Osgood Pond Semester

Dedicated to Osgood 2015 Pilot Class

“Do you think we’ll be able to plant anything next spring?” Hyla asked as we shoveled manure into the wheelbarrow.

“Hopefully,” I said. November 11, the afternoon sun hit us perfectly and we worked comfortably in short shelve shirts. The fall had been unseasonably warm and it hardly felt like the semester would be over in less than a month. Already, the winds of change were upon us and we all felt it. As they spread manure, Hanna and Dominic talked about winter break plans, which for Dominic would include some rock climbing. Erik was busy wrapping up his senior capstone and preparing to graduate in December.

What happens to this site next spring or two years down the road, many of the pilot class will not witness. They layer the field with manure for the next class, so that they might have a better chance to raise some kale and potatoes. Through their diligent work, a metaphor can be drawn to sustainable living and the next generation. We should leave this world better than we found it. A hard point to hit home many times, we are an in-the-moment sort of beast. Many of our actions are driven by instant gratification.

In the metaphor field they stand, resting on their shovels and looking at the yurts which have been their homes for the past twelve weeks. They have been excellent stewards to their site. They’ve respected, maintained and built upon it for the next class. Hanna drives her shovel into the sod and breaks up a large chunk. Dominic and Hyla go back for another load of manure. They built their homes with their hands. And with their hands, they will take them down. Winter will come. Snow will fall and cover the field and platforms. If a stranger were to pass by, what would they see? Would they realize all that lays beneath the surface? Would they see the field metaphor?

As an instructor, it has been wonderful to watch Erik, Andrew, Hanna, Hyla, Kade, Valerie and Dominic explore and find a home at Osgood. From the Osgood Pond Semester I learned: When the sun rises and sets, what 2 a.m. looks like in a star lit sky, that there is nothing better than berry picking with a birch basket after a full day of classes, how deer eyes can be alarming when spotted by headlamp, that you’re never too old for a game of capture the flag, how lunar eclipses are best watched lying in a meadow, and that the best place to teach patience, humility and stewardship is the outdoors.