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March 10, 2006
A seasons beginning or an seasons end?
As I was prepping ground with fertilizer yesterday for the upcoming season, it occurred to me that this season as not fully ended. We have managed to put together a nice table of produce at the university market throughout the winter. Although it may not be much, its a real benchmark to myself and Jeff who have put a lot of thought and effort into this type of winter production that was before thought to be nearly impossible on a large scale, now it seems as though it is in our grasp. And with markets starting earlier every year, there is almost no breathing time at all. The planning and preparation becomes more challenging every year as we push ourselves to grow a great amount more with our limited space, it is a long process that is fine tuned season after season. There is no late season catching up, so its important to plan ahead and get things in the ground on time. A particularly risky endeavor comes with our greens, as we seed a large amount on a weekly basis, we must be extremely aware to avoid running short on ground, which could mean weeks of no greens during peak season if we're not careful. We are very confident that this will be our biggest and best year yet. Thanks for all the support!
Posted by Brett at 09:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 09, 2006
With loving memories
Life on the farm just has not been the same. It is with the deepest sadness in my heart to tell you that on February 26 we lost our dear friend and the most amazing handyman ever, "Big Paul" . At only 59 years of age he left this place, taking his warm, genuine smile and his enormous, gentle heart to find new adventures. After almost two weeks, I find myself missing him daily, just his presence brightened my day.
There was absolutely nothing Big Paul could not fix when broken. He would race down to the farm on a Sunday morning when Brett or I would call, just because we needed him. He was always there. So much of what I see on the farm reminds me of those times when we worked side by side; putting up the packing shed or any number of the greenhouses on the farm, building my motorcycle shed, laying concrete, building walk-in coolers... the list goes on...
He taught me so much... why it's so important to have your building square, posts plumb, and beams level, basic wiring... not as intimidating anymore, basic plumbing. Never paid alot of attention when he worked on all the farm equipment... never thought we would run out of time for that one. Not only did he keep all the equipment running all the time but he kept them clean and looking good. I want to thank him for all the talks we had sitting around the dining table with steaming hot mugs of green tea some eight years ago. I was having a difficult time in my personal life and he was there for me. Always. He loved the farm and the farm loved him back. Big Paul touched many lives, all that knew him, loved him. I feel Paul's presense on the farm and I know he is still there to guide us... just from a different place now. Thank you Paul... I love you.
Posted by Jeff at 08:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack