Hey Everyone!

Just another wet one here on the banks of the south toe.The farm has that untended dreadlock thing going on,leaving me to be quite self concious whenever folks come down to swim at the hole.Reminds me of many summers as we were just starting out here.Rain and mud,fruit rotting on the vine and yet as a farmer and eternal optimist,my day can hinge on a glimpse of flashy green hidden under row cover,or the subtle sizing of sweet tater tubers.I can judge how much rain we recieved by the ammount of water in the pigs wallow.Normally I have to fill up their crater in the earth,so they can coat themselves with mud to avoid sunburn.But here lately the sky has been helping me out.I always wonder what other folks think when they see me out in public,mud spattered,torn clothing,painted toenails a la Carmella,my youngest.Somehow being clean seems false and impure,like drinking bottled water,or worrying about getting grit in your teeth when you eat a carrot.Lest I seem whiny about the rain,it has given us the jump on radishes and turnips,greens,spinach,lettuce and other fall goodies.Seeds pop through the sodden crust,hungry for sun and the far off bellies that they will fulfill.Surrender to the whims of nature is the core tennant of any farmer.Some folks love to bungee jump,I have always found that farming greatly outdoes all adrenalized sports.Morphing to the conditions at hand,rather than always thinking of ways to get around them makes a better potentially wiser farmer.Sometimes nature can seem like a sodden muddy morass,with unclear pathways on which to tread.Yet seeing the systems,the form and design of weather patterns,animal behavior and soil cycles is what makes this life we lead astounding.Where else can you get a first hand electricity lesson by holding onto an electric fence in a lightening storm?On that note!!!

basil

garlic

onion

eggplant

celery

taters

tomatoes

Que disfruten!!!!

peace