossed many times before. I always gripped the metal fence post to steady myself, and this time was no different.
But I failed to compensate for the extra inch of tender ink thigh. When that tender pink thigh hit the fence, the electricity surged up through my entire body and out the hand gripping the post, and my whole body spasmed in shock. I flung myself over the fence with a shout. Melissa came running and held me as I whimpered, then she generously shared her bag of M&M's. I eventually stopped shaking and recovered, finally aware that I sat on the top of a grassy hill with sheep contentedly grazing below, sunshine warming my face, the lush valley stretching beyond, Melissa's arm around me. This farm adventure was proving more physically challenging than I'd expected, but at least we had each other."
The whole point of raising sheep was not for their wool, which was not a huge money maker, but for their meat. (They avoided giving them names...) And the lambs giving birth in the spring was part of the cycle. Their first was giving Catherine nightmares...
"The books were so matter-of-fact it made me crazy, as if dealing with birthing problems were a perfectly natural part of life. Certainly not my life. My favorite was the advice for a lamb born with breathing problems: 'grasp it firmly by the hind legs and swing it aggressively in an arc several times in order that centrifugal force will expel the mucus. Make sure that you have a good grip on the lame to avoid throwing it out of the barn.' Wow."
The book went on to describe the many different abnormalities that could occur during lambing, such as abnormal presentations.
"I felt faint.
Lambing loomed ahead of me like a giant black hole, one of those swirling phenomenon that clutches your spaceship in it gravitational pull and sucks you in, even as you're frantically flipping all your levers and pushing all your buttons and sending out a mayday call. There was no way around lambing; all I could do was go through it."
---------------------
'Our two peacocks (long story, don't ask), brought an element of exotic elegance to the farm, until they began pooping of the hood of my car. All winter long they'd leave these grayish swirls of poop the size of a Dairy Queen ice cream cone, which froze solid to the hood. Of course, after I started the car and drove on the highway for a few minutes, the heat of the engine would thaw the poop, and it'd come flying toward my windshield at 65 miles per hour. The peacocks have, not surprisingly, left the farm."
Melissa took to the farm famously, much to the dismay of Catherine. She, the writer, struggled to create, and viewed the farm, which Melissa loves, as a rival for her affection. She worried that it would break up their relationship. They even visited a counselor to work out their problems. Along the way, they decided a division of labor, and Catherine learned to help out only when needed.
"I don't regret the farm. The animals enrich my life. How many people on a daily basis see newborn lambs cavorting in their back yard, llamas yawning with excitement as you bring their feed, or have a baby goat fall asleep in your lap? Somedays, of course, I wish we owned nothing more than a goldfish so we were free to travel, but then that dream would obliterate Melissa's.
I still think boundaries are a good idea, but I've learned they need to breathe a little, just as a barn must breathe, and a relationship must breathe. Embracing the daily chaos of my life is a bit like trying to hug an octopus, but when I consider the alternatives--death or boredom--the chaos on a farm, on our farm, is beautiful."
I so enjoyed this book and was sad when I finished. I hope there are more tales to come.
January 26, 2011
This book was a random book that popped up as a Amazon recommendation for me. Because I've taken a great interest in farming and homesteading lately, I thought it would be enjoyable to read an account from someone who has actually done what I want to do. Catherine Friend provided that in this memoir of her life when she moved out to the farm.
She and her partner Melissa, following one of Melissa's dreams, buy a farm and start putting up fences (literally and figuratively as the farm seems to be a source of contention sometimes). Their goal is to raise meat sheep, meat chickens, and cold weather grapes. All of these are actually pretty large endeavors and soon the two find themselves with plenty of animals, and only an inkling of whats in store for them. Of course the main focus of this book, as told by the cover, is the sheep. While there are funny stories about both the grapes and the chickens, the majority of the novel dealt with the sheep.
Raising the sheep proved to be a lot tougher than first glance. From lambing to "bum lambs", sickness and deaths, the raising of sheep is not to be taken lightly. The author especially has a hard time the first time one of the lambs she's grown to love is sent to the slaughter. Luckily, they followed the rule about not naming them and didn't have to go through as much pain as a result. In addition to this wonderful group of sheep, the two also dabble with llamas, goats, ducks, geese, and egg producing chickens. I believe even a peacock is mentioned.
Throughout this the story is not only about the farm but about the relationship between the author and her partner Melissa. While I can't get the visions of the underwear drawer out of my head, it was easy to see the connection and the troubles of this relationship. While I would have liked a little more insight into Melissa's predicaments (as it seems the author was upset with her for no good reason until the therapy shed some light on what was going on) I understand that this is the author's memoir and what detail was added was probably more fitting and comfortable for her.
This is not a book for if you are wanting to learn how to farm, and it isn't advertised as such. What this is is a story of two people and how the farm changed their life. It is about their struggles and their triumphs. A very pleasant read.
Hit By A Farm
Copyright 2006
237 pages
She and her partner Melissa, following one of Melissa's dreams, buy a farm and start putting up fences (literally and figuratively as the farm seems to be a source of contention sometimes). Their goal is to raise meat sheep, meat chickens, and cold weather grapes. All of these are actually pretty large endeavors and soon the two find themselves with plenty of animals, and only an inkling of whats in store for them. Of course the main focus of this book, as told by the cover, is the sheep. While there are funny stories about both the grapes and the chickens, the majority of the novel dealt with the sheep.
Raising the sheep proved to be a lot tougher than first glance. From lambing to "bum lambs", sickness and deaths, the raising of sheep is not to be taken lightly. The author especially has a hard time the first time one of the lambs she's grown to love is sent to the slaughter. Luckily, they followed the rule about not naming them and didn't have to go through as much pain as a result. In addition to this wonderful group of sheep, the two also dabble with llamas, goats, ducks, geese, and egg producing chickens. I believe even a peacock is mentioned.
Throughout this the story is not only about the farm but about the relationship between the author and her partner Melissa. While I can't get the visions of the underwear drawer out of my head, it was easy to see the connection and the troubles of this relationship. While I would have liked a little more insight into Melissa's predicaments (as it seems the author was upset with her for no good reason until the therapy shed some light on what was going on) I understand that this is the author's memoir and what detail was added was probably more fitting and comfortable for her.
This is not a book for if you are wanting to learn how to farm, and it isn't advertised as such. What this is is a story of two people and how the farm changed their life. It is about their struggles and their triumphs. A very pleasant read.
Hit By A Farm
Copyright 2006
237 pages
April 30, 2012
Catherine Friend and her partner Melissa decided to follow Melissa’s dream of becoming a farmer, so they bought some land in Minnesota, built a home on it, put up some fencing, and bought their first lambs and chickens. In addition to the livestock, they also decided to grow grapes. Neither had much farming experience, although Melissa worked for the USDA for a time, and despite all of their research their learning curve was pretty steep their first couple of years. Melissa battled with constant headaches and Catherine – an author of children’s books – struggled to find time to write (and follow her own dream) and the two found themselves arguing most of the time. It took time and work, but eventually the women were able to save their relationship and create space for both of their dreams.
It must have taken some time for Catherine to be able to write about her farming experiences with humor instead of pain. While there are plenty of laugh out loud moments in this memoir, there are also times when she didn’t think she’d be able to go on. She definitely developed an aversion to poultry after Melissa adopted geese and then ducks on top of their chickens. Funny and down to earth, but also realistic. Really enjoyed this.
Excerpts:
“In Real-Farm, the author and her husband moved out into the country, and while they also did not have livestock, they struggled with an old well, a windmill, and for some unknown reason, bought geese. Then halfway through the book, the husband just disappeared. The author discreetly referred to her divorce, then kept on about the farm, and how living in the country had changed her perceptions of everything. I wasn’t expecting a Jenny Jones/Jerry Springer sort of confession, but couldn’t she have at least given me a few details?…What had gone wrong?
“I imagined the author and her husband must have fought over their geese. Perhaps he cried, ‘It’s me or the geese,’ and suddenly found himself renting a one-bedroom apartment in the city. Geese were definitely bad news. I wondered if any relationship could survive geese.” (pp. 181-182)
It must have taken some time for Catherine to be able to write about her farming experiences with humor instead of pain. While there are plenty of laugh out loud moments in this memoir, there are also times when she didn’t think she’d be able to go on. She definitely developed an aversion to poultry after Melissa adopted geese and then ducks on top of their chickens. Funny and down to earth, but also realistic. Really enjoyed this.
Excerpts:
“In Real-Farm, the author and her husband moved out into the country, and while they also did not have livestock, they struggled with an old well, a windmill, and for some unknown reason, bought geese. Then halfway through the book, the husband just disappeared. The author discreetly referred to her divorce, then kept on about the farm, and how living in the country had changed her perceptions of everything. I wasn’t expecting a Jenny Jones/Jerry Springer sort of confession, but couldn’t she have at least given me a few details?…What had gone wrong?
“I imagined the author and her husband must have fought over their geese. Perhaps he cried, ‘It’s me or the geese,’ and suddenly found himself renting a one-bedroom apartment in the city. Geese were definitely bad news. I wondered if any relationship could survive geese.” (pp. 181-182)
September 28, 2019
Me: You don't harbour a secret desire to pack up and start a farm, do you?
S.O.: ...No? What are you talking about?
Me: Oh good. I can keep you around, then.
-----
At fourteen, I read so constantly that my parents were forced to set a "No reading at the table" rule. (page 8)
Dear author: I can beat that. My mother set the same rule because my entire family read so constantly -- and the rule promptly fell into disuse because my father never bothered to follow it. It was a sad day when we started housing exchange students and my mother started actually enforcing the rule.
But only at the dinner table. Other meals were book-friendly.
-----
My parents told me they once moved the living-room furniture out of position a few inches to see how long it took me to make things right again. This is probably as close as my parents got to child abuse. (page 13)
Okay, can't beat that one, but am highly amused.
-----
She [Melissa] was a stubborn Aries, and if she hadn't moved something or fixed something or done something, the day had been a waste. I suspected she broke things just so she had something to fix. (pages 58-59)
Friend and her partner were not the obvious people to start a farm -- second career; no farming background; in Friend's case, at least, no particular interest in farming life. But they went at it the best way they knew how (by reading everything, and reading a bit more, and figuring out where to go from there) and somehow made it work.
At the time of writing, at least, they'd managed to make a success of their farm and the life they'd cobbled together on it. The stories Friend tells are often darkly comic -- time having put a lighter edge on the more frightening experiences, I suppose, and practice having made some of the unsettling chores more routine.
I'm not sure I ever understood Melissa's desire for a farm or love for farm life, but then, well, see the conversation above. In any case, it's a light, funny read that also manages to convey a lot about their relationship and the adjustments they both made to farm life.
S.O.: ...No? What are you talking about?
Me: Oh good. I can keep you around, then.
-----
At fourteen, I read so constantly that my parents were forced to set a "No reading at the table" rule. (page 8)
Dear author: I can beat that. My mother set the same rule because my entire family read so constantly -- and the rule promptly fell into disuse because my father never bothered to follow it. It was a sad day when we started housing exchange students and my mother started actually enforcing the rule.
But only at the dinner table. Other meals were book-friendly.
-----
My parents told me they once moved the living-room furniture out of position a few inches to see how long it took me to make things right again. This is probably as close as my parents got to child abuse. (page 13)
Okay, can't beat that one, but am highly amused.
-----
She [Melissa] was a stubborn Aries, and if she hadn't moved something or fixed something or done something, the day had been a waste. I suspected she broke things just so she had something to fix. (pages 58-59)
Friend and her partner were not the obvious people to start a farm -- second career; no farming background; in Friend's case, at least, no particular interest in farming life. But they went at it the best way they knew how (by reading everything, and reading a bit more, and figuring out where to go from there) and somehow made it work.
At the time of writing, at least, they'd managed to make a success of their farm and the life they'd cobbled together on it. The stories Friend tells are often darkly comic -- time having put a lighter edge on the more frightening experiences, I suppose, and practice having made some of the unsettling chores more routine.
I'm not sure I ever understood Melissa's desire for a farm or love for farm life, but then, well, see the conversation above. In any case, it's a light, funny read that also manages to convey a lot about their relationship and the adjustments they both made to farm life.
February 23, 2013
There's much to recommend in Friend's Hit by a Farm - the endearing stories of the llamas who nanny flocks of sheep, for example, or the stories of baby goats playing tag. There's also a hefty dose of realism to the book. There's death a-plenty as the animals on the farm fall prey to coyotes, hawks, eagles, disease, and natural causes, and Friend spends one chapter discussing the fact that farming, even if you love it, is far from idyllic. That applies not just to the animals on the farm, but the humans doing the farming, too: Friend and her partner go through immense relationship difficulties as they try to balance farming with other wants and needs.
What lessened my enjoyment of the book was the constant telegraphing of those same relationship troubles. From very early in the book, Friend begins to suggest that they had no idea what was coming, or a given situation was a portent of what would happen next. It becomes very tiresome, especially as the nadir of their relationship doesn't come until quite late in the book. Stories aren't allowed to unfold as they looked to the participants at the time - they're constantly glossed with hindsight, and Friend seems to be playing a game of keep-away with her readers. (The same thing could be said about Friend repeatedly asserting that she never got her grandmother's farming genes. We get it. We don't need to here about it several times.)
Overall, an enjoyable book, with lots of compelling stories and funny turns of phrase, yet a book that could have been improved even further if all the telegraphing had been cut.
What lessened my enjoyment of the book was the constant telegraphing of those same relationship troubles. From very early in the book, Friend begins to suggest that they had no idea what was coming, or a given situation was a portent of what would happen next. It becomes very tiresome, especially as the nadir of their relationship doesn't come until quite late in the book. Stories aren't allowed to unfold as they looked to the participants at the time - they're constantly glossed with hindsight, and Friend seems to be playing a game of keep-away with her readers. (The same thing could be said about Friend repeatedly asserting that she never got her grandmother's farming genes. We get it. We don't need to here about it several times.)
Overall, an enjoyable book, with lots of compelling stories and funny turns of phrase, yet a book that could have been improved even further if all the telegraphing had been cut.
September 20, 2015
2.5 that would have been rounded up to a 3 but the ending was a round-down.
This book could have easily been a whole lot more interesting and a whole less whiny if the author and her partner would have had THIS conversation before buying a farm:
Partner: "It is my dream to be a sheep farmer."
Author: "That is not my dream. But I love you so I want to make this work. However, a farm is a lot of work and it is my dream to be a writer."
Partner: "A farm IS a lot of work, so I will need some help. However, I also respect your dream and will give you time to write. Now let's buy 100 sheep and breed them right away."
Author: "That sounds a little inconsistent with the aformentioned plan. Let's buy, like, 20 sheep and see how that goes, since neither of us have ever done this before."
Partner: "Yes, let's. And if either of us is having a hard time with this in the future, let's practice open communication."
That being said, there are amazingly funny/accurate stories about animal sex/courting/birthing, and the book gave me perspective on the type of farm/homestead/hobby center I would like in the future. While I love sheep, I do not want hundreds of them on 50 acres of land outside Rochester. That much I now know.
The humor and short farm anecdotes carried me through the book, but without those things I might have put it down, because the writing was not very good and the anecdotes were lazily tied together with some dumb metaphor about fences/walls. It was quite juvenile writing.
This book could have easily been a whole lot more interesting and a whole less whiny if the author and her partner would have had THIS conversation before buying a farm:
Partner: "It is my dream to be a sheep farmer."
Author: "That is not my dream. But I love you so I want to make this work. However, a farm is a lot of work and it is my dream to be a writer."
Partner: "A farm IS a lot of work, so I will need some help. However, I also respect your dream and will give you time to write. Now let's buy 100 sheep and breed them right away."
Author: "That sounds a little inconsistent with the aformentioned plan. Let's buy, like, 20 sheep and see how that goes, since neither of us have ever done this before."
Partner: "Yes, let's. And if either of us is having a hard time with this in the future, let's practice open communication."
That being said, there are amazingly funny/accurate stories about animal sex/courting/birthing, and the book gave me perspective on the type of farm/homestead/hobby center I would like in the future. While I love sheep, I do not want hundreds of them on 50 acres of land outside Rochester. That much I now know.
The humor and short farm anecdotes carried me through the book, but without those things I might have put it down, because the writing was not very good and the anecdotes were lazily tied together with some dumb metaphor about fences/walls. It was quite juvenile writing.
September 18, 2009
Catherine Friend is perfectly content to be an author and writing instructor, living in a small town. Her long-time partner, Melissa, isn’t. Melissa dreams of farming, so Catherine gamely agrees and throws herself into their agricultural endeavors.
Quickly, Catherine discovers that she is being consumed by tending sheep, chickens and grapes and neglecting her writing. She begins to wonder if both she and Melissa can pursue their dreams, or if one must sacrifice their passions.
Friend’s memoir about being a reluctant farmer is amazingly compelling. The farming details are easy to understand and interesting even to those with no agricultural leanings. Catherine’s stories of quirky farm animals and the unavoidable attachment she forms with them before they are taken to the butcher are touching and readers will not be able to keep from empathizing with these two novice farmers. Perhaps most compelling of all, however, is the story of Catherine and Melissa’s relationship and their struggle to balance their seemingly conflicting dreams.
Hit by a Farm is such a charming tale, that I found myself wishing that Friend wrote more adult books. Her second adult non-fiction title, The Compassionate Carnivore, has definitely earned a place on my To Read list.
Quickly, Catherine discovers that she is being consumed by tending sheep, chickens and grapes and neglecting her writing. She begins to wonder if both she and Melissa can pursue their dreams, or if one must sacrifice their passions.
Friend’s memoir about being a reluctant farmer is amazingly compelling. The farming details are easy to understand and interesting even to those with no agricultural leanings. Catherine’s stories of quirky farm animals and the unavoidable attachment she forms with them before they are taken to the butcher are touching and readers will not be able to keep from empathizing with these two novice farmers. Perhaps most compelling of all, however, is the story of Catherine and Melissa’s relationship and their struggle to balance their seemingly conflicting dreams.
Hit by a Farm is such a charming tale, that I found myself wishing that Friend wrote more adult books. Her second adult non-fiction title, The Compassionate Carnivore, has definitely earned a place on my To Read list.
April 17, 2016
Friday Reads:
Catherine and Melissa are a couple who reside in southeastern Minnesota who decide to go farming - more specifically, raising sheep and poultry and starting a vineyard. Catherine was an author prior to her and Melissa starting this endeavour and going farming was really Melissa's dream. I listened to this book on audio with Catherine being the narrator. I found her voice so similar to Cheryl Strayed that at times I had to remind myself that Cheryl wasn't narrating.
I enjoyed the book, but it certainly is not my favourite of all the different farming adventure books that I have read. At times Catherine spent large amounts of the book complaining about farm life and how it was interfering with her writing. After a while the complaining became a bit monotonous and I began to wonder why she just didn't leave. Eventually Catherine was able to set boundaries with respect to the amount of farm work she was willing to take on so that she could get back to her writing life and this book is the result.
Catherine and Melissa are a couple who reside in southeastern Minnesota who decide to go farming - more specifically, raising sheep and poultry and starting a vineyard. Catherine was an author prior to her and Melissa starting this endeavour and going farming was really Melissa's dream. I listened to this book on audio with Catherine being the narrator. I found her voice so similar to Cheryl Strayed that at times I had to remind myself that Cheryl wasn't narrating.
I enjoyed the book, but it certainly is not my favourite of all the different farming adventure books that I have read. At times Catherine spent large amounts of the book complaining about farm life and how it was interfering with her writing. After a while the complaining became a bit monotonous and I began to wonder why she just didn't leave. Eventually Catherine was able to set boundaries with respect to the amount of farm work she was willing to take on so that she could get back to her writing life and this book is the result.
July 15, 2012
A quick and fun depiction of a woman becoming a farmer to help her partner live her dream. The author also addresses the challenge of maintaining an individual identity in a relationship when one's life purpose is as all encompassing as starting and running a sheep farm. And, did I say it was funny!
February 24, 2012
Catherine Friend spins (ha!) a wild tale of farm ownership, relationship woes and general hilarity. I think everyone would like this book, especially Minnesotans with any interst in at all in small scale farming and pasture-raised sheep.
May 18, 2007
Convinced me to never raise sheep. It did, however, sell me on the idea of guard llamas.
February 5, 2013
I had already read the author's later farm memoir, "Sheepish", and quite enjoyed this earlier peek at her life on the farm.
April 13, 2020
I read Sheepish (2011) before I read Hit by a Farm (2006). I ended up feeling like Hit by a Farm covered a lot of the same territory, such as lambing season. In both books, ewes become pregnant at the wrong time (though for different reasons), and lambing season seems no easier or done more logically in the later book. Though I don't expect farming to be logical nor necessarily get easier with time, I wondered why lambing was so focused on in both books.
I found I was more interested in all the time Friend spent thinking about leaving her long-term partner Melissa. I wanted to know more about how frequently she searched for her own apartment, how close she got to choosing one, if she ever talked to a friend or family member about their relationship problems, and exactly what they were fighting about. It often seemed they were fighting over how to do something: Melissa's way (she's the one who wanted the farm and spent most of the time running it) vs. Catherine Friend's way (who hated the farm and didn't spend much time at it).
One thing that struck me as crossing over into all kinds of relationships was balance and boundaries. Because everything on the farm seemed like an emergency to Melissa, the author was often pulled away from her writing, which implies her writing can just wait or isn't important. For one woman, the farm is her dream; for the other, it's writing. I enjoyed reading about how the couple adjusted after the author put up a boundary and stuck to it.
Basically I got enough of the farm in Sheepish, so I wanted more of Melissa and the author in Hit by a Farm. After all, this book is about the start of the farm, which leaves loads of space for compromise, conversation, and yes, arguing.
I do plan to check out Friend's third farm book about being a caring carnivore. I'm going to get a text version, though. While I appreciate when an author reads his/her own work for an audiobook, it can change the way I perceive the "voice" of the author in text. In Sheepish (I read the paperback), Friend sounded like a wise elderly woman with a tough voice. In Hit by a Farm (the audiobook friend reads) she sounded like mom jeans.
I found I was more interested in all the time Friend spent thinking about leaving her long-term partner Melissa. I wanted to know more about how frequently she searched for her own apartment, how close she got to choosing one, if she ever talked to a friend or family member about their relationship problems, and exactly what they were fighting about. It often seemed they were fighting over how to do something: Melissa's way (she's the one who wanted the farm and spent most of the time running it) vs. Catherine Friend's way (who hated the farm and didn't spend much time at it).
One thing that struck me as crossing over into all kinds of relationships was balance and boundaries. Because everything on the farm seemed like an emergency to Melissa, the author was often pulled away from her writing, which implies her writing can just wait or isn't important. For one woman, the farm is her dream; for the other, it's writing. I enjoyed reading about how the couple adjusted after the author put up a boundary and stuck to it.
Basically I got enough of the farm in Sheepish, so I wanted more of Melissa and the author in Hit by a Farm. After all, this book is about the start of the farm, which leaves loads of space for compromise, conversation, and yes, arguing.
I do plan to check out Friend's third farm book about being a caring carnivore. I'm going to get a text version, though. While I appreciate when an author reads his/her own work for an audiobook, it can change the way I perceive the "voice" of the author in text. In Sheepish (I read the paperback), Friend sounded like a wise elderly woman with a tough voice. In Hit by a Farm (the audiobook friend reads) she sounded like mom jeans.
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