FURTHER AND FATHER ALONG.

I'm looking forward to the summer. Wholeheartedly. I'm excited about fresh veggies, about sunshine, about dirt (as opposed to mud, about which I cannot even feign excitement). But I have to say that I'm going to miss seeing Further as much as I have been. We spend a lot of time together, and it's been a wonderful thing. I've watched him progress, fatten, smile. Though with these tastes of the busy season, days worth of soil blocks and working around the farm, I've been worrying that in the summer I'm going to be too occupied for us to get much time together.Then, as soon as I have this thought, I throw it out. I am, to be clear, a very lucky father. My job, our lifestyle, makes it so. I will get to see my son often during the busy season––in the cabin, in the garden, all around the farm––even when I'm literally running around to finish projects, but especially when I'm not.Farm life is an ally of parenthood. Our home is near the garden. The garden is close to home. Work and life are neighbors here. And sure, farming may not always be completely in sync with parenthood––especially for how demanding the job can be––but they certainly seem to look out for one another, as good neighbors tend to do. Hannah gets to be around full-time with our child and I get the next best thing. And when Further is older, he will begin to work with us in the gardens, joining the family business, but also allowing his poor old pop to spend a little extra time with his son.If time is indeed money, well, farming may not always make us much of the latter. But time, it can offer a little of that in exchange. Time with my wife. Time with my son. Time as a family. And right now, I'm happy to get paid a little bit in time. As my child changes with almost blinding speed, there are few things more valuable.- Jesse.