At the back of a barn on Oregon Food Bank’s community farm are four rows of plants surrounded by wooden fences. These four rows remained mysterious for a while. They are not managed by the food bank, and hardly anyone ever came to take care of the plants there. It is said that these rows are reserved for members of the Oregon Inter-Tribal Breastfeeding Center (OITBC).
On a Wednesday morning, when I arrived at the farm, I recognized a new face appearing at near those four rows. Wearing a grey hat, a checked shirt and long, dark green pants, a woman that looked to be in her thirties parked her old Ford car by the field. Following her was a brown dog, jumping around joyfully. As there was a surplus of volunteers that day, I led a group of people to the four rows to help.
Her name is Sky, I found out. She works at the farm from time to time and plants the four rows with the traditional techniques of Native American tribes. Her dog, Arrow, has always been the all-time favorite of the farm. Smart and energetic, he shoots like an arrow and fetches whatever you throw out. And when you are working out in the field, he will sit quietly by the side and kindly hand you the gloves you carelessly left in the middle of the field. He catches the attention of the little kids and stops them from complaining about the tedious farm work to their parents.
Sky has her own way of delighting the grown-ups working with her. Unlike the pop and rock music going on the field (thanks to Richard), the music from Sky’s little radio is the soothing, old melodies from the 70s. When “The Sound of Silence” was played in this overcast, lightly drizzling Wednesday morning, people stopped to sit by the field, humming with the melody and enjoying a momentary break from the busy farm work.
It was not until Sky rolled up her pants that I realized her tight leg was an artificial limb. From the stories she shared during the farm shift, I found out how she lost most of her ability to walk in an accident and lived alone except for Arrow. I wondered whether I should say something to comfort her, yet when I saw her face, with the calm smile that is always there, I decided that the best thing to do is to respect this peace she has found in her life. I want to devote the same amount of passion she has for music into the plants on this small field surrounded by wooden fences. This will be my contribution.
“Cheers for another beautiful day tomorrow!” Sky waved to us as she drove out, with Arrow sitting on the back seat quietly. The overcast sky didn’t seem that depressing at that moment. It even seemed a little bit delightful.