Connor's Senior Project

 Connor Pitera  Fox Hollow Farm  5/24/2022 Day 12  On our final day in Michigan, we spent the night prior packing up the car and getting ready for our car ride back to campus. It was hard to leave home this time after spending so much time with my parents and family but I'm grateful we got to do this project. My dad sent us back with graduation gifts, A simple but effective book How to make your bed,  and after leaving Grosse pointe I have become smarter and a better person from this experience. 

Connor Pitera  Fox Hollow Farms  5/21/2022 Day 11 We finished our work at the property and we went to the Detroit Institute of Art and learned about the history of Detroit. We then went to the Henry Ford Museum and learned a lot about the civil rights movements and about the car assembly line in Detroit, Michigan. also learned a lot about the history of Michigan from my dad and we talked to farmer Jim about his time working for Chevrolet.  \

  Connor Pitera  Fox Hollow Farms  5/24/2022 Week 2  After finishing up our last week on the Senior Project we have made a lot of progress on the farm and have made very strong bonds with the workers in Metamora, MI. We were lucky to get off the CO-OP and were able to work in landscaping at the Party Barn and the A-frame house across the pond. We were working with a family friend Morgan Matthews who I've worked for in the past at Grosse Pointe. One of his employees Clint Carpenter was the lead Drummer for Uncle Kracker and also played with Sugar Ray. talked with him about his time as a celebrity and doing crazy shows all over the country. Morgan had us cleaning up the yard by raking up the leaves and weeding. We went over to Sean Cottons Property and were given the task of weed and digging around the whole shed later we would fill the pathways with stone and sand and mulch the exterior ring on the shed to prepare for flowers. We also got to work on the sister propert...

 Connor Pitera  Fox Hollow Farms  5/20/2022 Day 10 This morning we headed to the CO-OP to help farmer Jim with collecting and cleaning eggs from the chicken coop. we then were given the task to clean the horse and cow stalls while they were out in the field. and after lunch finished off the day by cleaning the potbelly pig stalls and the chicken coop and thanked Jim for letting us help out at the farm he was very grateful to have us working with him 

 Connor Pitera  Fox Hollow Farms  5/19/2022 Day 9  This morning we went to Hunters Creek to help out the land manager Matt and Chelsea with different chores around the property. We helped with splitting logs and stacking them up and helped turn logs into 2x4s for later use for building. when we finished we filled in the dirt around a freshly pavemented drive path to plant more grass to even out the ground. then after lunch headed to the CO-OP to help farmer Jim with spare things around the farm that need more hands to finish. 

 Connor Pitera  Fox Hollow Farms  5/19/2022 Day 8  This morning we got to Jon Solo's house to stack wood in preparation for the two restaurants In Grosse Pointe Bricks and Red Crown. We then went to the different hunting areas on the property and spread out minerals for the deer to make their antlers more substantial and more significant for the following season. We took the ATVs to specific areas on the property that are less accessible to fill In with rocks to make getting across the property easier. 

 Connor Pitera  Fox Hollow Farms  5/17/2022  Day 7 Today we finished up Mulching the back yard of the Party Barn and the front gate. We then worked on the shed out front of Sean's house. We dug up weeds and grass around the outside of the shed and dug down four inches in front of the door to get ready for sand and rocks for the pathway. we then had to grab smaller rocks to line the outside of the grass and dirt lining. We had to find bluestone flat rocks and place them down in form of a pathway for the front and back of the shed. We mulched the dirt around the shed for the preparation of flowers and plants. 

Connor Pitera  Fox Hollow Farm  5/16/2022 Day 6 Today we did landscaping work around the party barn with Morgan Matthews and Clint Carpenter. we started the morning off by removing dead flowers and plants from the beds. and had to rake up the raming dead shrubbery. we went back over the beds and mulched in the missing airs to help get ready for planting more flowers and plants. At the end of the day, we checked out our next job site located at Sean Cotton's house down the road.

  Connor Pitera  Fox Hollow Farms  5/15/20222 Week One  While living at Fox Hollows farm I've seen the working side of the place I loved just to relax, but I have now seen the working side of the property. I am very grateful to be able to do something most don't have the opportunity to do. I speak for the group when we say we have learned a lot from farming and from the different employees at the CO-OP. While we were working, we happened to meet a woman that attend Oxford Highschool. This was eye-opening of course, knowing that this poor woman went through something out of a nightmare. The shooting at Oxford stuck with me because I grew up in southeast Michigan and have friends and family that attend high schools there. Hearing about such a horrific event so close to my hometown made me realize that sometimes, I can take life for granted. Whilst at the farm, we also met a man by the name of farmer Jim. He works and manages the CO-OP, and was extremely helpful in guid...

 Connor Pitera  Fox Hollow Farms  5/13/2022 Day 5 Today we started the morning off digging and clearing out a rain trench and smoothed and patted it down so loose dirt won't fall in to make it uneven. We also planted potatoes for Jim today it was a long and interesting process we also weeded around the farm's fence line and are glad we have done so much to help out the farm. with being short-staffed they need our help. 

 Connor Pitera  Fox Hollow Farms  5/12/2022 Day 4  Today we started the morning by helping Jon Solo with removing rocks and sticks from his soon-to-be wheat field for later this season which lasted till lunch. We came back to help plant our last row of onions and leeks for Farmer Jim and then were assigned to dig holes for the new vineyard coming this season. We went to Hunters Creek Club to talk to charlie about future work this following week. 

 Connor Pitera  Fox Hollow Farms  5/11/2022 Day 3  Today Lisa and Jim wanted us to cut and dispose of dry perennials. We then helped make more raised beds and filled them with much compost to help plant B Bomb plant. We planted red Zepplin onions in the same way before. We went to hunters creek after work to see the sister property to see what work we will be doing next week. 

 Connor Pitera  Fox Hollow Farms  5/10/2022 2 Day  Today we got to the CO-OP and got straight to work Jim told us our first task was to remove the sun root from a garden row. The sun root was small and tedious to pick through the fresh mulch. griffin hank and I had to remove the old hay that was covered in cow feces and horse feces the three of us had to move it with a wheel barrel to the compost pile behind the barn. we then had to corral the cows to a different pasture so they wouldn't bother us. The four of us got to start planting the onions for harvest later this summer although we won't be able to eat them now hopefully they make it to my house. 

 Connor Pitera  Fox hollow farms  5/9/2022 Day 1 We started the day by getting to know the land and the animals and staff we would be working with for the next two weeks. The staff showed us the different livestock on the property and what our job is with them. Our first task was to put mulch in three garden rows to prep for planting the onions later on the rows are 3 feet and 100 feet long. We had to weed 3 feet and 100 feet long the garlic beds to keep the plants healthy. We had to uproot horseradish to be moved to a new area on the farm. In total, we worked 8 hours.