SECOND DRAFT.
I'm not going to pretend that the past few months have been easy for us. Not as newlyweds living without a home of their own; not as workers watching nice day after nice day pass by with nothing consistent to work on; not as farmers who have put time, money, love and hope into a project that did not meet fruition; not at all. But with the help and support of a truly inspiring gathering of family and friends we've kept our spirits high, and our dream in tact: a farm of our own. And we were prepared to do whatever it took to make that happen.Losing the first farm was hard. It was our farm and then it was gone. The timing was awful and the disappointment nearly crippling. We had to bury our grief and come up with something quick if we still wanted to have a CSA this year, or use all of those plants and seeds we've ordered. Spring––if those intense thunderstorms on Friday were any indication––is right around the corner! Nervously, we sent out feelers. If we could still farm this year, even if it wasn't on land of our own, we'd be happy.Our sigh of relief came when we received a generous offer from another part of Hannah's family. They have a farm with an abundance of land in Danville, Ky and asked us if we'd like to garden some in exchange for vegetables. Bartering at it's best! Although we can never own this land, we can save the money we earn from it to put towards our own plot in the future. So in lieu of city jobs or loans, we will be farming this year to earn our farm. There is a place for us to live and plenty of opportunity to collaborate on ideas with this family. Hannah will still be keeping bees and I will still be making wine. We will still be offering a CSA (I know we've said this before but seriously, details to come soon!), and farmer's market style vegetables. There's no time to spare, however! A greenhouse must be built, a garden tilled (and partially card-boarded), and then fenced. Spring is coming, the grass is growing, Hannah and I have to get fit for battle! Thank you for all of your encouragement through all of this, you have no idea how much it means to us!- Jesse.
