Talk about an overdue blog! If I told you I have been a little busy that would be a huge understatement. The move from Charlotte to Marshall nearly killed us. Only a slight exaggeration I assure you. Matt worked ridiculous hours and I managed to pack our house up with a 4-month-old baby on my hip. A special thanks to our family and friends whom helped with Jasper for a few precious hours so that I could pack. Also, a special thanks to our friends and family that helped pack up the truck and waved lovingly goodbye!
As I drove down I-40 West, in Matt’s truck, hauling a trailer, with two cats in the back, Jasper beside me and feeding him a bottle while driving J, I was finally beginning to feel the tension in my jaw release. We were welcomed by three new friends that helped us unload the truck and shared with us their own farming adventures. We ended that very long day having a well-earned cold beer with Marshall locals.
The weeks following our move are an utter blur. A joyful blur though. We had constant guests (we still do!). I attempted to make our cabin an efficient living space. It is small but very comfortable. We tilled and ‘de-stoned’ the gardens. It was back breaking work. I managed to plant ¾ of the large garden space. Matt cleaned up the basement to make it suitable for guests. Matt also has done all sorts of farm work using the tractor, John Deer mower, his incredible ingenuity… I watched him unload a building from the other side of the property essentially by himself using the tractor as his ‘extra’ hands. It was really amazing.
The one thing we are learning is that we don’t have to do it ALL now. There are endless projects that need to be done or that we want to tackle. My primary focus has been to grow food. I don’t know if that will ever change for me. Matt and the other owners all have different interest and some basic shared interests as well. When we all got together, everyone tackled something different. It was kind of interesting to see what everyone was concerned with. I hope that when everyone has built their homes we can tackle projects quickly and efficiently as a group. That isn’t to say that we haven’t had group efforts, for instance… the fire pit was a hot mess and the group took care of it quickly in an afternoon.
I have to admit my veggie garden ‘plans’ went out the window. I had to hastily plant seeds during Jasper’s naps. I’m pretty pleased with what has been accomplished and the soil here is INCREDIBLE. But it isn’t a picture perfect layout by any means. Also…weeds are hard for me to keep up with. The most important thing is that we are eating from the garden now. Just this morning alone I harvested zucchini, squash, small bell peppers, a bunch of green beans and a few small carrots that needed thinning. It has been like that all of this week. We have also had ridiculous amounts of radish, blueberries, blackberries, cherries and strawberries. So, I can’t whine too much about our first summer garden season so far. I just have hopes for better planning for our fall and subsequent gardens.
We are in discussions about what type of business to run from the farm. There are various crops we are learning about. I think we will have to work as a group to make some definitive decisions on that matter. Suggestions are welcomed.
What I am enjoying the most right now is being a Mother and “farm wife”. We are living a very rural life. We don’t watch any TV, it is 20 minutes to the store, we have no Internet and our lives are richer being unplugged. I find myself reading field guides and gardening books; and Matt reads fishing books and car manuals. We are pretty much up and down with the sun. I love going to the mailbox again.
I also really enjoy sharing the farm with guests. People transform here. The farm is the best blood pressure medicine I know of. People gawk at our lilies in disbelief. They are truly breathtaking. I find people talking about simplifying their lives at home…wherever they are visiting from. One of my favorite things to do is to stand by the blueberry bushes snacking with friends.
I know this all sounds like a commercial for ecotopia but I assure you there are moments where my skinned fingers and insect bitten ankles crave a spa day. I am human after all. But this is the way of life I was meant to live. I feel it in my bones. Literally…my bones ache!
Matt’s folks broke ground on their new house a few weeks after we moved. It proceeded to rain for two weeks and progress slowed tremendously. I feel like we are in for a good dry spell now which should help gets things underway. Their home site is a few hundred feet away through the woods. Lucky Jasper will have grandparents in skipping distance some time in the Winter.
Sweet Jasper Finn just turned 6 months old. He is our dream realized in a little spirit. I can already tell he will be our farm muse. I find we do everything with his future days here in mind. He brings so much joy.
That is the news from the farm.
