“When the winds of change blow, remember… sometimes what appears dead is simply preparing for a new season.” — Jane Lee Logan
Nobody likes change. Well, maybe some do. Changing from hot, sticky, summer heat to cozy, sweater weather is a change most of us can get around. A fall candle, an evening surrounding the fire pit, or even a bowl of chili warms not just the body, but the soul. It’s comforting. Cozy. Yet, in the anticipation of a changing season, comes the the reality of what lies ahead. Maybe it’s the routines, the rhythm changing from summer to fall, or maybe it’s the shorter days and more time spend inside. What ever it is, it’s change, for this year, posing a slightly different challenge for us.
Summer is summer. Free spirited, and laid back. It’s a slow burn that turns into a raging furnace for our little farm. We just wrapped up the market season, which started back in May. A weekly commitment to being present in our community transitions to welcoming our community to our tiny farm. From Pumpkins At The Farm, our two weekend pumpkin bananza, to a slightly more subdued, quaint evening in Light The Night, our farm begins to take on a whole new shape. And that’s not all.
As you may have heard, we took on a new farm one year ago this month. Within a few short weeks, a vision for this special place began to take shape. While that vision unfolds daily, it also has made this new, fall season a bit more interesting. Busy isn’t a badge we like to wear, but we’re toting it around begrudgingly.
The two cabins we started working on this past summer have tested our patience and our schedules simultaneously. It’s been a juggle. And while we can see the vision clearly in our minds, the cooler weather is whispering in the background, “hurry up, there’s not much time left”. In May we poured the foundation, built the subfloor and extended water to the log house. We spent most of June and July waiting anxiously, removing rainwater from our crawlspace, dreaming of dry weather and logs being stacked. In August, we finally stacked the logs, an experience that, quite frankly, was one of the neatest we’ve ever been a part of. September and much of October was spent constructing the roof for the log house and framing a new bathroom addition, ordering windows, roofing material and numerous trips to the store buying building materials – and while not a bar set in the 80’s, a place I can confidently say “Where everybody knows your name”.
So here we are. The race in full motion, changing seasons, quite literally. Planning for Christmas, preparing our farm for the biggest flip of the year – Pumpkins to Christmas Trees. All of this while rushing to get the corn crib and the log house dried in before the weather shuts us down until next spring. The warmer fall has been a huge benefit, but as the cooler temperatures set in and the winds pick up we start to wonder: Will we make it? Will the weather cooperate? What if we don’t? Real questions, with hypothetical answers. We don’t control the weather, or much for that matter – just our approach and our perspective. We cling tight to each other, our family and friends, as we know winter will eventually set in and the pace will slow. In the midst of the rush we are rejuvenated by the opportunity to open our space for the most joy-filled time of the year and prepare our farm for the newest season ahead. Christmas!
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