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Fitted for the Field
The Outfit Explored
One look around Irene's farm and you'll see the bounty of thoughtful and rigorous work. Fields of blooming flowers and ripe veggies, a couple of lucky, well-loved pooches and a picturesque white barn stocked with handmade unicycle training obstacles - pretty much the typical stuff, with a few surprises. And everything plays its own part in making Irene's life whole.
1. Goût
He's a lesson in French for visitors to the farm. Irene is fluent, and as far as his name goes - so is her rescue dog, Goût. Pronounced "Gu" or "Goo", it means taste. He's her constant companion in the field, loves car rides into town and even accompanies her while mountain unicycling or running the farm path.
2. Vintage High Wheel Hoe
Just push and roll; it's the low-tech way to keep weeds at bay. By roughing up the soil between rows of plants, the wheel hoe stops weeds in their tracks - allowing more sunlight and promoting the growth of planted seeds.
3. Daily Uniform
Appreciated for their detailed and rugged spirit, these Fire Hose Pants and Modern Flannel haven't seen better days, just cleaner. They're well-worn for good reasons, and they've held up to all manner of hard work - the kind done on tractors and unicycles.
4. Bog Boots
Irene gives wet feet the boot! Bogs keep her tootsies warm and dry while harvesting and washing vegetables in the pack shed, and they don't weigh her down. Another reason they're handy (for her feet)? They keep 'em dry in the spring months, too - when the earth is thawing and the fields are muddy.
5. Shovel
Metal with a wooden handle, ya dig? This basic tool always comes in handy, especially in the spring when Irene and Andy plant perennial fruits, fruit trees and evergreens. And she's a real tree-totaller! Irene says that her goal for each year is to plant at least 100 trees.
6. Pitch Fork
Put a fork in it, because the job's never done. This four-pronged guy does good damage on tough soil, helping to harvest carrots, potatoes and other roots from the field.
7. Kris Holm Mountain Unicycle
Not only does this unicycle traverse tumultuous farm terrain and jagged mountain bike trails, but in 2011 it helped win Irene 1st place in the Mountain Unicylce Cross Country race at UNICON, an international competition in Wellington, New Zealand. So this one's a winner - just like Irene!
Read more about Irene in her online Real Woman Biography »
