Volunteer Spotlight: Barbi Troske
Barbi is retired from Haggen where she worked for 23 years, she is a master gardener, and is pursuing a degree in art history. She has been volunteering with GV for a little over two years now and I had the privilege to sit down and talk with her about her time here.
Q: How long have you been affiliated with GV?
A: “This is my second season. So, about two years.”
Q: How did you get involved with GV?
A: “I went to a plant sale at Bellewood Acres because they advertised organic starts and it’s hard to find organic plant starts for vegetables and I wanted some for my garden. So, I went and met a couple gals who were doing a booth (for GV) and I bought a bunch of starts, made a donation, and they gave me stickers that I put on my water bottle. At my job, and I cant remember if it was her nephew, I think it was Sean’s (the former Executive Director) aunt said, ‘Oh, my nephew works there.’ And I said, ‘Oh, that’s really cool! I haven’t really looked much into it, but I think I will.’ She mentioned that they always need volunteers and I said that I’d look into it because I love to garden and that would be a perfect spot for me. The day I was supposed to meet Sean was the day they shut everything down for Covid. So, I would have been here sooner, but I couldn’t. At the time, I was still working and I planned on coming out for a day, but it had to be put off and put off and finally he (Sean) called and said that I could come volunteer now. When I came out, it was winter time and it was always just me and Jered (then farm manager) here seeding and stuff because there was hardly any volunteers at that time because of Covid still.”
Q: What has been your biggest takeaway from volunteering here? What keeps you coming back?
A: “That’s a good question. I get a lot of dirt therapy at home so it’s not just that. Although, I love it. I love getting into the weeding, planting, seeding, and whatnot; but I think my biggest takeaway is the support I’ve received. I am not a veteran and I was really happy that they let me volunteer as a non-veteran because I thought it was just for people who had military backgrounds. I am opposed to the military in a lot of ways because I hate war, but that’s a whole different thing. I appreciate military personnel. I had two neighbors killed in Vietnam and, as a kid, I remember that. When I was about 9, I saved my money and bought a POW bracelet for a Vietnam POW. I still have it and I always wear it, especially around Veterans Day. I used to wear it all the time, but I don’t go anywhere anymore, so I don’t wear it very much anymore. The person I bought the bracelet for, I call him my POW. He was released and he came home and he still is alive. He lives in California. He was a Captain. I’ve always had a real strong feeling for people who have fought in wars. I had a couple uncles who fought in Korea and one in World War 2. So, there was respect for that. I don’t have a love for it though. But, I appreciate and I admire what people in the military do, as far as protecting our country, even if it’s not always in a time of war. I’ve always had a heart for them. So, for me, my support has been getting to know people and being able to share openly and not ever feeling judged or ever feeling less or different because I’m civilian and not military. Being at GV has shown that my pains are as valid as anyone else’s. Now I’m gonna cry… This was the very first place I came when my mom died and I felt so supported. There were a ton of people there that day and I walked in and Jered or Sean, I can’t remember who, said, ‘Hey Barbi!’ And all I could say was, ‘My mom died.’ People I didn’t even know were coming up and I just felt so loved and comforted. Hugs all the way around and it was very, very comforting. I will not turn away from this place because of what I feel like it has given me. I feel like I need to give back. GV has such a great concept: helping veterans get through things with dirt therapy and sharing personal stories. Very seldom are they actually about what their service was like. in fact, I don’t even know much about most people’s service. But we all have things all the time and it’s nice to know I have a place to go.”
Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
A: “I garden. I spend a lot of time in my yard. I make art. I paint and I sculpt and I’ve started to learn fiber arts. I make jewelry, and I dabble with metalwork and cement work. I make sculptures mostly out of cement. I’m learning how to make paper from natural fibers. I have two studios in our house. I had one and I just expanded to my husband’s office because he wasn’t using it. So, that’s the room where I paint now, I’ve got two easels set up. I like to take long walks on the beach. I actually do. I go down to the beach, at least once or twice a week, and I pick up garbage. Litter really bothers me. I won’t eat seafood because of what’s in the water in Birch Bay, where I live. It’s very disturbing to me. So, I go down and pick up garbage and meet people. I’ll pick up rocks and make jewelry out of them sometimes. I walk with friends often. I’ve met a lot of nice neighbors down at the beach. I like to swim. I go swimming several days a week for exercise. It keeps me strong. I also love to cook. I love to make something out of nothing. That’s one reason why I like to have a vegetable garden. This year, I’ve been doing a lot of fermenting. I made some stuff out of the peppers that were grown at GV this year. I had like eight gallons of stuff going. I made vinegar, apple cider vinegar, pineapple vinegar, and fire cider this year. I’ve been fermenting pepper and garlic like you wouldn’t believe. I don’t have a spare moment really. When I sit down, I’m done. Bring me a glass of wine, or a beer, and I’m done for the day.”
Q: Do you have a favorite memory from GV?
A: “I love the chickens. Anytime I get to hang out with the girls. Oh, I know! This is a fun memory and a fun story. One day when I was here and it was just Jered and I, the day that lives over here (the neighbor to the North of GV property) kept telling him that one of your chickens is in our yard and keeps coming up on our patio. Jered keeps saying that all of our chickens are all here. The neighbor asked if Jered could come get the chicken anyway. I was busy doing some seeding and he said, ‘Sure!’ After it’s been about a half-hour or forty-five minutes, I was thinking, ‘Where did he go?’ So, I went outside and I see him pop out of the hedge over there. Wondering what was going on, I started walking over there. I see him pop out of the hedge again and I see him chasing this chicken and he’s trying to catch it all by himself and the chicken is going in and out through all the shrubbery. It’s like a giant arborvitae hedge. I said, ‘Do you want some help?’ And he said, ‘Oh, that’d be great.’ So, I went out there, and still then, it took us twenty or thirty more minutes to try and catch this chicken. We finally caught her and brought her. This is when they were living in the hoop house and we kind of separated her for awhile. We named her Jackie. Because she was fast like Jackie Joyner-Kersee (a retired Olympic track and field athlete). That’s how she got her name. I just think of that day and going, ‘Where is he and why is it taking him so long?’ ‘What is he doing?’ You know? I was so confused and it was pretty funny. He did all the work and he was spent afterwards because he had spent a long time running and chasing her in and out. She must have been living there for awhile because she had laid some eggs and was causing a mess on the neighbor’s patio. That’s how we finally got her. We cornered her on the patio. She wasn’t happy at first, but she calmed down.”
Q: What would you say to someone if they were thinking about volunteering here?
A: “Just come for a day and see what you think. It’s open to anyone and you can do whatever you feel like you want to do. If you’ve got abilities or no abilities, you can either learn or just do what you feel comfortable with. You don’t have to have special abilities. You don’t have to be a gardener. But come and have camaraderie with people who are kind and open and want to be there. If it’s not your thing, you don’t have to; but you can still come out and wander. You can visit the chickens. visit the cat or sit and enjoy the view of Mt. Baker. We’ve got a beautiful view. Today, I must have taken five different videos of the geese in the field across the highway. There was at least a thousand of them out there. It was a huge amount. Even if you wanted to sit there and look at those, it’s such a great place to just be. If you only come once, I always recommend to come out. Some days, it can be really menial, but if you don’t like to do that sort of thing just visit. Come on Fridays for the coffee check-ins and just get to know people, especially if you’re a veteran, because there’s a lot of support in so many ways.”
Q: What is a fun or random fact about you?
A: “I’m a science nerd. My degrees are biology and chemistry and I will read quantum mechanics for fun. It’s interesting to me. I find it fascinating.”
It was a pleasure getting to know Barbi a little better and we’re honored Growing Veterans is a place she loves to come spend her time. It’s always a benefit having her at the farm. She is an amazing horticulturist and very knowledgeable about many different topics, but also a very compassionate person who would give the shirt off her back, no questions asked, if you needed it. We love having you at the farm, Barbi, and we hope you’ll stick around for many more years to come!
