I figure Benjamin Franklin must have been living through some tough times watching folks around him struggle. Wisdom comes with age, experience and observation, no doubt. Just this morning in an attempt to clean up the permaculture gardens that were overrun with Creeping Charlie after a warm no-snow winter, I think I may have learned more in two hours than in much of my lifetime. Of course, I was also reminded that I can be a real dummy! Lawnmowers can get stuck on raised bed gardens.
When something is hard to do, there is opportunity to learn...duh!
A person doesn't know their own strength when they always ask for help.
People who know how to fix things babysit.
Find your NO and understand when others have found theirs, opportunity to learn awaits.
Throwing temper tantrums does not get the job done.
Tears alone won't water the grass.
Pretty flowers, rolling hills and country views hide the work.
When nobody is around to get you out of a sticky situation, you're the only adhesive remover available.
When you sit and look at a problem, you're only giving it fertilizer to grow.
Hard workers need two glove sizes!
I managed to dig the mower out of the garden, but then realized I had inadvertently released the mower deck and rolled right off of it! Definitely a dumb move well-deserving of a visit from the John Deere police to deliver a "Dumb Driver" citation. Not only did my impatience cause me mower issues, the weed whip string stopped forwarding, so that required my calm and focused attention, too. I'm not at all mechanically inclined, so if a machine goes kaput, my gut response is to shout, "Help!" But, with William in the fields and farming the priority, I am reluctant to ask for his assistance. Instead, I 1) laugh, 2) repeat the mantra, "Enjoy the process," and 3) laugh again at how asinine it is that something so miserable can somehow be enjoyed! I have come to understand that if I throw a fat-ass temper tantrum, I learn nothing, nothing gets done, nothing gets fixed. I was not born a princess but rather, a strong independent woman. I am only realizing that now, however!
Oh for the love of life on a farm. I vaguely remember the days when I was so excited to have a farm in the country. Now, when things get tough, I joke about moving to a condo in Maiden Rock!
FARM STORE & RESTAURANT UPDATE
Testing the oven with roasted salsa to serve on our BIG SILO-SIZED BURRITOS.
The restaurant kitchen is in practice mode. I have a lot to learn about commercial scale cooking. I'm still missing a couple of pieces of equipment that I need to get the whole system up and running, but I've been playing and learning with what I do have in place. The dining room is still under construction, so we won't be opening for seated service until that is done...perhaps July?
Two out of thirty chairs done
The Farm Store has some new Farmhouse Bars - Strawberry Rhubarb, and a big batch of Grandma's Magic Bars. Last week I made an Almond Rhubarb Chia Freezer Jam that tastes great on toast! I'm anxious to see the gardens start to pop and have a little more fresh product to work with.
Despite feeling really overloaded, work is getting done, and the world around us is lush and green and gorgeous this time of year. I have no roses yet to smell, so I look to the iris and lilies starting to bloom.
I send you love from the farm,
Sarah
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