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Playing In The Dirt
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Samples of past newsletters are below...
The Spirit of Christmas
December 2023
The last year that both of my kids were living at home, I did a take on ‘The 12 Days of Christmas.’ Every morning leading up to Christmas there was one thing in their stocking and they had to suffer through me singing “🎶On the ___ Day of Christmas, my Mommy gave to me…🎶” to get it. (Insert teenage eye-rolls here, Ha!) This year I decided to do that again for our tiny human. Read More>>
Gratitude
November 2023
First & foremost - I want to give a heartfelt THANK YOU to each & everyone of you who supported the farm this year - the ones who cheered us on, made purchases, told me how beautiful the flowers were or that you enjoyed the newsletter, shared on social… all the things… I am full of gratitude. Because of you I continue to get to do something that makes my heart happy on a daily basis. Read More>>
My Favorite Flower
October 2023
I was asked the other day (honestly it was more like 2 weeks ago) what was the favorite flower I grew this year. You have NO idea how long I pondered on that! There's a running joke around here that they are all my favorite. There are so many ways to answer that question and my detailed answer would way longer than this paragraph is going to be. But, if I had to pick just one from this year, it would have to be Read More>>
Be Still
September2023
No one called me out on it, but I didn't send out a Playing in the Dirt last month. In August the to-do list just seemed to keep getting longer & longer no matter how many things I marked off. Odds are it happens to you too - try to give yourself some grace when it does. It is OK to take a few things off of your list all together. Enjoy a sunset. Watch a butterfly. Read a book. Sometimes, the best Read More>>
Virginia is for Flower Lovers
July 2023
This LOVE sign is located at Harmony Harvest Farm near Harrisonburg VA. If you are ever up that way, I definitely recommend you drop by because their farm is open daily to the public. I got to spend the entire day there for an Association of Speciality Cut Flower Growers Farm Tour in mid-June. ASCFG members got a behind-the-scenes tour of this 20-acre cut flower farm, which included Read More>>
Sharing the Love
June 2023
One of the things I was not expecting when launching into the cut flower world was what an honor and privilege it would be to participate in so many important events in people's lives. Just in the last month, my flowers have been gifted to loved ones for graduation, anniversaries, Mother's Day & Nurses' Week. They have been used in beautiful wedding arrangements to celebrate Read More>>
Mood Booster
May 2023
Does this picture make you happy? If it does I’m not surprised. Flowers are known to have a positive effect on our mood and overall wellbeing. They bring a sense of joy and happiness into our lives. Even though I am surrounded by flowers outside, there are always flowers inside my house as well. I can’t even glance at them without feeling better. There is also an amazing feeling of positivity when I Read More>>
A Season of Joy and Hope
April 2023
This picture is of Lunaria (also called Honesty, Siliver Dollar, or Money Plant). It's one that I purposely added to the many flowers I grow because I remember my Nana growing it. If you aren't familiar with it, these purple blooms will transform into translucent seed pods that resemble coins. These do not bloom for at least a year after they are started from seed. A year! Enter a year of Waiting. Read More>>
Choose Your Hard
July 2022
This past week has been a blur (July always is) but repeatedly this week I’ve been pondering about choosing your hard. 2010-2020 was hard, in a million different ways, and most of the hard was out of my control. The kind of hard that would just drop me to the floor crying when no one was looking. Now, long hot 16 hour summer days of abundance are hard, but this... Read More>>
Little Blessings
June 2022
Farming with a baby in tow has been an interesting experience that I wasn’t expecting. Good, bad, or ugly, I never seem to have enough hands. A typical day starts with us going outside bright & early for our scouting mission. With a baby on my hip, I walk thru every planted row looking for new buds, blooms, potential problems and things to harvest. Read More>>
Resilience
May, 2022
Mama did not have a green thumb. I grew up with no pretty flower beds outside our house and no house plants indoors. But one year, she talked Papa into planting her a field of Iris. In hindsight, I really wish I had heard that conversation. I imagine it went something like, “You want me to do what? Flowers? In the field??” followed with a deep sigh. Obviously she won that conversation... Read More>>
Steady & consistent
April 15, 2022
Starting seeds is one of my favorite things and it is so easy to get carried away! But I have realized there is a big difference between the joy I feel when I am pushing the seeder through the garden on a beautiful spring day and the not so joyful feeling I have when I’m staring down a 300ft row of butterbeans that need to be picked on a hot buggy summer day. Read More>>
Windblown, dirty & happy
March 15, 2022
Minor farm accident today between my finger & a shovel. Turns out my finger wasn't broken, but when I came inside to bandage it up, I realized that my cell phone charger was. That was totally my cue to go for a walk, soak in the remainder of a beautiful spring day, listen to the birds, and scout around a bit to see what is budding, blooming, or beginning to poke it's head out of the ground. Read More>>
To everything there is a season
February 15, 2022
I'll be the first to admit, if I cannot run out of the door without a coat on, it is Too Cold... and I find the winter months frustrating. But just as winter is the season for the animals to hibernate & the plants to go dormant, it is the time for us to get ready for the next season. Here, that means a lot of planning, a lot of math, and a lot of exciting progress toward our goals. Read More>>