GOODBYE GLADDIE.
You guys. Moving is the worst. But I can see the light at the end of the tunnel....we are so close! Wednesday is the big day! Besides the stress and frustration that comes with packing boxes and realizing you have way too much stuff - there are also the goodbyes. We are starting to have to say our goodbyes - to this little town we have grown to love, to dear friends who enriched our lives, to our bountiful garden still full of food, and also to some of our animals. The rabbits have found a home with Jacob and Carolyn, and yesterday, Gladdie went to another farm family who required her mousing services. We let her spend the day outside, stalking chickens and having adventures. It was hard to say goodbye (I am an unapologetic crazy cat lady) but I know she will be loved. Thank you, Gladdie - for ridding our house of mice, for being an excellent alarm clock each morning, and warming my lap every day. We'll miss you!- Hannah. 
THE CLEAN UP.
Packing and cleaning don't make the best blog posts, but if you're wondering what we've been up to it's been a whole lot of that! In fact, we've spent much of the last few days deconstructing the garden, and cursing ourselves for being so thorough when we put it up!
We've also received two really sweet articles about our fundraising endeavor. The first was from Need More Acres in Bowling Green, Ky, which, if you're in the area tomorrow, please stop by Community Farmers Market and thank this family for us. And give them big hugs! They are donating all of their sales from this weekend to our campaign and we are deeply, tearfully thankful.Then the wonderful Savoring Kentucky posted a more-than-generous article about us and our campaign. We're speechless, or moved beyond words to be more accurate. This outpouring of support has been incredible and we can't wait to pay it back however we can, whenever we can, as often as we can.In moments like these––with this amount of tremendous support––we not only feel we can accomplish our goal, but that Kentucky can accomplish just about anything. The more we can chip in to help one injured set of farmers, the more others in the farming community can be less afraid of being crippled by disastrous circumstances. In a community, people live with less fear because, as we mentioned in an earlier post, when they fall, they fall into the arms of others. We're so thankful, but we're also equally excited to one day be able to return the favor, to help our community remain strong.We're over half-way to our goal! iIf you'd like to donate please follow this link. Every little bit helps!- Jesse.
UPDATES: THE FALL SHARE & THE CAT.
Sorry for the lack of farm or garden related updates lately....but that is pretty much how it goes around here. Aside from being in limbo - this time of year simply doesn't require as much work up in the field. So, you will just have to make do with an update on the Gladdie cattie. She is still a tiny, sickly thing, but it has all been worth it because she has turned out to be an excellent mouser.
Speaking of the neglected garden, our very last main-season CSA delivery is this week! Hard to believe it has been 15 weeks already! We still have garden full of food...but as much as we would love to announce our FALL SHARE, we just don't feel confident enough in our situation. It is still unclear when we will have to be gone from our house/garden, so until we do know for sure - we are going to be selling food week-to-week. If you think you will be interested in getting a CSA basket of food in the near future and live in the Versailles/Danville/Lexington-ish area, make sure you are part of the mailing list! (You can sign up using the link at the bottom of this post or email us at roughdraftfarmstead@gmail.com) We will send out a message each week with the harvest and deliver on a first-come-first-serve basis. It is not ideal, but we are hoping this allows us to continue to feed our friends and family and make the most out of our beloved garden.- Hannah.
MOVING FORWARD.
First of all, I know a lot of people are waiting anxiously to hear some news. But basically...I've got nothing. Although many more opportunities, offers, and suggestions have come up, we haven't yet made a decision. We have spent the past few days keeping up with the farm chores, researching, and making a big ol' list of PROS and CONS.But on another note: Jesse is currently reading The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball (I just finished it: it is wonderful). This morning, he was reading the chapter where Kristin is starting to get the impression that no one in her new community thinks her and her husband, who have just started an organic farm in upstate New York, are going to succeed. When her doubts begin to get the best of her, she asks her husband about it: "Of course we had a chance, he'd say, and anyway, it didn't matter if this venture failed. In his view, we were already a success, because we were doing something hard and it was something that mattered to us. You don't measure things like that with words like success or failure, he said. Satisfaction comes from trying hard things and then going on to the next hard thing, regardless of the outcome. What mattered was whether or not you were moving in a direction you thought was right."As Jesse and I ate our lunch today - juicy, purple slices of heirloom tomato on warm bread with our own butter and slivers of spicy garlic - I was stunned with the simplicity of it, the perfection of its smallness. And I reflected on these last 5 months - what all we have accomplished. We have eaten so many meals like these, beautiful meals with the food we grew. We have fed others, many loved ones and friends. We have slept most nights with the tiredness and true rest that can only come from devastatingly hard work. And so, as I feel words like "failure" start to creep in...I try to focus on this: On a tomato sandwich, on the positive words and support from our friends, and on the excitement and possibility that lies ahead as we continue to move forward. And that feels pretty successful.- Hannah.
