The Lost Farmer

So where did all the time go? Looks like my last entry was June. Whoops. Well, it's been a crazy ride but I survived my first year of farming! I have to admit I was ready for it to end. I've earned my winter's nap! Only it doesn't look like I'll get a long one. By the time October rolled around I was looking forward to spending Saturdays at home or doing things I wanted to do rather than getting up early for market. Though the markets have been done for over a month I still feel like I'm playing hookie when I wake up at 8 on a Saturday. I grin like a fool, make a hot drink and enjoy the morning. Ahh, bliss.
That's not to say that I disliked going to markets. I loved it. I've made some good friends with my fellow vendors. There's something of a brotherhood/sisterhood in it. There were a few vendors that were at both of my markets and I definitely had people take me under their wing a little since I was the "newbie". I had a lot of great customers too. I developed quite a following over the summer. At the end people wanted to make sure that I'd be there again. It was very affirming. Yet, I was ready to let that go for a few months to rest, recover, and regenerate.
Today was the first day of snow. It was so beautiful out. It was windy and the air was full of large flakes, the kind that get caught in your hair and eyelashes. The air smelled of snow too. I love that smell. I love snowflakes that catch in your hair and clothing. It's also a much needed affirmation that my field days are done for the year and I can move on to other things, such as planning for next year and getting some winter employment! What a mess planning can be and I think the hard work of planning is just as difficult as the field work! Farming is a huge, complicated word problem. It takes weeks to untangle the snarl of field notes and market numbers from the previous season even if you do keep good records (which I did, at times). Then you have to assign hard numbers to your hopes and plans for next year. Next you take your untangled numbers from the previous season, use them to inform your lofty plans for next season, and somewhere make calculations that define how much land, seed, and when you need that land and seed.
I'm sorry, am I boring you? Is your brain numb yet? Mine is. That means it's time to do something else. Til next time!

First Market!

My first market was yesterday and it went so well. I must admit I didn't get much sleep on Friday night. There were too many thoughts going through my head. I probably got more sleep than I thought I had. My mom stayed over night and helped me load up the truck at 5:15 am. What a trooper.
We drove down to Northfield, IL where the market is held. There were already a few people setting up when we arrived. Eventually we started setting up too (once we figured out where we were supposed to go). The day went quickly and people were so excited to have me there. I'm the only organic vegetable vendor at this market. They loved the chard, radishes, and lettuce that I brought. I'll have pictures soon. My mom took the pictures and we haven't loaded them to my computer yet.
It is such a relief to have this first market over. I'm excited it was such a success as well. I'm still recovering from the intensity of it all. I was definitely glad to get a nap yesterday. Hmm, nap . . . now that's a good idea . . .

The Lazy Farmer

It's true, I'm lazy. I admit it. There's always a part of me that gets excited for rainy days. The thought of not having to weed or be in the hot sun can be downright blissful. There is a guilty pleasure in spending the better part of a day inside. I'm a farmer. I keep telling people that I love being outside. Why then do I get so excited for rainy days?
It's probably the change of pace. There's not so much pressure to get things done on rainy days. I can take a nap and not feel guilty. I can catch up on bookwork or clean-up. Yet, I have to been careful. I enjoy rainy days so much that sometimes I try to convince myself that rain-threatening days should be treated like rainy days. It's a fight to get myself out in the fields when it looks like rain. But there is a huge different between cloudy, look-like rainy days and actual rainy days. Ah the trials of being my own boss.
Despite my laziness things are getting done. I spent most of this past week weeding. That is, I was weeding when I could get out in the fields. We had some legit rainy days this week, which I spent working on some marketing signs and running errands. Why are there always errands to run? I could run errands every day. There is always something more to find, purchase, or do. When I got back out in the fields the change I saw was amazing. The swiss chard, kale, spinach and lettuce have all popped! My first market is next Saturday and I was beginning to wonder if anything would be ready. I was picturing myself at my market stand with my beautiful sign, my beautiful tent, table and tablecloth, but that table would be empty of produce. I saw myself just standing there telling people about the beautiful, tasty produce that I would eventually bring. Well, it looks like I might actually have a few examples of my wonderful produce! We'll see what this week brings.
The bees have been busy gathering pollen and I'm fascinated by them. Have I mentioned that before? They bring in the pollen on their legs. It looks like little saddlebags. I love watching that. Then I love watching them fly in and out, like a little bee airport. They're incredible. I opened the hive a couple weeks ago and found the queen. She's been busy laying eggs, which is a good thing. I love my bees. I look at the hive and just grin. I've wanted a hive for so long. Now I have one. It's a small dream come true.
Yesterday when I was planting my tomatoes I couldn't help but grin. My little farm brings me so much joy. I am awed by the little changes that I see each week. I know there are hot, miserable days ahead. I won't always feel so enraptured with this farm, but even then it will be beautiful to me. Let the beauty of the Lord be upon us; establish thou the work of our hands. Ps 90:17.
My farmer's tan is coming along. I can't tell if my hands are getting browner from the sun or from the dirt. It's probably both. Sorry, Mom. I really do wash my hands. Here are some picture from this week and last. Til next time!

Incoming Hail

The dreaded H-word, hail, has been mentioned in the forecast for today a number of times. It hasn't happened yet but we'll see. The weather seems right for it. We've had some cool days and it was cool this morning. The skies are dark and a storm wind has been blowing and now it's warm. It has all the makings of a good, strong storm. Welcome to the life of a farmer; wait and see.

Over the past week I've learned over and over not to take the weatherman at his or her word. I cannot take the weather for granted. It may be sunny one day but that doesn't mean it will continue to be sunny. And the reverse is true as well. Just because it's stormy looking doesn't mean it will storm or that it won't clear up. I have already learned a few times that just because it looks like it will rain doesn't mean it will. There have been times I've had to get my lazy butt moving because what I thought would be a leisurely rainy day turned into a productive no rain (and even sunny) day. Farmers tend to play roulette with the weather. Just one more row, those clouds don't look really black, these rain drops are that big. That sort of thing. I always thought that was dumb. Why risk getting struck by lightening? Now I see why. Weather isn't always as bad as it makes itself out to be. It may look like a gloomy day but that doesn't mean you can't get something done.

Here's an example for you; it was supposed to pour last night and so I resigned myself to greenhouse work today. As I was calmly seeding my next planting of broccoli my fellow farmer, Jeff, walked in with his employees all in their raincoats. Curious I asked what they were up to. Surely, they weren't out in the fields trying to plant or do any tractor work. The weather was threatening! Jeff replied they were covering their lettuce with fabric stretched over hoops in case it actually did hail. Wow! what a great idea, I thought. But too bad I didn't do that earlier. I couldn't go out and do that now with my own lettuce. The weather was threatening. Hail was supposed to come that afternoon and I had already promised to meet my sister for lunch. It was just too late. Hopefully my lettuce wouldn't get too shredded. Oh well, I thought as I shrugged my shoulders. Something to do next time.

Yet, after my lunch with my sister it still hadn't hailed nor had it even rained. The weather was still threatening, but I started thinking, what if I tried to cover up my lettuce now? sure it may start raining while I'm out there, but even if I get just a little done I may save some of my crop.

Well, I went out there, got it all done and it didn't rain a drop on me and there was no hail to be seen.

So, don't take the weather for granted. You can get a lot done under cloudy skies!

How Many Days Does It Take to get a Farmer's Tan?

Turns out, just one. That's right, ladies and gentlemen. As of May 7th I am sporting a farmer's tan. Truth be told it's a farmer's burn. Not a bad burn, but it's definitely radiating some heat. I have now stocked up on sunblock and cooling aloe. Now I'm ready for the sun.

Today I checked in with my bees. I had to open the hive two different times and I never got stung. Plus I did it without smoking them or wearing my beesuit! That's right, I'm that brave. Actually lazy is more the word for it. I didn't feel like going home and getting the suit, putting on the suit, putting my shoes back on and then having to reverse the whole process. It's just so taxing.

Things are going along in the hive. The queen is out of her little cage and they were hungry for more sugar water. So I gave them more to eat and moved the hive a little higher to put it out of mouse range. I ended up lifting the hive with the top open so my face was a mere 5 inches away from a clump of bees for a bit. I have to admit I was a little apprehensive of the situation. Everything went fine though. I love my bees. :)

Here's another lesson learned: never trust a weatherman. We were supposed to get thunderstorms throughout the day. well . . . today was a gift of sunshine, warmth, and that means I had a busy day. I got a slow start since I'm recovering from the past two long days. We've been working hard since we thought we'd only get a one and a half day window without rain. It did rain a little yesterday but not much. I ditzed around for an hour and a half. It kind of looked like it would rain but then it cleared and I slowly woke up and back out in the fields. There was a nice green carpet of weeds in the rows i had already planted and seeded so that was the chore for the day. Then I got on the tractor and did some much needed mowing. I could almost bale some hay with the clippings! Things are looking great now. Tomorrow's big chore; setting up irrigation. did you know I'm becoming a plumber of sorts? My dad's coming up this weekend for my next mechanics lesson on my riding mower/tiller. I'm learning all kinds of new skills.

Bees! And a Long Day

My bees are here! They arrived on Monday. My bee buddies were good enough to pick them up and bring them to my farm. The bees were shipped to a bee company in Wisconsin. They come in a wooden box with screened sides. I ordered three pounds of bees which equals about 3000 bees plus one queen. The queen is in a smaller box with screens so that the bees can get used to her smell and won't kick her out of their group, which is apparently what they do if you just dump a random queen into a colony.

So we set up my hive and kicked out the mouse that had made its nest in there. Rotten mice. Stay out of my bee hive! We set the frames in the hive, set the queen in her mini box in the hive and then dumped, seriously dumped, the bees into their hive. We put some sugar water in there for them to eat, set the lid on top, and that was it. I've been keeping my eyes on them today and their buzzing around getting used to their new home. In a couple days I'll check on them, see if they need more food, and make sure the queen is out of her box and moving around. If you're lucky some day I'll post a picture of me in my kickass bee suit. :)

The adventure today was spend as much time in the fields as possible to get as much done as I can before the rains come (again!). My morning began at 6 when I hopped into the seat of the John Deere tractor and headed out to till up a large part of my fields and prepare the beds for the afternoon planting. Field beds are rows grouped together. My beds are about 4.5 ft which includes a walkway. In that bed I can plant three rows of spinach, 2 rows of broccoli or 1 row of tomatoes. Each crop prefers different distances. Some need a lot of room, others don't need so much.

I had a great crew of helpers this afternoon. We planted a ton of stuff, mostly my bulb onions. We planted yellow, red and sweet onions. Then we planted a rainbow of lettuces. By that time the crew was ready to call it a day. We were all proud of what we had accomplished. They took off, but I wasn't ready to call it quits yet. Rain's a'comin and I don't know when I'll get back in the fields. So worked for another hour or so. I called it quits when the sun did.

Not bad for my first long day. I'm in a pretty good mood, mildly sore, but I definitely don't feel beat up. That will happen in July or August I'm sure. That's it for now! Praise God for great help and beautiful weather.

Bees are Coming!

I just got the call. My honeybees will be coming tomorrow! I've been wondering when my bee-buddies would call and deliver my new hive. I can't believe the day is here. Well, almost here. A part of me is still apprehensive. After all, it is another thing to put on my to do list and I do tend to swell up when I'm stung. Still I'm going to try it. Bees fascinate me and just think of the honey!
In other farming news, it has been a week of realizing how little control I have over my farm and my plans. Sure I make spreadsheets of what seeds are planted when, and how many in the greenhouse. I have spreadsheets of when to transplant those seedlings outside in the fields. I have maps of what crops will go where. I have weekly project lists that are scheduled into october. Yet for all this God gets the final say. It has been over a week since I've been able to take a tractor out into the fields, which means I am a week behind in transplanting and almost two weeks behind in tilling. Not an easy place to be for a first year farmer, or for any farmer. It's just rained so much over the past week and a half. The fields haven't had time to dry out. So I figure out what other things I can do while I wait.
There are moments of stress and frustration. Even now I feel myself tensing up. But that's not the end of the story. I know that God is faithful and that God will take care of me. I am reminded of how dependent I am, how vulnerable I am. That's not a lesson that is easy to learn, but in the end is comforting. It's comforting because God is in control, not me. Though I can come up with a pretty good and fairly thorough plan, there will still be faults. And honestly, though it's hard to let go of my plans (in farming and in other things), I'd much rather have God in control than me.
So with that in mind I will continue to wait for my fields to dry. My bees will come tomorrow. Hopefully, I will soon be driving the tractor again. I'll keep you posted.

Fieldwork begins!

The time has come to be in the field! Last week I learned to drive the tractor and away I went to my fields. I was able to till up a few places and then came back to transplant my kale, swiss chard, and leeks. Another bunch of firsts! Here are some pictures for you. Hopefully the fields will dry out soon so I can go back this week. Another round of transplanting and seeding is here.

Growing On

Hey all, I'd thought I'd check in with you and announce I am blogging live from my very own apartment! That's right, a very new and exciting development has occurred; I now have internet access where I live. So no more excuses for me about not updating this thing. (nuts!)
Things are going well on the farm. It has turned a little colder here. After a few days of warm sunshine we now have cold drizzle. That's alright. I just won't pack my long underwear away yet. My seedlings are continuing to grow and their numbers increase each week. I've had some great volunteers come up to help and get their hands dirty. So far we have kale, onions, bunching (or green) onions, broccoli, parsley, cabbage, swiss chard, and as of today lettuce and peppers! I'm still spending a good amount of time looking for different kinds of equipment that I'll need or other supplies. I've spent so much time looking at catalogs and internet sites. Sometimes I feel like I don't get anywhere. My progress is a bit slow. Oh well. Now it's time for me to work on the text for my website. It's been on my to do list for three months now. Guess it's time to finally do it. :)

Sprouting!

It only took four days until my first sprouts! Amazing! I was (and still am) very excited! Kale was the first to poke through the soil and now a mere 8 days later I have onion sprouts too! So far my farm is up and running!. I'm keeping myself busy with farm related shopping sprees, working on marketing signs, and a wide variety of part time jobs. I gotta keep food on the table somehow until my veggies start coming in. Tomorrow I plan on painting my bee hive. I'll get my very first bees in April when it's a little warmer. Until then it's painting and planning. There are some other projects to keep me busy. I have farmers market applications to fill out, an organic farming certification application to fill out, fields to plan and map out. Oh it makes my head spin. I need to keep reminding myself to do a little at a time. I can't tackle everything all at once. Every day I have a much deeper respect for God, Creation, and my fellow farmers! There's so much to do.

It Begins!

Wild Goose Farm has gone from thoughts and dreams to a physical reality! There are onions, kale, and parsley seeds all tucked into trays of soil. It was a busy day and I had the help of a wonderful volunteer, Katy. We got a lot done. I can't believe it has actually begun! It's amazing and so exciting. I'll have pictures soon.

hello stranger!

well, look who finally decided to show up! Me! Sorry for the absence. I can't count on the number of times I thought to myself, "You know, I should really update my blog." I just didn't. A lot has been on my mind lately. I'm in the throes of planning my business; tracking down what things I need to do to be a legitimate business, continually rewriting and editing my business plan, reading up on sustainable farm practices, planning my planting schedule for next year, trying to put together a seed order, orchestrate meetings with insurance agents and loan officers. The list goes on. Talk about a juggling act! And if these few months are any indication I'm in for a wild ride next year. Keep me in your prayers!
So here's a quick update:
I have officially incorporated!
My farm finally has a name, Wild Goose Farm, LLC (limited liability company, it's a business thing)
I have a new email address for the farm, wildgoose.farm@yahoo.com
I'm still working for Sandhill Organics, that will continue through mid December. I'm still working on getting a winter job.

That 's the interesting stuff, anyway. I could get more into the details but it's not that exciting.

I'm posting a picture of the land that I'm renting. Right now it's growing a cover crop, a crop that I will till into the soil in the spring which will add nutrients and organic matter to the soil. Plus it helps keep down erosion through the winter. It snowed here today so you'll just have to picture the field with a light blanket of white. I get so excited each time I see my field and picture in my head what it will look like next year.

Newest Farmer

It's official! I'm going to be farming next year!! I'm still stunned and excited too. So much is happening! I will have to expound later. I'm starting to get a little overwhelmed and when that happens I get sleepy. But I will definitely talk about this again!

First Sweetcorn of the Year

It's finally here! Sweetcorn! Oh there is nothing like fresh, crisp sweetcorn. The past few days I've been enjoying this very seasonal delicacy. There is very little worse than mushy out of season corn. If only we had more. But like I feared, our sweetcorn crop is quite small. Our first couple plantings did nothing and this last planting has some disease. We won't get much out of it. Sad.
We've also started harvesting our tomatoes out of our hoop house. Our field tomatoes are getting closer. Oh they taste so good. I used to never like tomatoes. Then I only liked them cooked. Now I love them in sandwiches and other things raw or cooked. I still can't eat them like apples. I'm sure that will come some day. When I started working on a farm last summer I was afraid to admit that I didn't like tomatoes. I thought they'd fire me for sure since tomatoes seems to be one of those quintessential organic farm crops. Thankfully I found that I liked them and I didn't have to be run out of town. :)
We're still grinding away at the farm. The days are hot and sometimes long. We all move a little slower. It's late July. I get the feeling that this is typical for this time of the year. Once the days cool we'll regain the spring in our steps. Now we just plod faithfully along, doing what needs to be done. Cooler days will be here before we know it!

Song of the Cicada

You know it's deep summer when the cicadas start to sing. I am serenaded constantly during the day. I love the sound. It sounds like summer. The hot, hazy days are not complete without the cicada. Then at night there are the fireflies! oh the fireflies. There are so many here. I am mesmerized by them. Sometimes I miss my bedtime because I just have to stay up and watch them. One night I couldn't resist the urge to go out into the middle of them. I just stood there and every which way I turned I saw their little glowing bodies. It was actually a deep and moving moment. I have to admit that I did a little dance. I had to do something. I wanted to join in and since I am not blessed with bio luminescence and I was afraid singing would startle them, I danced. And to tell you the truth it's has become a cherished moment.

This past week has been the hottest so far. Honestly it wasn't that bad. We were definitely sluggish and we sweated a lot. But, working in the heat is not the worst thing in the world, contrary to what all the d.j.'s and newspeople say. You will not melt if you work in the heat and humidity. You just go slower and drink a lot of water. Oh, a wide brimmed hat is a good idea too.

On the future farm front (like that alliteration?), I have sent in my preliminary business plan to the person in charge of program that rents land and equipment at low cost to beginning farmers. It's called an incubator program. There is one right next to the farm I currently work on. My plan definitely needs work but I'm excited to have a draft done. This farming thing is becoming more and more of a reality. There are days when I'm terribly excited and there are days where I'm so overwhelmed I just want to crawl into bed and sleep. But I keep plodding along with my plans and praying. Oh, there is lots of praying going on. This isn't just about me finding a career that I like. This is more of a calling for me. This is where I think God is calling me to serve him and others; to be Christ to those I meet through farming-my fellow farmers and customers, to share with others my belief in the deep importance of Creation and how we treat it, to be an active part of the change I want to see.

Pray I don't lose sight of these things as I go through the details of business planning and budgeting. This is so much more than a business to me. It's my calling. May God be glorified through all of this.

My, how the summer flies! I can't believe it's July. Unfortunately some of our sweet corn has missed the "knee-high by the 4th of July" standard. I'm wondering if we'll even get any this summer. A few weeks ago we were out in the sweet corn fields weeding and discovered that half of our first planting was only 6 inches tall, had tassled, and had baby ears of corn already! This is not a good sign. Perhaps we'll have stir-fry sweet corn instead of the traditional sized delicious ears. Quite sad, really.
Other than that things are going along just swimmingly. We've just harvested the first beets of the season! I am really excited about them. I've always loved beets. I love their deep red, almost purple color. I love the taste of sweet, earthy goodness. They're amazing with a little salt and butter. The broccoli is huge. I am amazed every time we go out to harvest it. It's one of my favorite things to harvest too. We take along large harvest knives that are about the size of half a machete. Then one person hacks at the stem. If you're good and the knife is sharp you can cut through the thick stalk with one swing. Next you toss it to your partner who takes off the excess leaves and puts it into the crate. It's so much better than harvesting zucchini which leaves your arms all scratched up from the prickly plants. Boo hiss.
So that's the update from the farm. Tomatoes and peppers are coming soon. But not soon enough for me. I'm so tempted to start frying the green tomatoes. I might have too soon. But for right now I'm content with my fresh garlic and broccoli pizza. mmmmh.

Summer Days

Welcome Summer, Happy Solstice!
Perhaps this sounds a somewhat pagan greeting, but being a farmer I live my life by the seasons. Why not celebrate the seasons of Creation? This past week has been absolutely gorgeous on the farm. The sun has been shining, there have been beautiful breezes and clouds going by. We had a few quite showers yesterday which we enjoyed as well. I can only describe it as delicious. I love being in the rain on a summer day. Today had a gloomy start but has now become so sunny. I went on a walk and found mulberry trees with their berries just starting to ripen! I'm now thinking of muffins and crisps and other wonderful things to make with the coming mulberries. I just made my first batch of strawberry jam! It's a little runny because I refuse to use the amount of sugar the recipes call for (7 cups!). It's still delicious. The next batch will have to be strawberry rhubarb.
Plants are continuing to grow on the farm. This week we harvested broccoli, parsley, and garlic scapes for the first time. I know you're all wondering what the heck are garlic scapes. You are, aren't you? Garlic scapes are the flower stalk that the garlic plant sends up. It naturally does a curly-q and then flowers at the end. Once the stalk curls we snap it off so that the plant will focus it's efforts on the bulb in the ground where the cloves form. The scape can be used like a green onion (scallion) but it tastes like garlic. They're a breeze to harvest and our hands smell of garlic for the rest of the day. Meet the garlic scape.

As the weeks go by i find myself getting more and more excited about having my own farm. I have come a long way! Last year i would freak out when I would think about having a farm of my own. Now I am thinking about it all the time and strategizing. I am even hoping of starting my farm next year! I am looking into programs that help out beginning farmers and offer land and equipment rental for low rates. I don't even have a name yet, but I am hoping that will come in time. Any suggestions are welcome. :)

Farmer's Market Update and Even More Storms

I must say the farmers' market was wonderful. I had a great time. I did have trouble sleeping just as I thought I would, but I didn't become zombie-like until after I got home. I really enjoyed the people at the market. It was so much fun talking with them, introducing people to new vegetables, giving ideas of how to prepare different things, and joking around too. The other vendors were great. We were in between an herb vinegar guy and a Wisconsin cheese guy. Oh, the smells were delicious. I could've spent a fortune at the cheese stand. They're curds were amazing. I got to barter for a couple of things too. I loved it. I'm looking forward to the next time I go to the market.
Just to give you a quick update on the farm- we've had a ton of rain. Fields were flooded Monday after two heavy rains on Sunday. Harvesting has been interesting. The aisles have been filled with water in most places. It's been quite disheartening. With all this rain we could lose some crops. The ones in the most danger are the tomatoes and the peppers. It's so sad. I love peppers and I'm starting to really like tomatoes. Plus we're growing so many different colors of tomatoes. On one hand it makes me glad that I'm not farming on my own yet. This potential crop loss doesn't really harm me, but it does hurt my bosses. It's humbling, to the point of frightening, how you can plan well, have healthy crops in the field, have everything looking so promising and then BAM! Disaster strikes.
I guess the reality is that we're really not in control. We like to think we are in control. We act as though we are in control. But the stark truth is that we are not in control. God is. I think farming is one of those few professions where that truth is so blatant. You live daily with the fact that life does not go according to plan. On one level that frightens me to the core. But, it also excites me. It excites me because I see the chance for God to do great things in such a life. Acknowledging that I have very little control over life can bring such humility and faith. Oh, how I hope for such things-that I will learn to give up the illusion of my ability to control my life or that I know what's best for me. And that God may increase my faith. There's a passage in Habakkuk that scares me and yet entices me too.
Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.

The Sovereign LORD is my strength:
he makes my feet liek the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights. Habakkuk 3:17-19

May that kind of faith grow in us all.

To Market! To Market!

Well, despite all the storms that have blown through we have had a busy week. The spring CSA is going well. People are loving their vegetables. We've also started going to the Oak Park Farmer's Market on Saturday. Tomorrow is my first farmers' market as a farmer! I'm very excited. We spent most of today harvesting. We'll be taking lettuce, spinach (two kinds), arugula, green onions, green garlic, kohlrabi, napa (chinese) cabbage, asparagus, radishes (three kinds), hakurei turnips, and i think there's something else but I can't remember now. That's quite a list! We start loading the truck at 4:30 AM! I'm hoping I'm coherent. Actually, I'm not worried about getting up. I'm worried about falling asleep. I'm so excited I might have a hard time sleeping. I'll be sure to let you know how it goes. 

Stormy Weather

I have to laugh. I mentioned weather in my last entry. It just goes to show that weather plays a bigger role in my life than before. Truth be told the title to this entry refers not only to the physical weather but the recent turbulence in my life. 

   Friday was a stormy day here in Grayslake. We had high winds in the late morning that resulted in ripping off half of the greenhouse plastic. We watched helplessly as the plastic roofing flapped violently in the wind. Then we got the signal to take shelter in the basement of the farmers' house. There was no tornado siren, but we felt like taking the precaution. Strangely enough the sun came out in the afternoon and we had a lovely summer day.  Once the winds died down we cut off the rest of the plastic since it would no longer completely cover the roof. Now our greenhouse stands with its ribs showing. Thankfully it was time for the plants inside to meet the outside world. 

   The turbulence in my life came the first Saturday in May. I moved to a house right on the farm property (separate from the famers' house). It's an adorable house. However, in the move my computer got bumped and went on the fritz. Thus the reason for my month long silence. True, I have had occasional access to the internet throughout the month. Yet, I just didn't  make myself enter anything in here. There was always something else to do.

     Anyway, my old computer died and I now own a new one-the reason for the turbulence. It was quite the investment and one that I wasn't quite ready to make. It's opened my eyes to how much faith I put in my savings account. It's been hard. But I am glad that I have seen this foible. I pray my faith in God and His provision grows stronger no matter the fluctuation of my bank account.