On the Bright Side, Groundhogs are Cute

Except ones that eat two hundred heads of lettuce and half a row of green beans in a single evening snack. Out of OUR garden. He apparently worked up an appetite by digging under the new fence. Also on the bright side, my drip tape irrigation is still nice and dry, stored in the barn. Water is good, except when it floods, and wipes out your new plantings. If you strolled last week, you would have seen carrots, beans, and corn under water. Cool weather is nice too, except when late frost kills your sweet corn and - you guessed it, more beans. (The night of May 18 also stunted some covered heirloom tomatoes, which are better now.) As a farmer, there are so many variables associated with growing food that the weather challenge sometimes is overwhelming. Maybe that's why I love farming: it leaves my brain as sore as my muscles. Anyone need a pet groundhog? Reply needed immediately.

See You Tomorrow

for harvest! Pick-up will be held on the porch of the house between 11 and 3. We can't wait!

1979, no. X by Wendell Berry (The Sabbath Poems)

Whatever is foreseen in joy
Must be lived out from day to day.
Vision held open in the dark
By our ten thousand days of work.
Harvest will fill the barn; for that
The hand must ache, the face must sweat.

And yet no leaf or grain is filled
By work of ours; the field is tilled
And left to grace. That we may reap,
Great work is done while we're asleep.

When we work well, a Sabbath mood
Rests on our day, and finds it good.

Fullness

Yesterday, two things happened. At 10:02 am we had a baby boy! His name is Peter Jeremiah Zech!...which means Rock - the Lord exalts, or more humorously Rock - the Lord throws! Either way our hearts are completely full. Mommy and baby are both healthy and tired.We couldn't be happier.

The other thing, which pales to compare: the CSA is full. We received payment for the last two open shares in the mail.

We look forward to a great growing season. As Raffi sings, "Everything grows..." Babies do!

2009 Memberships

Registration is open right now to returning members, and will be opening on Monday, September 29 to new members. Get your registration forms and checks to us by mail as soon as you can to reserve your spot for next year! Shares are filling up fast.

If you need a registration form which has pricing and pick-up dates, please email us at plowsharecsa@gmail.com.

Thanks!

Endurance

Poor little guy was in the wrong place at the wrong time...

and now he's been carried around in this grubby little hand for over 3 hours, wishing he'd fallen prey to anything but our 4-year-old.

Hang on, Toad. He'll let you go soon.

For those who found a mouse in the tomatoes on Friday

An excerpt from an old poem for you, to be read with your finest Scottish accents:

To A Mouse
on turning up her nest with a plow, November 1785

by Robert Burns
(Or also, To a Certain Bunny, by Melissa)

Wee sleekit, tim'rous, cow'ring beastie,
O, what a panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi' bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee,
Wi' murdering pattle!

I'm truly sorry man's dominion
Has broken Nature's social union,
An' justifies that ill opinion
Which makes thee startle
At me, thy poor, earth-born companion,
An' fellow mortal!

I doubt na, sometimes, but thou may thieve;
What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!
A [bit of grain] in a thrave
'S a sma' request;
I'll get a blessing wi' the lave
And never miss it!

The Sweet Joys of Summer

Perfect!

(And thanks for the pictures, Andy and Sam!)

A Great Little Gift Idea

Our cute little orange Mexican sunflowers can make a thoughtful gift to surprise a piano teacher or a friend. Stop by the main garden at any time with your scissors and vase and cut a bouquet! They're bright and cheery, and they last a long time! Glads are also available.

There's plenty, and with Mexican sunflowers, the more we cut, the more they'll produce, so come cutting!