When Pain Defines Everything
July 7 2025
When Pain Defines Everything
That sore leg last week turned out to be a bout with Lyme disease, my first since 2021. Similar to my experience that year, the pain was excruciating, by far worse than childbirth. But by Sunday we had a diagnosis, and I had my doxycycline and pain meds. At least I understood what was going on, although the sleepless nights that followed continued for around 4 days. Now I am left with a swollen leg that is going down more each day, and by Friday, I was sneaking out into the field to help out. In another week or so I hope to be back at full throttle.
I received around the clock care from Ellen for three days until she had to leave, most of a day with Chuk at the hospital, Jack trying to calm me at night, Paula coming extra days to work to massage and comfort me, Brandon treating me like a queen as he escorted me around the farm, and many others stepping up to work harder on the farm and provide me with emotional support and a steadying hand as I tried to walk. Someone was always available to help me through the next painful crisis and for that I am extremely grateful.
There has always been a lot of pain in the human condition, and each time we have to face it we probably grow in our ability to be compassionate for others. As I lay there I considered the stories that I have read of men dying alone on battlefields. Thoughts of the torture that people are still submitted to on a daily basis throughout our world were with me as I tried to put my fleeting pain, that I knew to have an end date, into perspective. As I learned during the pain of childbirth, I am kind of a patsy about these things. I can only say that I am entirely grateful to all of those who never left me to suffer it alone. Human community is an abiding gift for all of us who are lucky enough to be part of it.
The Latest from Jack
Bayer Seeking to Avoid Jury Justice
compiled by Jack Kittredge
Bayer, the international pesticide and pharmaceutical company, is intensifying its efforts to shield itself from losing many lawsuits. In 2018 Bayer bought Monsanto, owner of the widely used herbicide Roundup, whose active ingredient, glyphosate, has been found to cause cancer — particularly non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
The scale of the damage suits against Roundup is staggering. Bayer reports facing approximately 170,000 cancer claims related to Roundup exposure. In 2020, the company agreed to a landmark $10 billion settlement to resolve thousands of these. Despite this, however, tens of thousands of additional claims remain unresolved, driving Bayer’s current push for legislative intervention.
In response to the mounting legal pressure, Bayer has turned to Congress for relief. The company has been actively lobbying to include the Agricultural Labeling Uniformity Act in the upcoming farm bill. This legislation, crafted with major input from Bayer, aims to create a uniform federal standard for pesticide labeling, effectively limiting the ability of state and local governments to impose their own, potentially stricter, warning requirements.
This act could significantly impact the Roundup lawsuits if passed. By establishing a single federal standard for pesticide warnings, the legislation could make it more challenging for plaintiffs to argue that they were inadequately informed about the potential risks associated with Roundup use, giving Bayer a stronger defense against future claims and potentially reduce its financial exposure.
In a January letter, about 140 mayors and other leaders from various states warned that the legislation would be “harmful to the public interest” and make it harder for injured constituents to seek justice against irresponsible companies. Environmental advocacy groups like Earthjustice and the Environmental Working Group have also been vocal in their opposition.
At the heart of this controversy lies the ongoing scientific debate about the safety of glyphosate. The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified it as “probably carcinogenic.” The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently does not list it as a carcinogen but plans to reevaluate its stance on glyphosate in 2026, which could shift the regulatory landscape.
If Bayer succeeds it could set a precedent for how other corporations confronting heavy product liability rulings seek to use federal legislation as a shield against facing jury justice.
2025 MHOF CSA
Share from Week Four
This week we will have:
- Lettuce
- Cilantro
- Arugula
- Green onions – our last week
- Turnip greens
- Mint
- Beet greens or beets
- Peas
- Squash
- Fennel
- Swiss chard
I still have had only fleeting moments on the farm, and am giving you my best guess here.
Volunteers This Week
Son Paul came on Tuesday for his annual workday on the farm. I look forward to this every year, but sadly couldn’t be present.
Jennifer’s Recipe of the Week: Green Onion Hummus
By blending chickpeas (astringent, protein-rich) and the pungent green onions, this hummus stimulates digestion (Agni) without causing excessive heat for most doshas. Lemon juice adds a mild sour taste to boost metabolism, while tahini provides lubricating fats that can help soothe Vata’s dryness. Kapha types should enjoy smaller portions, as legumes and tahini can be heavier, yet the onion’s pungency offers a balancing effect. Overall, this Green Onion Hummus integrates sweet, sour, and pungent tastes to create a flavorful, easily digestible snack or appetizer.
Get the Recipe at Jen Zen Living
Farm Doins
I got better this past week at working from my memory and providing more and more detailed information to the staff about all the hundreds of nuances involved in getting chores done, picking vegetables that are ripe, not picking ones that are gone by (sorry to anyone who received woody radishes), and supporting from the couch the incredible work load that is ours at this time of the year.
The race is on to continue planting, get older/larger crops weeded and mulched, keep the new seedlings supported with adequate water, getting the hay cut and picked up.
An early Sunday morning farm tour revealed that the deer are back. They took very dainty bites out of the centers of 75% of our lettuces in our upcoming lettuce bed – sigh. Dingo will be posted out by the lettuce as of Sunday night, leaving Skippy to take care of the chickens, with Harriet as wild card rover.
This week the crew planted new kohlrabi, kale, beans and cabbage, moved the pigs to a new location,
Pigs provide us with endless entertainment, especially during watering chores
spent some time weeding and retying the peas for the harvest, as well as weeding and mulching tomatoes, basil, summer savory, marjoram, cauliflower, broccoli and potatoes. We split the meat birds into 4 houses to accommodate their fast growth and now have a whole chicken nursery in the pond field orchard with 8 cages needing a daily move. Skippy and her stalwart team of Dingo and Harriet stay with the birds each night to keep off the wide variety of potential predators. 
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Now is a good time to put in your once each year order for broiler chickens.
Thanks to Devra for jumping into CSA leadership, Paula for making sure the peas got retired and Amanda for proper ID. Marge showed her management skills at lunch on Thursday which earned her another day on the farm and the takeover of marketing from Amanda who has taken on a highly responsible job in NOFA. Marissa took over planting management while Matt engineered the pig move. Weekly we get closer to my goal of strong executive management amongst all farm staff members.
Julie
Grandson Geoff started his first day of farm boot camp learning how to drive the Subaru
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