WENDELL WEDNESDAY.
At least there is still one smiling face around here! What would we do without this guy?
ROUGHEST DRAFT YET.
This is the first sentence of the hardest post we've had to do yet––a little surprising and terrifying considering the year we've had––so brace yourself: we've been asked to leave our house and garden.I'm not really sure how to tell this story because it wasn't one thing that happened; we didn't burn down a barn, destroy the house, fight with the landowners or anything like it. So far as we can tell, the only thing anyone did wrong was gravely misinterpret the offer presented. For us, disastrously so.While we process this situation, we're having to deal with all those annoying, foreign emotions which exist so vividly on the fringes of sanity: we're angry, we're depressed, we're terrified, we're sleepless, confused, unhappy. These emotions make us deeply uncomfortable, the kind of emotions that tempt you into hyperbole, or impair judgement and cause you to say things you might regret. With that in mind, we're not going to go on too much about the specifics. The reality is we've been asked to leave, and now we have to make some quick decisions about our life.Saner people might take the loss of two different farms as a sign to stop farming, but only in writing this sentence do I realize we've never even considered it, nor would we. Our goal is, and has always been, a farmstead of our own, one where we can sustain a small community and family. We originally thought the Danville situation was the way to get there, but we're now sadly further away from it than when we arrived, having spent all of our wedding money getting a garden started, which we're now going to have to disassemble and chalk-up to a loss. But that's those dangerous emotions talking.It became obvious over the last month that being asked to leave was a possibility, so we've talked to many friends, family members and fellow farmers about what we should do. We're not going to make that decision now, we have a little time and we want to explore our options. Know that Hannah and I are hanging-in-there, as hard as this year has been on us...our bond is strong, and our drive stunted but not extinguished. The goal is to have that farm of our own, and whatever we do next has to get us closer to that. We just aren't yet sure what that means, only that Rough Draft Farmstead was a very apt name for our farm, and so far, for the tittle of our life.Thankfully we will be able to finish our summer share, so don't fret. And we might still be able to do a small, shortened fall share––which would really help compensate for our lost income and give us a shot at financially surviving the winter––but we're not certain at the moment.And thanks to all of our dear shareholders, friends and family, old and new. As hard as things ever become, it has always been a comfort to us having you along on this adventure, and we couldn't be more grateful for your support. Thank you again, and please, wish us luck. There may be a lot of uncertainty ahead, but there may be a lot of possibility as well.- Jesse.
WHERE THE HEART IS.
This weekend Hannah and I took a quick trip to Bugtussle––again aided by my lovely mother's willingness to watch the animals––to see our mentors, our second home, and our adopted family. We had been able to visit in January before the season started, but since March everybody has been rather tethered to their land––such is farming. So it was nice to get a chance to break away and see the Smith Family, to play with the kids, hear the stories of their crazy season and to unload a few of our troubles, graciously gaining some much needed perspective in return.There's so much to say about that family, that farm: it's our ideal lifestyle and thus an inspiring place for us to return to. But instead of writing a book here about how much we love it, just enjoy some pictures from our trip, and know that many of the hard decisions we'll be facing in the (possibly very) near future were refined over the good food, wine and conversation shared between us.- Jesse.
