September 23rd. No Frost.
The equinox is a favorite time of ours. It serves as a time marker--a moment to really notice things.
Its also a between times time. Its the end of royal summer. The beginning of nostalgic fall. Neither here nor there.
But that's what makes it such a good time to stop and look around and notice all the changing things. For instance the light is changing rapidly here--several min a day means we are constantly surprised by how dark it is in the mornings and evenings. Or we notice how the light slants in the windows at a striking angle.
But it reaches past the current. We start to look back at the summer. We're not IN it anymore. We can begin to reminisce about it. And each first that comes of the fall sparks more memories from further off--memories of other falls. Little things we had forgotten during the quiet winter and rushing spring and overflowing summer come back like old friends. Things like crisp apples and favorite coats and scuttling leaves.
And a late frost like we're having now... only makes it better. Like any delay, it makes the final drop even better. There's more time for imagining what's coming and more time for reminiscing before plunging into the next season.
Stop for a second. Notice that everything of summer is slowly slipping into the past tense. It's stuff you did. It's a part of you now.
I for one am smiling. Because this season was a bit past overwhelming for me. New baby, growing the farm, moving the farm, starting another farm, expanding the team... there was a little too much on my plate. But we're out of the tunnel now, and everything's lovely! And I think I even have more energy in late September then I have had at this time in previous months!
And I look around myself and I'm humbled and grateful for all the people that are here and have been here this season. They're a special family to me.
And it goes further as well--because a farm is never an island. Even though we all fantasize about a mythical self sufficient homestead, it really isn't just US out here. All our members and customers and friends choose to be nourished by this food from this farm...there's a group of people out here working and striving and healing land and trying to grow and learning how to be all because you choose food that is produced HERE.
I'm super thankful.
I'm so thankful I feel tempted to type something really cheesy. So I'll just quit.
Thanks everybody for being a part of this past summer. Huzzah for what's coming in these last few weeks of Fall!
Joel
