of every day

Good morning. I have been warned that I needed to write something...and soon! (From a friend that misses hearing from me...kind thoughts followed up with threats of "or else!") Here is the low down of not enough time lately for even a little bit of writing-

A Big Fish has visited me, no longer in my dreams but actually in my company- side by side we have been busy getting ready for the planting season. Wonderful ally, this farm is shaping up!

My tenant has moved in, errr...is moving in. Taking some getting use to- sharing this farm, this space with another who is sweet and happy to be here but...I so love my privacy, that I'm having to find little corners to escape the chaos. It will all work out.

The seeds are here! Arugula for pestos...Basil for tomatoes...Lettuce, mixed breeds for wonderful salad mixes at the Wild Hare Cafe in Elkhart, Illinois.(Another plug for this special place, if you're in the area Tuesdays through Saturdays, you must drop in...truly, a delightful, delectable experience.) Heirloom tomatoes...Seeds collected from last year, hoping for germination...Potatoes, fingerlings-wonderful varieties for every taste...Flowers to fill Ball jars for market...on and on the seeds of and for everything!

The walks. Every day. The greening, the fuzz of buds on the smallest of twigs jetting out as high as the branches can hold them against the sky. Soon, very soon- the burst of buds and more bird songs happily, ever expanding music for the soul of the listener. The morning frosts upon everything, making even the old summer kitchen seem new in it's glossy diamond like coating. Oh yes. March is wild and wonderful every moment of every day.

Planning for the farm tours occurring here at Beauregards Farm this summer. Will I ever pull it all together?!

Imploring the 18 year old, the Senior- to stick it out, 3 months until graduation...hang in there son, by your fingernails if necessary, I know I'm biting mine.

Watching. Seeing the happiness in the faces as Spring casually, sometimes collidingly(bloggers get to make words up, remember...) with winter still. Noticing these days the joy in even the faces of the drivers who have encountered me on these country roads many times as I have frequently raised the farmer finger to them in passing- many are actually flipping back! Oh yes, it feels good to connect- even when merely driving by.

There is more to tell, so much more...but, work time is coming soon, the time change has made it tougher to rally early enough-and the morning beckons "come!" The Starlings are gathering up loose straw and making nests-the Peacock climbs upon the roof and calls now and sometimes late into the night for a mate- so much to see and tell soon...
Take care-

the seed order

I can finally look at myself in the mirror, look my self right square in the eye. I sent in my seed order. It's taken too long to square it away, I don't know why it took me so long...probably something to do with lawyers and insurance and work and Big Fish and too much going on...But, who doesn't have a messy life? Really? We all juggle, huh? Some, with their appointment calenders and spiffy clean homes make it look so simple, I really hate efficient people. Try on my life Miss Suzy Homemaker...they'd have to put a straight jacket on you. Yep. Off the point again, anyway! The seed order took me quite a long time to do. You see- the restaurant that I was merely "helping" out for the winter has become a project in a sense too. The cook quit about a month into my waitress gig there, so the kitchen witch in me, the owner and the owner's sister came out- and the cooking really began. (Please understand...Rene and Andrea do most of the cooking...and they're both artists, amazing women...good company!) But now, there is no waitress, or sous chef or regular cook- oh no. I, the whiz bang idiot that I think I am- I just try to do it all. Fun. Fun. But I like it. I like building the plate like a masterpiece, the intention of love like a garnishment. When those plates go out of there, they look like beautiful paintings, every patron usually immediately states, "Oh- how beautiful!" And very few of those plates come back with even a smidgen of food left on them. The point I'm trying to make, I my self am trying to see...I'm a pretty creative person, I thrive on it. I didn't know this about myself. The pressure sometimes of juggling, cooking, too much...maybe, just maybe (if we don't crack from the pressure!)propels us like cannon balls into a different atmosphere of yes, yes and more yes, and why not? So back to that seed order- in a round a bout way...that is why it took me so long to place it, too busy and I'm growing all the produce this restaurant can use. I've had to forecast how much lettuce and what kind of beets would glorify a salad in the most artistic way...crazy stuff. Is this why chefs(not that I'm a chef, far from it...)seem so irritable at times? Thankfully I have no one working "beneath" me...I'm the lowly waitress too, except on Saturdays- then Miss Lils is the cute little waif of a server...and she don't take no crap from her Mama in the kitchen. And let me explain "lowly waitress"...people often give this person in the restaurant field the most flack. The server is usually the one who pulls it all together, maintains the balance, keeps the cups full, entertains and smiles even when some old bitty sneers "Girl! My water is old, bring me a fresh glass..." Yea, sister- I got your water...catch! Of course I don't do that, only dreaming...I'm just saying, the flack the server gets is usually unwarranted, it is not her/his fault if the food is a flop- but they're the one's who get one quarter a dime and two pennies, which essentially is stating "Hmmpphh! Your worth is $.37...and a mountain of sugar packets." So- see why the seed order is so vastly important? The produce has to be just right...it has to fit, be beautiful and tasty and memorable and like a painting on a plate...oh, you see what I do? Too much. But my intention is love, truly. And a love has to be your all, your everything, has to stand up and say "here is my best intention, hope you enjoy!!!" Seeds to salads to smiles to sighs to...straight jackets! Ha, have a good one. Oh, and tip big ya cheapskates!!!! Take care-