“Okay,” said Penny, rubbing the dirt from her hands on her jeans.
“I just got this weird feeling about her,” Alex continued. “I felt it when I first met her, but I really felt it on the phone just now.”
“What kind of feeling?” Penny asked.
“I don’t know,” said Alex. “A strange magnetism. Like she’s in desperate need of help and I’m supposed to help her.”
“Oh!” said Penny, eyes widening as she nodded in understanding. “Yes. I know that feeling.”
“She’s coming here tomorrow,” said Alex. “Will you check her out for me?”
“Of course I will,” replied Penny with a loving smile. “What’s her name?”
“Taryn,” said Alex. “Taryn Donaghy.”
“Taryn Donaghy,” Penny repeated. “Hmm. I’ll think about that. Taryn Donaghy.”
“Thank you,” Alex said. She smiled and put her hand on Penny’s shoulder.
Penny returned the smile.
When Taryn got off the freeway at Chelsea and drove through the downtown area, it really didn’t seem all that removed from what she was used to. Although Chelsea wasn’t very far from Ann Arbor, she had never visited but it seemed like a quaint little town. It even surprised her that right in the middle of town was the Jiffy Mix factory, an iconic brand that she recognized from her youth. However, as she continued on M-52 and left town, things quickly began feeling far more remote. She was entering farm country.
Following the directions on her GPS, Taryn took the appropriate turns and found herself driving on a backroad. For a while, there would be trees all around her and then there would be a break in the forest and a farm was revealed. This happened multiple times on her drive as her GPS alerted her that she was nearing the destination.
She began to feel inexplicably nervous as she pulled up to the house she knew to be the one she was looking for. Out front, there was a farm stand painted red. Inside of it, Taryn could see wooden tubs of various vegetables, a table of flowers, but no person there to watch over it. There was a sign on it that read, “Come knock at the house for bulk orders.” As Taryn came up the driveway, she could get a better look at the house. It was white, not very large, obviously old. It needed some work. Beyond the house was a large red barn and she could see a few outbuildings that looked like greenhouses.
Taryn took a breath as she put her car in park and shut it off. She wasn’t entirely sure why she decided to come out here. It was certainly out of her comfort zone, something different than what she was used to. But it seemed like something she had to do. She couldn’t quite figure out why she felt the draw of the farm, but it was there inside of her. Perhaps it was her attraction to Alex. Maybe that’s all it was. At the same time, though, it felt like more than that.
Approaching the side door of the home, just off the driveway, Taryn walked up the steps and gave the screen door a few knocks. The sound was tinny and hollow. She waited for a moment, and then she knocked again. There was no answer.
She wandered off from the house and back behind it, now catching a better glimpse of the fields. There was a vast field of lavender out back, along with some other vegetative growth that she couldn’t name. Behind the barn, Taryn saw a stand of curious round tents. But they were bigger than tents. More like huts, with canvas walls that came to a peak at the top. She also noticed some other weird structures that looked as though people might live in them. These structures were hidden from the road, but easily noticeable as you came around back.
Soon, a thin man with a substantial red beard and thinning hair up top came walking by carrying a rolled hose on his shoulder. He wore dirty jeans and a t-shirt advertising a band. As he approached, Taryn smiled at him.
“Hello,” said Taryn.
“Hi,” said the man. He stopped in front of Taryn, continuing to hold his hose up.
“I’m sorry to bother you,” Taryn went on. “But I’m here to see Alex.”
“Yep,” he said. “I think I saw her in that greenhouse right there.” He pointed off to one of the greenhouses.
“Thank you very much,” said Taryn.
“No problem,” he said. He then continued on his journey. Taryn watched him walk off for a moment, lifting an eyebrow as she tried to figure this place out. The guy didn’t quite seem like a farmer in the way she had envisioned farmers to be. He seemed younger, and more like a hippie or something.
Taryn made her way toward the greenhouse she had been pointed to, and as she approached the open door she couldn’t help but eagerly look inside. Immediately she saw Alex standing at a table, using shears to cut stems. From what Taryn could see from the outside, the greenhouse had an array of flowers sitting in planters along the walls and through the middle. It wasn’t a huge greenhouse on the outside, but on the inside it looked as though it was deep and full.
“Hello?” Taryn said, approaching the door and knocking on the frame lightly. Alex turned and looked. She smiled when she saw Taryn.
“Hey there,” said Alex. She wiped her hands on a towel she had sitting on the table and then she walked over to Taryn at the entrance. “I’m sorry I didn’t meet you out front,” she said. “I lost track of time.”
“That’s okay,” said Taryn. “I’m actually a bit early anyway.”
“Well… welcome!” said Alex with a smile. Reaching out, she offered her hand to Taryn and the women shook.
“Thank you,” said Taryn. “Your farm is lovely. It’s very beautiful and calm out here.” Alex laughed.
“Yeah, it certainly is,” she said.
“I have a question,” said Taryn. “Just curious.”
“Sure.”
“That farm stand out front,” Taryn said. “Nobody’s watching it?”
“Nah,” said Alex. “It’s the honor system. There’s a little coffee can you can put money in or make change or whatever.”
“You’re kidding me,” said Taryn in surprise. “You’re not worried about people stealing?”
“Not at all,” Alex replied with another laugh. “Why would they do that?”
“I… I don’t know,” said Taryn. “I guess I just think if you leave out the vegetables and whatever else, if you leave out money, people might just take it.”
“Not out here,” said Alex. “I mean, we do check on it occasionally and take out some of the cash, but stealing has never been a problem.”
“Wow,” said Taryn, giving a short nervous laugh. “Okay.”
“Most people are good, you know?” said Alex. “Honest.”
“Yeah,” Taryn mused absently as she considered Alex’s point.
“Well, anyway,” said Alex. “I’ve got a few things to show you here.” She motioned to her work table. There were a few tin bases set out of varying design. There was an ornate one, there was something a bit more simple and basic.
“All right,” Taryn said, stepping further into the greenhouse with Alex and looking at what she was being shown. The fact that she was here on a ruse began to make her feel bad. She had a guilty feeling brewing in the pit of her stomach.
“I was thinking you’d probably like this one the best,” said Alex, picking up one of the bases and showing it to Taryn. “And then something like this as a starting point for the arrangement.” She waved her fingers near a floral arrangement she had already done with a number of purple hyacinths, some baby’s breath, and some other things that Taryn couldn’t name.
“It’s beautiful,” said Taryn. She reached out and lightly touched the underside of one of the hyacinth flowers.
“Thank you,” said Alex. She smiled as she watched Taryn’s face.
“Listen,” said Taryn, now turning from the flowers and looking at Alex. “I need to come clean. I came here under false pretenses.”
“Oh?” Alex said in confusion.
“I told you this story about how I needed an arrangement for a party,” said Taryn. “But that was a lie. I’m sorry. I’m not actually planning a party.”
“Huh,” mused Alex.
“That’s a little curious.”
“I know,” said Taryn, sighing and feeling embarrassed. “The truth is, I was just really interested in you and what you did. And I wanted to come out and see the farm. See what you did, and how you made this work.”
“Okay,” said Alex. “I mean, you could have just asked.” She laughed. Taryn got a sheepish smile.
“I suppose I could have,” said Taryn. “I guess I’m just used to things working a different way with people.”
“Right,” Alex said. Her face communicating that she knew exactly what Taryn was talking about.
“So I’m sorry,” said Taryn. “Truly. I’ll still hire you to make me a beautiful arrangement. But I just want to be honest.”
Alex looked at Taryn for a moment, a sly smile across her lips, looking at this woman and sizing her up. Taryn, on the other hand, was still feeling bashful and out of place, a feeling that she wasn’t used to having back in her own world.
“Wait right here,” said Alex, holding up a finger. She then walked past Taryn and out of the greenhouse door. She stood there and put her hand to the side of her mouth. “Penny!” she called out.
Taryn watched Alex, unsure what was going on. Alex, meanwhile, simply waited where she was for a few moments until finally another woman waltzed up. The two of them spoke together back and forth, and Taryn just watched. She couldn’t hear what they were saying. This woman, though, looked quite relaxed and serene. She had on a baseball cap with a brown braid coming out the back. She wore a skirt and sandals. And her t-shirt let her belly peek out, revealing her obvious pregnancy.
The two women entered the greenhouse and walked up to Taryn, Penny in the lead. She approached Taryn with an understanding and empathetic look on her face.
“Hi,” said Penny, reaching both of her hands out to shake Taryn’s hand. “My name is Penny.”
“Hi Penny,” she replied. “I’m Taryn.”
“It’s so lovely to meet you,” said Penny. “Alex told me that you work for one of our clients in Ann Arbor.”
“Yes, I do,” said Taryn. “A financial services firm.”
“Right,” said Penny. The woman was smiling and glowing. She looked so happy, so content. Taryn found her immediately to be gorgeous, inside and out. There was something almost magical about her that Taryn couldn’t quite place. “Alex told me you needed us.”
“Well, I…” said Taryn, suddenly becoming confused.
“It’s okay,” said Penny. “We understand. You’re welcome to be here and look around. No pretenses. You’re welcome.”
“Oh,” said Taryn, getting even more flustered. She could feel the anxiety rising in her and she put her hand to her head. She wasn’t used to people like Penny. She wasn’t used to kindness and it felt really strange.
“Yes,” Penny said to Alex, having turned away from Taryn. “I think you’re right. I really sense it.”
“Wow, okay,” said Alex. She smiled. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, dear,” said Penny. Reaching out, she tenderly rubbed Alex’s arm. “Taryn, it was lovely to meet you.”
“Yeah,” said Taryn. “You too.”
Penny offered one more smile before she delicately sashayed away, leaving the greenhouse and the two women behind. Taryn had no idea what had just happened, but she felt dizzy.
“Can I offer you some iced tea?” said Alex.
Taryn smiled softly and nodded.
Taryn sat at a small table on the back porch of the house. Coming from behind, Alex approached with two glasses of iced tea. She smiled as she handed one to Taryn. As Taryn took a sip, Alex moved around to the other side of the table and she took her seat. The porch was shaded by a willow tree, though a few rays of sun broke through the canopy and warmed them.
“This is good,” said Taryn, taking another drink.
“I put just a dash of fresh lemonade in it,” said Alex. “Sweetens it up a bit and the lemons give a hint of sourness.”
“Kind of like an Arnold Palmer,” said Taryn.
“Kind of,” agreed Alex. “That’s more of a fifty-fifty mix. This is like, ninety-ten.” She smiled, and Taryn smiled back.
“So do you live in this house?” asked Taryn, thumbing back at the house. Alex swiftly shook her head.
“Oh no,” said Alex. “I don’t live in there. Nobody does, really. It’s just sort of a communal area. We use the kitchen and the bathrooms.”
“Wait,” Taryn said, sitting up and looking at Alex. “So this isn’t your house?”
“It is,” said Alex. “But it’s all of our house. I own a part of it, Penny, the others.”
“The others,” repeated Taryn. “How many people live here?”
“Including me,” said Alex, her eyes darting upward. “There are seven of us.”
“Seven people?” said Taryn. “And you all own this house?”
“It’s a cooperative,” Alex said with a smile. “We all own a share.”
“Is that like a commune?” asked Taryn. “Is this like a hippie commune?” Alex laughed and shook her head.
“I mean, you could see it like that,” she said. “But we don’t sit around navel-gazing or having drum circles. Well, I suppose there’s some of that,” Alex corrected with a laugh. “But we’re a working farm and we all have jobs and we all have ownership of it.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that before,” said Taryn. “A cooperative?”
“Right,” said Alex. “Think of it sort of like a corporation. People own shares in a corporation, right?”
“Sure.”
“It’s the same kind of thing,” explained Alex. “We formed the co-op together, we put in equal amounts of money, and we bought this farm. We all work on it, have our jobs to make sure it runs, but instead of privately profiting from the farm, the money goes back into the co-op to then take care of the farm and ourselves.”
“So you don’t make any money from this?” Taryn asked, feeling rather confused from Alex’s explanation.
“I own one-seventh of the farm, whatever that’s worth,” said Alex. “If I wanted to sell that share, if I wanted out, my share would be worth one-seventh what the farm is.”
“Do you worry about things like health care?” said Taryn. “Or retirement?”
“That’s all built in to our co-op,” said Alex. “We have health care. If I ever retire, I suppose I could sell my share and have plenty of money. But I don’t know if I’d ever do that.”
“This is very unique,” said Taryn. “Especially for the world I come from.” Alex laughed and nodded.
“Yeah, I understand,” said Alex. “It’s just a different way of life. It’s much more pleasant than my old life. It’s like night and day.”
“How so?”
“I was in debt and struggling,” said Alex. “Working a job I hated just to pay the bills that, after a while, I couldn’t understand why I even had. Fortunately, I got out from under all that and here I am.” She smiled, lifted her glass up toward Taryn, and then took a drink.
“Okay, so if you don’t live in this house,” said Taryn. “Where do you live?”
“Follow me,” Alex said with a smile as she stood up. Taryn followed.
The two walked across the backyard and along side of a greenhouse. They approached the barn and took a turn, making their way toward an area with a few of the tent-like structures that Taryn had seen when she first arrived. It began to dawn on her as they walked, but it was still so strange to Taryn. She couldn’t imagine living like this. But at the same time, she was so intrigued and excited to see what Alex’s life was like.
There were three of these tents, close enough that it was obviously a designated area for them, but they were far enough apart that they all had a bit of privacy. They were like nothing Taryn had ever seen before. Perfectly round, positioned upon wooden slat foundations, covered in thick canvas and actually looking quite solid. There were even windows in these tents, and each one had a solid wooden door.
�
��Okay,” said Taryn as they approached one dwelling in particular. “You live in one of these? What is it?”
“It’s a yurt,” Alex replied with a simple smile.
“A yurt,” repeated Taryn. She followed as Alex lead them to her own yurt. Opening the door, Alex walked inside with Taryn right behind her.
Inside of Alex’s yurt, the walls were wooden lattice and the center of the single room was tall and spacious. It must have been twelve feet tall or more. In the middle of the circular room was a cast iron stove with a pipe that went all the way up to the top and out of a clear dome. There was a kitchenette area, there was a bed tucked off to another side, and there was an area that appeared to be designated as a general living space. The flooring was hard wood and covered with various oriental-style rugs. The yurt was incredibly cozy.
“Wow,” mused Taryn as she looked around. “You live here?”
“I do,” said Alex, stepping further into her yurt and smiling happily to herself. “It’s not much, but it is home.”
“It is much,” said Taryn. “It’s very quaint. I mean, in a good way. It feels comfortable. Lived in.”
“I used to have a condo,” said Alex. “A big condo, with a big mortgage and all that. Turns out, I just wasn’t using most of it. I had all this space filled with stuff that was just gathering dust. With the yurt, I have only what I need. And opposed to the two hundred thousand dollars I spent on my condo, this only cost about ten thousand.”
“Wow,” Taryn said once again. She was blown away, her eyes still taking in every part of the yurt’s interior, trying to make sense of it. “You live here year round? Even in the winter?”
“Yeah, of course,” said Alex. “That’s what the wood burning stove is for. It keeps it really toasty in here, sometimes too toasty.”
“But you have to walk from here to the farmhouse to use the bathroom?” said Taryn. “In the winter?”
“You get used to it,” said Alex. She smiled. It was obvious to Taryn that Alex was all-in on this lifestyle, and that she really did indeed love it. Her face told the whole story.
Flower Power Page 3