Casey O’Neill is a farmer and owner of Happy Day Farms in Laytonville, Calif. The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of The Mendocino Voice. If you’d like to write your own column for The Mendocino Voice, send your idea to info@mendovoice.com.
The Laytonville Crawfish Boil is back! After being a staple in our community as an incredible party that raised a lot of money for local causes for 13 years, the last official boil was held in 2019. Last night the hiatus came to an end with a resounding note of success. Amber and I were delighted to support the effort by working in the merch booth, which was right next to the stage, so I had one of the best spots in the house to watch the music.
If there’s one thing Laytonville does well, it’s throwing a good party to raise funds for things that help our community. Put on by the nonprofit 101 Community Fund, proceeds from the event will help support Laytonville Little League, and I’m excited to see where we go from here. Yesterday felt like a taste of the old days, like we’re remembering the magic of living here and gathering together. As one friend said, looking out over the crowd, “We’re all grown up now”.
It’s fun to see the children of friends and neighbors scampering around like we used to when we were kids, and I love connecting with the elders who now look on with seasoned vision and understanding of the world. It was so great to see so many old friends, and in our small town it was much like a reunion of sorts, with a chance to catch up and connect with people I don’t see very often these days.
I’m reminded of how important gatherings are, that human connection is always the glue that holds communities together, and I feel a deep sense of gratitude to everyone who worked so hard to make the boil happen. Event production is no small task, but it brings out the best in us as we share an effort for a greater good that generates joyful expression and deep meaning in our lives.
Yesterday felt like a turning point, both a new beginning but also a return to the ways we know to be true for us that were broken by both Covid and the cannabis market crash. It was good to see that we still remember how to gather, how to throw a great party and enjoy the fellowship and love that is generated with great music, great food and drink and the special basket that a well-thrown event creates.
I take my hat off to the team for bringing back an event that has meant so much to our community over the years. Special thanks to Bubbles, Jacob, Troy, the Justins, Meadow, everyone who worked the food and drink booths and all the other jobs that it takes to make an event happen. Great live music from local bands and folks who traveled from far away to be with us made the day a great success indeed! One of the things that makes Laytonville special is the contingent of Louisiana folks who have made their homes here at one time or another, and it was so great to see old friends in full effect!
It’s nice to sit and write after a good party and look forward. As we wind down August, my spirits lift and my mind clears with excitement and expectation for the season to come. The air has begun to feel very fallish, with cool nights and possible moisture in the forecast. We say “Life is good, but August is hard,” so now I add that “August is almost over.” September is my birth month, which has always made it feel special for me, but it’s also the seasonal shift, the shortening of days that lessens the workload, and the runup into the final sprint of harvest.
Putting hay in the barn is quintessentially farmy, and my mind is full of reflection after we unloaded and stacked our first load yesterday morning in the dim and dusty hay mow. We put away 39 bales, just over a third of what we’ll need to get us through to the end of next summer, so there’s still plenty of room for more hay and plenty of work to do to buck the bales onto truck and trailer and then add them to the growing haystack in the barn.
I think back to our earlier years of farming when we had neither barn nor need for hay to put in it. We used to just keep pigs, and they needed straw for bedding more than they needed hay. I had a carport that I converted with sheets of corrugated metal to be longer lasting than the initial tarp structure, small but functional for its purpose. When we took on the ranch in 2021, we entered into an agreement with a 100-plus-year-old barn that we would keep it standing if it would provide shelter, and we began raising sheep so we needed hay. Over the last few years, hay has become more a part of my life, and I’ve developed a fascination with the cutting, baling and management of this crucial crop, though I have little direct involvement in its production.
Hay in the barn is preparation for winter, a clear step towards the changing of the seasons that I welcome with open arms. Summer is the hardest time for farming, with the longest hours and the difficulties of heat for humans, livestock and crops. My mind turns towards the delights of rainy days, woodstoves, soup and a stack of books to read. Though there will likely be plenty of heat still in our long, Mediterranean fall, I am grateful for the current cooling trend as we continue sowing and planting our successions of cool weather crops geared for the oncoming seasonal shift. As always, much love and great success to you on your journey!