Farming in the shade

All the harvesting is now done for the year. We have started putting things away and buttoning up the farm for the coming winter. What a gorgeous fall we have had! As we turn our attention to these things, we take a moment to reflect on our blessings. We are blessed to have the ability and desire to farm. We are blessed to have family and friends who support us. We are blessed to be able to worship in the way that we choose. We are blessed to have enough to eat, clothes to wear, and warm homes. Thank you for being part of our Shady Side Farm family. We are grateful that you allow us to raise food and fiber for you and your families. Happy Thanksgiving!

Despite all the changes and excitement that we've experienced this year, we have a lot to be thankful for: our faith, this country, the ability to farm and make a living from the land. Thank you for following along on this journey. May you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.

How quickly our day's plans changed. And yet, it could have been so much worse. The Farmer went out to do chores this morning, and immediately noticed the plume of black smoke from the vicinity of the compost facility. He ran. What he found was the beginning of this. He quickly surmised that a skid steer (a.k.a. bobcat) on fire with fuel in it was more than he could handle on his own. He ran back up to the house, while dialing 911. He called to me that the skid steer was on fire, and he was going to "get the truck". He is a part-time, on-call firefighter, and the station is a mile from our farm. Good odds. Yet look at how close that skid steer was to the edge of the barn. In the meantime, I alerted my dad about the fire by phone. He was able to move the tractor out of the barn, just in case the fire spread. I alerted my in-laws by banging on their door and yelling FIRE! I grabbed one of the house fire extinguishers, and asked them to bring more. The fire exti...

We Plough The Fields And Scatter We plough the fields and scatter The good seed on the land, But it is fed and watered By God's almighty hand: He sends the snow in winter, The warmth to swell the grain, The breezes and the sunshine, And soft, refreshing rain. All good gifts around us Are sent from heaven above; Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord, For all his love. He only is the maker Of all things near and far; He paints the wayside flower, He lights the evening star; The winds and waves obey him, By him the birds are fed; Much more to us, his children, He gives our daily bread. All good gifts around us Are sent from heaven above; Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord, For all his love. We thank thee then, O Father, For all things bright and good, The seed time and the harvest, Our life, our health, our food. Accept the gifts we offer For all thy love imparts, And what thou most desirest, Our humble, thankful hearts. All good gifts ar...

20 years ago we moved to this farm. We raised our kids, working alongside them and our parents. We saw sights like the above many, many times. We sweated, bled, and cried when things were hard. We jumped for joy when all that blood, sweat and tears produced a crop. I am thankful for this place.

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.  --Habakkuk 3:17-18 Gratitude is partly just watching for the gifts around us. It's a focusing on what is positive, rather than what is negative. Ann Voskamp started me on the gratitude journey, and she described it once as looking through the lens of a camera--framing just what you want to see. In the picture above, taken by our daughter, there is much that is missing from the picture. We see only feet, legs, corn and dirt. But it's a striking photo, partly because of what is left out. It matters what you focus on. I want to focus on the positive. Not because I'm wired that way, but because I'm not. And because when you focus on the negative, it's a spiral. Today, I am t...

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." --Phil. 4:4-7 Whether or not you are a Christian, focusing on the good and being thankful is a good idea. This week, will you join me in thinking of a few things each day for which you are grateful? Feel free to add them in the comments below, or not. I'd love to read them, but I understand if you'd rather not share. My list for today (and I plan to do this all week): 1) A walk in the woods with a friend. This picture is from a couple of weeks ago, and the memories make me smile. 2) Sundays. A change of pace, family time, and an opportunity for a nap. 3) Central heating. It's been a bit cold in...

This has been the year from Murphy in many ways, as just about everything that can have gone wrong, has. Maybe you've had a year like that. Downsized? Medical issues? Relationships strained or broken? Gratitude is a decision. Habakkuk, an ancient prophet, had some nasty circumstances, too. Here's what he wrote: "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vine, 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." Join me as I give thanks, will you? Sometimes it helps to say (or type) it out loud. I am thankful for... ...food in the cupboards ...farmers' markets and the new friends we've made there ...freedom to worship as we choose ...family, near and far ...forgiveness offered and received ...farming What are you thankful for?

We've been busy in the whirlwind of enjoying family time and selling at the Kerstmarkt, and the blog rates lower than either of these other things. Now it's time to catch up a bit. First, a big thank-you to God for another year chocked full of blessings: Amazing yields on the farm (what a fun harvest it was this year!) Family (near and far) New crops Health Organic certification A job that provides health insurance Freedom And many more things. I need to get back into the practice of keeping a gratitude journal. But posting it might need to wait until after the busyness of Kerstmarkt is over. I was happy to find this blog post on being thankful for local farmers, who provided the food for a Thanksgiving feast. Hope your Thanksgiving Day was filled with food and family...

Continuing in the journey toward thankfulness... 83. 20% -- the amount of sheep that actually needed worming 84. a spray of roses 85. weaving again 86. cool nights that provide good sleep 87. a forecast with six days straight with no rain 88. a quiet house with the kids gone to church to volunteer at the food giveaway 89. homemade chocolate sheet cake 90. bubble gum socks 91. the beauty of wood floors 92. the satisfaction of a cultivated field Care to join me in gratitude? Click on the button below for more information.

This has been a hard week or so. Lots of stress at work, down with a cold over the weekend, and it's planting season. And now someone turned on the sauna and it feels like mid-July. This late evening shot of some weeds by the big old maples that line the ditch makes me happy. Right now, I'm grabbing the "happy" where I can find it. 76. our girl, home for the weekend, part of the family again 77. white baseboards (whodathunkit--me, a wood lover, with painted baseboards) 78. the baking skills of my mother and my mother in law 79. a hug and a prayer from mom--never too old to need a mother's love 80. the retreat of a cool basement 81. chocolate 82. strong coffee with cream and sugar 83. big old maples that line the ditch For more about joining the Gratitude Community, click here .

Time is short; life is very busy right now. Before I dash off to yet another meeting, I'll post my list of things I'm grateful for. I need to remember. 69. weaving, even though I don't get the chance often 70. my job 71. the imminent return of snow-bird parents 72. the beauty of tulips 73. Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue 74. the privilege of voting 75. family For more information about the Gratitude Community, click the button below. What are you thankful for?

It's been a busy month (no relief in sight) and I've neglected my gratitude journal for too long. Here's the latest installment: 64. flowering trees 65. the smell of freshly-mown grass 67. the flood of sheep out to first pasture in the spring 67. wool, just picked up from the mill 68. our van, a hauling machine, still going strong at 170,000 miles What are the gifts you see around you? Feel free to practice noticing, by listing one or two in the comments section of this post. I'd love to read them! And if you are interested in what I'm doing, click on the graphic below for more information:

I think I can safely say that spring has sprung. We may still get snowed on, but I doubt it will last. Still working my way to 1,000 gifts. If you'd like to read about or join the Gratitude Community, click here . 56. sunny days linked together like a string of pearls. 57. water to quench thirst. 59. the sight of geese in flight. 63. son offering to help when he doesn't have to. 64. the certainty of the resurrection, even when I don't feel it.

Still counting my way up to 1,000 in an effort to notice the good around me... If you'd like to read about or join the Gratitude Community, click here. 41. God's grace providing what we do not deserve 43. a clean desk (though I confess it didn't last) 46. long car rides w/ my husband 47. a sibling with a generous heart 48. sunshine on the snow 49. the "mama" bleat of a sheep

I should get out more. There's beauty out there in the cold. I don't like cold much, and I'm always in a hurry. That's why marking the blessings in my life is good for me. Slows me down and makes me notice. Some days I have to look. Continuing on my quest to reach a thousand: 33. the relief of coming home to supper, prepared ahead of time. 35. driving on clear roads. 36. red barns. 39. finding out that a child's illness is not serious. 41. God's grace providing what we do not deserve. 43. a clean desk. Would you like to join me in counting? Click here to learn more.

Our area of the country is amazingly grey during the wintertime. We endure seemingly endless stretches of bleakness. The discouragement sneaks up on you quietly, and it's fairly easy to give in to lethargy and hopelessness. I have enjoyed reading the blog of another sojourner-homeschooler-farmer's wife and recently started my own gratitude list. Trying to look for the light, instead of focusing on the grey... To learn more about the 1,000 Gifts Gratitude List, click on the graphic below. In the meantime, here's a few new items on my list: 27. the beauty and order of algebra 28. doing school with kids 29. the birth of a new niece 30. the beauty of sunshine on a cold winter day 31. piano music 32. family game time

A little levity: Some fun facts: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Minnesota is the top turkey-producing state in America, with a planned production total of 49 million in 2008. Just six states—Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia, Missouri and Indiana—will probably produce two-thirds of the estimated 271 million birds that will be raised in the U.S. this year. The National Turkey Federation estimated that 46 million turkeys—one fifth of the annual total of 235 million consumed in the United States in 2007—were eaten at Thanksgiving. In a survey conducted by the National Turkey Federation, nearly 88 percent of Americans said they eat turkey at Thanksgiving. The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 15 pounds, which means some 690 million pounds of turkey were consumed in the U.S. during Thanksgiving in 2007. The cranberry is one of only three fruits—the others are the blueberry and the Concord grape—that are entirely native to North American soil, accordin...