1. I am "Over the Moon," that we have an Great Crop set out on our small family Mt. View Orchards! (A thousand thank yous!)
2. My lil house on the farm is steadily progressing each day and I am to the fun stage of picking out light fixtures! (Good Grief, Finally!)
3. I confess I have a small melt down every first week of the month when I pay the bills and wonder why does it costs 30,000 to run a farm and how the heck did I come up with that kind of money? (cue the song:I believe in miracles.....)
4. I've learned how to operate 92% of the equipment on the farm and I haven't crashed into anything yet(Too Legit...to legit to quit! Hey Hey!)
5. The Mt. View Orchards CSA continues to be very successful(HUGE THANKS) to everyone who has pledged and backed me. (I sincerely cannot wait until I can deliver our local, sustainable freshly harvested fruit to you all.) email me at thegratefulfarmer@gmail.com if you have ???s
6. I have an 4 mile loop that I can now jog at least half of it. (For Realzies! This is big progress for someone WITHOUT a runners bod. Let's just say God was extra generous with me when He made me.)
7. I believe love is stronger than death. (My sweet auntie Bette passed away a few weeks ago and I confess I have been feeling all the feels and missing her a lot a lot)
8. I joined the Young Farmers and Ranchers of America in the Hood River Valley( and I am officially the oldest fart in the group but who is counting really? World Changers!)
9. I still believe the the power of prayer and want to thank everyone praying for our farm. Mt. View Orchards was spared a massive hail storm that hit the valley this week. (Oh HAIL NO!)
10. My best sister came for a visit and I just want to say I am so grateful I have an amazing sister in my life. (lets run away from home again but this time lets pack first and wear shoes before we head to California)
11. I am watching my brave friends/cousins navigate through the foster care system with such courage and grace. Their big LOVE for displaced kiddos never ceases to amaze me. (Love grows a family!! BRAVEST!)
12. I am trying to protect my skin from the sun but I am sporting a pretty intense farmer's tan these days. (Don't be to envious of my dramatic stripes)
13. I like someone and we go on fun dates ("Hallelujah" to be cont...)
14. I love farming and feel like coming home to save the family farm was one of the best decisions I have made thus far in my 30's!
15. I believe the cure to anxiety is thanksgiving so i want to thank you for following along and backing me sweet friends and future friends.(xoxo, your grateful farmer)
Gratitude
by Mary Oliver
What did you notice?
The dew snail;
the low-flying sparrow;
the bat, on the wind, in the dark;
big-chested geese, in the V of sleekest performance;
the soft toad, patient in the hot sand;
the sweet-hungry ants;
the uproar of mice in the empty house;
the tin music of the cricket’s body;
the blouse of the goldenrod.
What did you hear?
The thrush greeting the morning;
the little bluebirds in their hot box;
the salty talk of the wren,
then the deep cup of the hour of silence.
What did you admire?
The oaks, letting down their dark and hairy fruit;
the carrot, rising in its elongated waist;
the onion, sheet after sheet, curved inward to the
pale green wand;
at the end of summer the brassy dust, the almost liquid
beauty of the flowers:
then the ferns, scrawned black by the frost.
What astonished you?
The swallows making their dip and turn over the water.
What would you like to see again?
My dog: her energy and exuberance, her willingness,
her language beyond all nimbleness of tongue, her
recklessness, her loyalty, her sweetness, her
sturdy legs, her curled black lip, her snap.
What was most tender?
Queen Anne’s lace, with its parsnip root;
the everlasting in its bonnets of wool;
the kinks and turns of the tupelo’s body;
the tall, blank banks of sand;
the clam, clamped down.
What was most wonderful?
The sea, and its wide shoulders;
the sea and its triangles;
the sea lying back on its long athlete’s spine.
What did you think was happening?
The green breast of the hummingbird;
the eye of the pond;
the wet face of the lily;
the bright, puckered knee of the broken oak;
the red tulip of the fox’s mouth;
the up-swing, the down-pour, the frayed sleeve
of the first snow—
so the gods shake us from our sleep.
(Mary Oliver is my fave and this poem has been a good friend of mine)