Backhoe 101

I received a fun text message from Glen this afternoon accompanying the photograph below: “Backhoe 101 at Rosslyn University.” I chuckled. And then I exhaled a grateful sigh of relief.

Today’s training, taking place northwest of the orchard between the gravel pad (we use for storing equipment, splitting firewood, etc.) and Rosslyn’s jumbo compost pile was the follow up to the September 12 implement swap.

Cole, Glen, Tony, and I were half an hour deep in a tractor training — safe removal of the offset flail mower and safe installation of the backhoe… the tangible challenge of attaching an awkward steel “arm” onto another steel-and-wheel contraption… the goal was to transfer knowledge and safety protocols from Cole and me to Glen and Tony. (Source: Prickly Poppy ‘Carolina’)

I’ve been extremely grateful to Cole for the tractor knowledge and experience he’s brought to the team. He started this August with overdue maintenance to Rosslyn’s backland following super rainy 2023 and 2024 growing seasons that stalled our typical twice yearly brush hog mowing regimen. He’s completed a first cut of all of the meadows, and he’ll tackle a second cut in the next month or so. With his diligence (and some dry weather) we’ll recover nicely from the overgrowth by the time the snow falls. (NB: I’m overdue for an update on Tony’s trail maintenance which has provided the perfect complement to Cole’s mowing.)

Backhoe 101

The Backhoe 101 moniker tickled me for a couple of reasons, first and foremost because Glen seems to have overlooked the afternoon two weeks ago when we spent installing this cumbersome tractor attachment in the hot sun with hundreds of wasps buzzing around us. So today was actually Backhoe 201, right?

It also reminded me of an afternoon about 16 or 17 years ago teaching myself how to operate a similar backhoe. Trial and error with a couple of embarrassing missteps. I performed a self deprecating monologue about that experience as part of “Redacting Rosslyn Redux”, my August 2011 solo show at The Depot Theatre. I’ll morph that into a daily dispatch soon.

As for the academic-y nickname, that tickled me too. I’m a former secondary school teacher and coach, so I tend to approach most everything I do with a pedagogical bent. Once a teacher, always a teacher! Cole’s mission is in no small part to extend this learning environment. 

Rosslyn University

Even more appetizing than Backhoe 101 was Glen’s Rosslyn University epithet. Ear-to-ear smile. Our Rosslyn adventure first and foremost has been an education. And often a reeducation! We aspire to learn every day and to catalyze a collective learning environment. More on this later. For now let’s return to this afternoon’s Rosslyn University immersion.

Glen’s photo of Tony on the backhoe begged the question about his experience.

Glen: I went first. Hardest part is remembering what joysticks do.

Geo: True. You’ll find it after you do it a little bit it’ll become second nature. But even after you’ve been off the machine for a while, you’ll need to refresh yourself. But after an hour, you won’t even be thinking about it anymore.

I’ll check in with Tony and Cole to see how their experiences compare. Excited to see all three of them sharing knowledge!