November-While it Lasts

Just last week, we shed layers that we cling to on most October days, letting the sun lap our bare arms on a nearly 80 degree day. Goosebumps of pure pleasure riddled our skin. Even today my skin thirsts for that sunshine, as if our day in the sun was ages ago. Other than bathroom breaks and lunch prep, we maximized our day outside, even bringing the laptop out to the picnic table to enjoy the pop in from summertime while it lasted.
That maximization calls to mind a new understanding that has become a tenant of my personal religion. Life, dynamic by nature, is in nearly constant flux. High times turn over, making way for challenging chapters with indefinite ends. As we continue to experience relative peace this fall on the farm, waking to another breath of fresh air, chocked full of farmwork and kid/puppy rearing, across the world, hell is breaking loose. Citizens of the world hardly sleep as the powers that be struggle for power, devastating communities and destroying lives in acts of pure evil.
Living so close to the air force base, and working underneath the open airspace, Rich and I notice when traffic picks up. With the only insight we have being that of various journalists and other news outlets, we are left wondering what these increased military flights implicate. Meanwhile on the ground as citizens of this country, we realize that we are outrageously fortunate to be dealing with the relatively small-potatoes problems of American citizenship. We have the safety of our home and our kids are able to enjoy the freedom of a routine rather free from distress. They don't yet know about the turbulence of American politics and the uncertainty of what lies ahead for our country.
All the while, I realize that living in fear would be rather short-sighted. In fact I would consider it to be submitting to the fear mongering exercised by so many institutions influential in our country and in our world. While we wait to see how it all plays out, we have the life we've created calling us to be present here. Rich and I attempt to accept what we can not change in the greater world, digesting the sad updates from the wars playing out after hours. It's undeniably therapeutic to dip into the kids' world when they rise, escapism at its finest. Discussions of the boys who are starting to chase some girls at recess and school Halloween parties offer my mind some respite from the heavier thoughts of the after hours.

Anyhow, so much can happen in just a day and the tide can turn without warning. So we make hay while the sun shines. We do our best to relish the homeostasis of day-to-day life, and try not to take a 'boring' day for granted. To know a boring day is to know peace. In a year like this in which we don't see a hard frost until the start of November, we were sure to capture the extra growth we were given in the field, filling our cooler for winter and bringing the harvest to our restaurant partners and market goers in town. In between our harvests, we've ridden the bike path that runs along the farm so many times this fall, the transitioning trees along the way seem to know us, dancing upon our return. May collects their fallen leaves in her bike basket, always one to savor the season. Feeding off of the delight she has for life, I rest assured that there are many more times that lie ahead to be enjoyed while they last.
Updates from the farm:
-Oakwood Market: Our market season came to a close. We had our best year yet! Thank you to everyone that made that so. I didn't like to see people waiting in a line and so Rich and I are going to do our best to have him behind the booth with me during our high season next year. Thank you. Thank you.
-Off-Season Looking Good: When COVID struck, we developed our online store and it's served us well. Now that market is over, we continue to sell through our online shop which opens every Monday morning. Orders placed on our site are picked up on Saturdays anytime from 10-11:30 in the Oakwood Farmers Market Lot at 22 Orchard Drive.
-Fall Plantings and Overwintering the Hoop: We are approaching the frosty time of the year. In anticipation, we have gotten a big lettuce planting established in the hoop in place of summer's tomatoes. We also have beets, radishes, asian greens, spinach, etc which we plan to harvest as possible through late fall and winter. As neither space is heated, it's touch and go. We grow shoots and microgreens year round in a little heated potting shed.
-Sheep: If you're into lamb, it's finally time to start getting excited. We are going to harvest our own first group of lambs this winter in the most humane way. We will be vacuum sealing the cuts of meat and freezing them. We owe so much to these sheep and are grateful that they will help to provide us sustenance after living a comfortable grazers life being moved daily to fresh grass and forage with a group of animals.
-Thanksgiving Baking for Your Table: We are baking again this year...our classics including Foxhole Pumpkin Pie, Dutch Apple Pie, Cranberry Walnut Bread, Classic Farmhouse Sourdough, and Rich's Pillowy Milkbread Rolls. Preordering just opened on our website :). We will also be harvesting veggies which will be listed for sale the weekend before Thanksgiving. All Thanksgiving orders will be picked up from the Oakwood Farmers Market Lot between 4-6 pm on Tuesday, November 21st.
-Puppies: We welcomed two puppies to the farm this month, sister beagle/heeler puppies who survived the kill shelter and parvo! Named Peg and Roux, they are settling in and finding their way on the farm. I am quite entranced by the dynamic of the two young ones. I am lead mama/trainer to the gals and am quite proud that they are making progress on learning our language and listening as well as house training. I train the girls separately and one is a quicker learner/less of a space cadet than the other. I won't divulge who is who but it may become apparent in time :).

Thank you for reading :).
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