It's a happy time of year- Lavender season! Yay!!! My "original" plant is more than 10 years old now (in my home garden) and looks as beautiful as ever.

The farm lavender bed is just in the beginning of its second year. Remember the initial planting area?

OMG- What a weedy mess. From the evidence, I can conclude this was the previous owner's vegetable garden but, forsaken over the years, had become a garbage pit with old buckets, shingles (which were probably used for mulching down weeds), old pots and so much other junk I filled a contractor garbage bag when I cleaned it out. But look at it now!

The plants are producing flowers (full maturity will come next year and just get better from then on), weeds are at bay by a thick straw mulch and I'm reminded daily of my gardening mantra.

When cleaning up the bed this spring, I came across some yarrow. I didn't know if this was the wild variety which blooms white, or if by chance it was deliberately planted and could be yellow which I was wanting for the edge of this planting. Yellow yarrow makes a beautiful dried flower perfect for many uses- wreathes, dried flower arrangements and a lovely cut flower to enjoy fresh. So I let it grow.

It turned out to be the wild, white flowering type, but I've enjoyed seeing it everyday. I did find four huge yellow yarrow plants last week so they'll be replacing this one. If you notice in the foreground, there's a mullein plant which is a good medicinal herb and what you can't see is a lovely stand of spearmint which managed to come back after my merciless weeding of the grounds. It's hard to imagine the previous owner enjoying a mint julep, but maybe he did! Another surprise discovery in the lavender bed is a pansy whose seed found its way in the middle of a lavender plant- they're so clever at disguise! I like the secret surprise!

Speaking of secret surprises in plants, I had transplanted 5 clumps of day lilies from home and moved them to the new perennial bed in front of the house. Last week they seemed to be doing well. When I got there this week, oh boy, one had grown beautifully. The leaves were blowing in the wind and I was amazed at the size of the leaves in just a few days!

Upon close inspection, that's a corn stalk coming out of the clump of daylily! You can see in the photo, it's a limier green than the daylily. I am so impressed with how well camouflaged it tried to be- I can't believe it's random. Do birds conspire with plants to poop in just the right spot? Does the wind act as a greater power to blow things just right? That's the wonder of my garden and I love it!
Back to the lavender story... it's lavender wand season. I consider a wand to be the best way to save the sweetness of the bloom.

I've made hundreds of these over the years and still enjoy the opportunity to make a few every year. Lavender season is short- 2-3 weeks only- so there's a limit on how many get made. If you'd like to try your hand at making one, I have the instructions on my web site-
CLICK HERE.

The berry bushes are looking awesome- I couldn't be happier with how they're growing. I made an appointment with a Cornell cooperative extension specialist in small fruits to come have a look-see. I'd like to know if there's anything I could be doing to insure a successful crop. I actually bought raspberries in the grocery last week because I love them so- I just want my farm berries to be perfect. I'll see the agent next week.
The new gardens are growing great- with seeded vegetables and flowers. I transplanted quite a few things from home and it filled out nicely. The landscapers still have not brought the stones or the soil for the last two beds I built so I had to improvise when planting my home-grown morning glories.

What to do when you have no soil? I trimmed a card board box to the height of the planter, filled it with blend of compost and soil and placed it under my trellis. The plants were planted and encouraged to grow up the trellis. When the soil comes, the card board can be cut out from the sides, front and back but the bottom will decompose (all the while attracting worms- do you believe worms like the taste of cardboard glue??!! LOL). For now, the planting is done and I just have some plants to move around when the soil comes.
I love to be in the garden but this has been a lot of work what-with moving so many rocks and buggy-lugging dirt and debris. I'm really ready to get back to "house work" and have a few doors to build and other details to finish on the house. It's interesting- even to myself- that over the past month my focus on physical labor has compromised my usual creativity and I miss that. I'll have to make friends again with my saw and sit in meditation at my wood pile to get back in the mood! That's one thing about farm life- there's always something to do. Whether it's creative or grunt work, time passes quickly and at the end of the day, I'm usually smiling.
I hope you have a beautiful 4th of July weekend! Love, Sandy
Copyright © 2017 Bringing the Farm Home All rights reserved.
Contact Me Sandy@BringingTheFarmHome.com
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Just Puttering Around ~ 15 July 2017
Wow- the summer is going by quickly. I hope you've had some fun. I've been keeping busy- back and forth to the farm- trying to organize sub contractors to fix the leaky roof on the shed, dispose of an old oil tank and cut down 2 tall trees which are in the way of a permaculture experiment I want to try next year. Always something, right?
Last week I arranged to stay more than a week and I have to say I loved being here so much. Did you get that... "being here"? Rick, my sweetie and genius computer tech came for the weekend, and hooked up my computer which was "left over" from the real estate office. I'm so happy to be on "a mouse" - it just seems more comfortable to me than my laptop. When I think of farmhouse décor, techiness doesn't come to mind but just puttering, I built a tabletop to span the 2 wardrobes in the closet room creating a perfect window location to publish live from the farm.

Did you ever have an "I'm obsessed" experience? Maybe it was when you got a car that you truly loved, and when you brought it home you had to keep going to the window to gaze out on it? And go outside to look at it, hoping a neighbor would come out so you could talk about it with someone? Or maybe a new haircut when you couldn't stay away from the mirror? Well that's how I was when I got to the farm last week- the stone was here and the last of the planting beds were filled with a lovely dirt-compost blend perfect for plants. You couldn't have wiped off my grin as I walked in the garden, walked outside the fence, captured the view in my mind's eye from every angle. Inside the house I couldn't walk thru the living room without being drawn to the window to stare at the sight. My garden room, all neat and orderly and alive with beautiful growing plants. The realization of my winter months of planning, now a reality.

The plants for the newly filled boxes were already growing and were transplanted into their permanent home. I'd brought a bird bath and some garden ornaments which contributed to my Chihuly inspired garden but what to do with the old tree stump, right in the middle of the "patio" area?

Most literally, I was stumped! Rick had tried to cut it out with a chain saw, but the wood was old and weathered into a petrified state. What to do?

Luckily, I had wood left from the fence skirting so I was able to build a small table to cover the stump and it worked out great. One of the nicest experiences of the week was when my neighbor Paula dropped in to see the garden and we ended up sitting for almost an hour, feet up on the table, enjoying the garden and sharing stories. It was a great afternoon.

I was able to finish painting/staining this side of the house and replace the rotten door frame.
We've never talked about the bathroom- the last original part of this house, wrapped in dark paneling permeated with cigarette and cigar smoke and though I had washed it twice, from top to bottom with a strong cleaner, it was disgusting and reminded me of the movie Psycho every time I took a shower- creepy! The plan is to build a small addition- the size of a bathtub- on the back of the house to expand the space and I vowed not to spend a penny when I knew the room was to be totally renovated. But a few weeks ago, at 6:30 at night, I had an inspiration to paint the bathroom. Mixing a few colors of paint I had on-hand into a soft blue, the walls were done by midnight and the year of showering at the Bate's Hotel was over. The room is too small to photograph, but I did make a small shelf and hung one of my favorite pictures to give it a country vibe.

The print was painted by Izzy, the very talented daughter of my first cousin Ian (does that make Izzy my second cousin or first cousin once removed? I always get that mixed up!) Anyway, Ian knows I love owls and sent me the print which I've treasured- it was so special to me, no spot seemed important enough to hang it. But now it seems right as the only décor item in the room. Ian has a beautiful farm in Wales called Owl Farm with guest houses- if you'd like to see, CLICK HERE . His farming endeavors include animal husbandry, a large newly planted orchard and of course managing the bed and breakfast.

My father's first farm house was a center hall colonial with a large welcoming front porch. It was painted yellow so we called it the Yellow House (duh, right?). The kitchen, which was located in an add-on room behind the main structure may have been the original house- it was a step down from the main part of the house, had lower ceilings and had a steep back stair leading to a small second story bedroom with a low pitched roof. It was rumored that when they did a kitchen renovation, probably in the mid 1950's, they found insulating material to be newspapers from the civil war. I didn't see it myself, but that's what the locals said.
The door from the bedroom led to another bedroom and had a thumb latch closure. From then 'til this day, a thumb latch handle is quintessentially farm house to me.
Last year my friend Michael cut out a new door opening to the utility room and I immediately ordered the thumb latch handle for the door I would build. I kept it in my heart this whole time and finally Rick and I were able to make the door this past weekend. It still needs door stop and painting, but I'm crazy for this door, and for the old farmhouse it brings to mind where I had so much fun with my family and first learned that I had the seed of a farmer in me.

(This is the other side of the bunk room)
New visitor to the farm this morning.

I have rambled on long enough! Thanks for bearing with my musings. I do appreciate that you're with me and sharing my experience. Love, Sandy
Washday....

Copyright © 2017 Bringing the Farm Home All rights reserved.
Contact Me Sandy@BringingTheFarmHome.com
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Berries, Bugs and Blessings ~ 25 July 2017
Every Saturday night, Laurie at CommonSenseHome sends a e-note highlighting her week- it's pretty low-key, actually. The new pond is filling, the currents are almost ready for jam, a groundhog got into the vegetable patch, maybe a neighbor stopped by for a visit. Routine farm life is not always jaw dropping. It's an accumulation of small accomplishments which may make themselves into a big story later. But I like knowing that somewhere (is it Ohio?), a lady is handling life in a good, common-sense way, simple as it may be. And that, is inspiring.
Meanwhile, back on my farm, everything is growing beautifully.

I am amazed at how much growth happens in just a few days! I planted cucumbers for my Audrey's Hickabee Farm pickle venture.

Beets

Squash

Onions

There's a 5-Year plan for the farm which I think of in phases. I had several things on my must-have list for this year to complete Phase II. An old above ground oil tank had to be properly recycled and taken off the property- check! Last week it was removed and I couldn't be happier with the price and the guys who came to take it away. And then there is the leaky roof on the shed.

(Rick loves to show this picture whenever someone asks to see a picture of the farm house! LOL) Outbuildings are an intrinsic necessity to farm life. It's just incredibly handy to have a place to store things I want to up-cycle later, not to mention a little house for the rototiller, my precious wagon, tools, mulch, flower pots, hoses- you get the idea. This shed is divided into 2 sections- one we call the wood shed which is storage for all my building supplies, and the other is the tool shed. You can see the moss on the roof which is soooo romantic, in a back-woodsy sort of way. But it leaks so the hunt was on to find a roofer- and I did. He'll be removing the old roof (and moss :-( ) and replacing it with brand new shingles. Once the building is stained to match the house, I think we'll have good storage for 20 years. Oh, boy, I can get more stuff!!
It doesn't take too long to weed the vegetable patch, then the lavender bed and the raspberry field each week and I'm confident the next expansion will be manageable too. I forgot to take photos to explain the plan for Phase III, so I'll save the story until next time, but I'll give some intrigue by saying it involves a man called Billy Black Oak, wood chips and plastic. Curious?
Last week I decided to (finally) clean up around the shed. The previous owner had used the area for storing his firewood and sometimes his garbage. There were about 7 pallets buried and decomposing in the dirt, half decomposed fire place logs, metal pipes, chains, catfood cans and so much debris I had to get another Bagster to hold it all. And before I could pick it up, every piece of wood or trash had to be rolled over with a hoe to make sure there were no snakes hiding underneath. (I did see 3 snakes which only confirmed that my method was necessary!).

You've got to love the Bagster. I ordered the pick-up on-line and it was gone within 2 days! I can't wait for the lawn mower men to see how nice it is now!

On the home front, I'm starting to harvest the statice I planted. So far, I have 7 nice sized bunches drying with many more branches coming on.

The fence I made is working perfectly to keep out the deer and the statice is growing taller than I ever remember!
It's Japanese beetle season, oh my! So many bugs on the berry plants. I'm trying to keep my methods as close to organic as I can so I read that if you take a coffee can, partially fill it with water and a lot of dishwashing soap, you can knock them from the leaf into the water and the dishwashing soap weights their wings and they can't fly so they drown. I'm really not a bug person- while I can see the natural beauty in the original shapes, sizes, colors or the many species I've seen here, I'm just not that into it. But the damage the Japanese beetle cause the leaves- they just eat them up- I had to get stern, and mean. So I harvested bugs this weekend. I've got to say it was fun to develop the finesse of getting them into my coffee can and I loved having a reason to walk slowly through the field, but after 3 days, twice a day and getting probably close to 400 bugs, I don't know if I even put a dent in their population. I'll see when I get back if I have to resort to more aggressive treatment. I did find 10 perfect and delicious raspberries to eat, which only strengthened my resolve to banish the bugs- raspberries are just too lovely to waste to bugs!
I'm starting to organize for the Pick-Your-Own- looking for pails and boxes, a scale for weighing, how to move the picnic table to the patch- a lot of details, but when the berries ripen I have to be ready. If you were ever thinking of a visit, September would be a great time to pick some berries, drive among the changing foliage and be in the country for a day. Keep it in mind. Hope you're having a fun summer!
Love, Sandy
Copyright © 2017 Bringing the Farm Home All rights reserved.
Contact Me Sandy@BringingTheFarmHome.com
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So much has been happening on the farm, I'm tempted to abbreviate everything to a photo and a quick description, but what's the fun in that? So bear with me as I explain the incredible past 2 weeks and the transformation we've made on the farm.
On Saturday, 2 weekends ago, Paula, my BFF (best farm friend) came by and asked if she could bring a friend of hers, Karol to visit the garden. As it turns out, Karol is a Master Gardener and we had such a fun time talking gardening and I got to show her the berry patch. If you remember from my last enote, I have been having a problem with Japanese beetles, but Karol agreed that I had gotten the better of them and the plants seem to have outgrown the damage caused by those colorful insects. It was great to share my progress with someone who knows a lot about gardening. Paula brought pizza and we enjoyed a lunch in the garden- what a treat!
I don't know how I got it, but something quintessential to a farm house, to me, is the SMACK of a screen door. Maybe the Walton's had one- I know I never did- but when I think of a farm, I hear the SMACK of the screen door closing as it hits the doorstop and it's a very homey sound to me. I had the screen door in the wood shed for a few months and Sunday I was (finally!) motivated to install it. I was worried because I hadn't used a router for a few years and the hinges had to be recessed, but trust me, it's like riding a bike! With careful measurements, everything worked out fine and with the addition of a super-strong spring, the door gives me the SMACK that I've wanted to hear for so long.

From the inside, fresh air and natural light change the whole environment for the better. I'm waiting to paint it until the humidity stabilizes the fit as I already know it will have to be planed a bit.

(Doesn't everyone have a table saw in their foyer? LOL)
Just for fun, and to improve the finished product of some signs I have planned, I bought a vinyl cutter- Silhouette Portrait from Amazon for about $107.00. It's been so much fun. I've had to experiment, so everything is not coming out a winner, but I do love that it adds another something to my many tools. Essentially, you hook it up to the computer and like a printer, you push a button and it cuts out sticky vinyl which can be added to scrap wood to make cute signs. That's an over-simplification, of course. The letters for my chalk-board were made on it.

I've been chalk writing the vegetables as I harvest them and added eggplant and cucumbers this week- fun! Black board paint was applied to a piece of plywood, framed in recycled barn wood taken from the house and the chain was left over from the grow-light project Rick made.
This is a very generous garden!

This past weekend, Rick came to help me set up Phase III. This is my garden project for next year, my third year, but starting the no-till garden beds needed to be done this year. I'm sure I don't need to mention that I am obsessed with gardening. And because of that, I read so many articles on the internet about how to do it, and how to do it better. In my head, they all seem to mash up so I'm winging it here with several internet suggestions on how to cultivate in a rocky weed-covered-and-mowed-to-resemble-grass field. The goal is 1) to farm a large enough space- but not too large- to grow products which will be available during berry picking time, 2) to incorporate as much "on hand" materials as I can, and 3) use as many permaculture practices as I can (no tilling, organic materials). This is what I've come up with.
I selected the area- I'm going between the raspberry patch and the new vegetable gardens- to save on fencing costs and to create a cohesive farming area. Three huge evergreen trees to the back left of the house had to come out.

Billy from Black Oak tree service said he would do it "soon" so I was very surprised when I got to the farm just two weeks later, that the trees were down. I had asked for the chips to be left for mulching and he agreed, but the pile was larger than I expected!

I also asked Billy to leave me part of the trunks for a little project I have in mind.

I've seen photos of "Fairy Houses" or "Spirit Houses" which supposedly house the spirit of the tree forever, if you believe in that sort of thing (I would put a little heart imogie here if I knew how to do it!). This is a photo from the internet, but gives me an idea of a fun winter project for my own stumps!

Rick and I started by making 2 x 4" (4' x 12") frames and set them where I wanted my planting beds.

We covered them with 6M plastic, stapled just the corners and flipped them upside down. This method allows us to go around the old tree stumps which would have made rototilling impossible.

The idea is that the plastic cover will kill the vegetation. I am told it takes 5-6 weeks for the vegetation to die and the heat under the plastic will also kill weed seeds. Probably in late October, I'll cut the plastic from frames and next spring cover with 2 sheets of newspaper and fill the frames with a compost and top soil blend- just 3"- and plant seeds into that. Supposedly, the seed roots will break up the compacted earth, worms will move into the new soil and by the end of the first growing season, the soil in the beds should be perfect for planting transplants, seeds, or perennials. We'll see! LOL
Rick is a great partner and before he left on Sunday, we had laid landscape fabric in the walking rows and covered it with chips from the downed trees. It looks awesome AND it smelled like Christmas!

We only got half the total area mulched and I'm still trying to figure out fencing to keep the deer out, gates for easy access in and out to the garden, but I love the way the new planting connects to the vegetable garden.

Another weekend and the project should be finished for this year. I'll have space for all sorts of good things which can be sold with the berries. I have a hankering for home grown pop corn, lots of flowers to dry or sell fresh, ornamental gourds, maybe small pumpkins and some vegies- beets, mixed lettuces, fall squash and the like. I'm really looking forward to next year to see if I can keep up with it all.
Lots of raspberries are forming and for the next few weeks I'll be getting the pick-your-own set up. Since my attention span is about 2 hours, it's good for me to have a lot of projects going at the same time!
I hope you're having a fun summer, with many projects that keep you happy! Love- Sandy
Copyright © 2017 Bringing the Farm Home All rights reserved.
Contact Me Sandy@BringingTheFarmHome.com
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Summer Harvest ~ 30 August 2017
Wow- it's been a while since I wrote, but I had a problem with my back which side-lined me for a few weeks and I wasn't able to get to the farm. Talk about bad timing- the Annie variety of raspberries was just starting to ripen, the zucchini and cukes were going mad with hugeness and the sunflowers were just forming, which I've waited a year to see.(I forgot to plant them last year! oops!) But through the magic of chiropractics, plenty of bed rest, only minor exertion and total help and support from Rick, I seem to be on the other side of my limitations and am looking to pick up where I left off, albeit a bit more gently.

My concerns for all the afore mentioned items was driving me just about looney- was a bear eating my raspberries? Was a zucchini going to get sooo big, it would break through the window on the house? Were the un-irrigated patches of garden getting enough rain? Were the irrigated parts getting to much? Oh, what my mind comes up with when I'm forced to just sit around! I'm forever grateful that Rick had sympathy for my concerns and went, by himself, to the farm for 2 days to make sure everything was in good shape.
In anticipation of the "Pick-Your-Own" berries, I wanted the picnic table moved to the berry patch to hold the scale, boxes and buckets for picking. We had gotten a nice umbrella for shade and he dismantled the table, moved it to the new location and reassembled it. That was a huge job to do single handed.

The last time I was there, the raspberry canes had grown so tall the rows of berries were falling in on each other and obscuring the foot paths. Rick spent a lot of time tying back one row, but realized this was not the solution.

The next weekend we went back with a hedge trimmer and Rick mastered the art of cane cutting, making nice walkable paths to access the berries.

Berries have formed on the ends of the canes which will make picking very easy, but they are slow to size, so the picking season which I thought would start in mid-August is still not happening. At least the little (just 10' of row) crop of Annies are coming on beautifully and have satisfied my yearning for fresh raspberries!
Rick drove me to the farm last weekend and it was such a sight to see! Everything seemed to have grown a foot and with more than 2 inches of rain since I was last there (I have a rain gauge) the colors and greens of the field and gardens was magnificent.
The nasturtiums were trailing around the vegetable garden.

The sunflowers were blooming.

There were enough cucumbers to make pickles!

And I had the greatest pleasure braiding onions.

We had a chance to visit with Paula and got caught up on the local news, made a trip to the farmers' market and finished the "must-dos" for the week. While I didn't feel totally okay, my back held out, and with Rick's help a lot was accomplished which gave me great solace.
One of the more interesting things about my home in Toms River is that there is a large brook that runs through my community. Each summer- though frequently I forget to look and miss it- marshmallows (relatives of the hollyhocks) bloom in profusion and it is one of the most beautiful things to see. The stream and forest take on a Monet quality.

I always get out of the car- though you can see it perfectly well when driving- to gaze on the beauty of it. The colors range from pastel pinks to rich burgundy and spread as far up and down the creek as the eye can see.

I wonder if it's the cedar water of the creek that creates the perfect environment for these flowers to grow reliably each year. It's a perfectly natural beauty but fleeting- the bloom only lasts a couple of weeks.

I don't know how to put in words the sympathy I feel for the flood victims in Texas and Louisiana. I've seen first hand the destruction a storm can bring with Super Storm Sandy five years ago- it's a real mess and emotionally unnerving. But we are afforded a rare glimpse of courage in action as neighbors help neighbors while government and private citizens try to ease the burden. The rebuilding will start, homes and businesses will be repaired and the mantra for life in this new reality will be "just passing through". For all the beauty found in nature, nothing is quite so lovely, or inspiring as the determination of the human spirit.
Have a beautiful week, my friend- Sandy xoxo
Copyright © 2017 Bringing the Farm Home All rights reserved.
Contact Me Sandy@BringingTheFarmHome.com to be added to my email list.
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Farming is a Risky Business ~ 20 September 2017
On my drive to the farm I noticed a few golden leaves and it's hard for me to believe that fall is just around the corner. I look forward to the crisp night air and clear days without humidity, but it's coming too soon! Harvest is a busy time, and I'm trying to get the list of summer "chores" complete before the snow flies. My farm life is now sectioned as "before my back" and "after my back" and while "BMB" I would be confident that everything will be done in time, "AMB" I'm a little worried of the work ahead which needs to be completed. I still have trouble bending- to pull weeds, pick vegetables, etc- and the chiropractor said it could take 8-10 weeks for me to resume my usual activity. My daily activities are interrupted by rest with ice packs and I tire easily. BUT, I am better every day!
Staining the house was not on the list this year, but I started it anyway. I had just started on the back wall "BMB" but was able to finally resume this past weekend. I finished 3/4 of it, and got the windows painted, too which felt great- nothing like seeing progress to get my energy up! A chimney from the now removed furnace comes through the wall in the last quarter, so next weekend I'll have the supplies I need to repair the hole. With the final quarter stained, that side will be finished. Still to do is the peaked side near the raspberries which requires a tall ladder. I've put feelers out for a painter/handyman to finish it for me, but so far I haven't made the right connection.

I was able to find a nice man, Dave Leavenworth, to do the new roof on the shed. It was a real leaker and I have been concerned about storing machinery in there this winter. Now, no worries. Rick was up a few weekends ago and made a brand new ramp into the tool section to replace one which had a very rotten board. No matter how you approached the shed, the wagon wheel would find the rotten board, fall into it and make parking the wagon very challenging! Now with a new ramp and a new roof, the building cries out to be stained- and this is how my list of projects just keeps getting bigger! LOL To stain this building would be the real definition of lipstick on a pig!

The vegetable garden is a real success and every week it's like arriving at my own farmer's market. I come home with enough produce to make yummy meals AND more to "put up" for the winter. My garden supplied the main ingredients for stuffed peppers, zucchini pancakes, homemade tomato sauce, eggplant parmesan, pesto and calendula cookies in the past 2 weeks.

Now, about the berries... not so good. The berries which formed in early-August have not sized nor colored. I was expecting that crop in mid-August and it just hasn't happened. While I've had a master gardener and a cooperative extension agent to the farm and both thought the bushes looked healthy and vigorous, the berries did not form properly. There are 2 opinions as to why this happened- one, they weren't pollenated at the right time and two, the canes weren't cut down in winter at the right time. I can't do much about the bees, but next year we'll be cutting the canes in February or as soon after as the snow melts. This photo shows the thousand or so berries which have formed but have not ripened. As I said, farming is risky business.

Fortunately, I have a 10' row of "Annies", a different variety, which is doing beautifully. I've harvested enough to make a batch of jam, for which I am very grateful. If you're asking how could one variety do exactly what it's supposed to- taste yummy, look beautiful, arrive on time and produce profusely and another variety not-so-much, I'm asking the same question!

Ordinarily raspberry picking would continue through the end of October and I'm still hopeful that new blooms which are coming on the bushes will ripen..... I just can't give up hope!
It's been a cloudy, rainy late summer in Eldred and the perma-culture experiment I started in early August hasn't been coming along as well as I expected. The sun was supposed to burn out the weedy growth beneath the plastic covers in 6-7 weeks, but the job is only partly complete. I'll probably be leaving the plastic on through the winter, really hoping the weeds die off.

That will make a large garden and as big as I now imagine I'll be able to care for single-handedly. I'm especially looking forward to growing pop corn and luffah sponges- an odd combination, I know-, some herbs and flowers for drying and strawberries.
I'm trying to keep everything neat and orderly and recycling at the farm is important. I am lucky that many years ago I gave Rick a compost maker for his garden which he hasn't used lately so he suggested I take it to the farm. I'm already filling it with garden clean-up and learning how to layer it so it makes compose quicker. (Raspberry bushes are in the background. How can something this beautiful be a non-producer!!?? :-(

This year a new variety of morning glory caught my eye and I planted a packet of seed. They germinated and grew about 3" and stopped growing- the plants were alive but stunted- so I thought I'd never see a flower. But miracles do happen and on one 4" plant a flower sprung forth- in all its glory- and it was as pretty as I imagined it would be.

There's a story about a city fella who was interviewing a farmer and he asked him "what would you do if you won a million dollars?" The farmer's reply was simple- "I'd keep farming until it was all gone". I've thought about that a lot recently as the hope of raspberry revenue slowly fades and my plans for next year get bigger. Farming is a risky business, but for some of us, the sight of a new morning glory is as exciting as closing the million dollar deal.
I hope you're enjoying every day. Love, Sandy
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