So here's the deal: I never count myself as a country girl. I didn't take horseback riding lessons or want a horse. I didn't date a farmer. I didn't (and don't) speak with a twang. But I definitely appreciate the fact that though it doesn't often make it onto the application, a portion of my professional resume involves helping to spearhead a baking, produce, and cut-flowers farm operation. I don't know why I appreciate it so much. I don't know. It's just cool to have lived an alternate life as a farmer, landscaper, house-builder, whatever (yes, I spent time as all these things during high school). For a whole year our lives were spent taking weeds off things and bugs off things and - when the weeds and bugs didn't prevail - taking vegetables off things. Listen: when you organically farm on a budget, there are no cool microorganisms you're ordering to do the weed-chopping and bug-pulling for you. It's pure manpower, babes. Man-power and fish emulsion.