the choices we make
You didn’t hear from me last Friday as my family made the lengthy trip from Missouri to come visit for a ski vacation, and I spent a few days nestled in a mountain home over at Powderhorn. It was an extended weekend of adventuring, new experiences, connection, and discovering a level of patience that I didn’t know I possessed (teaching two kiddos to alpine and cross-country ski in back to back days is not for the faint of heart). It was an incredible weekend. I laughed more than I had in ages, played UNO for the first time in decades, downhill skied back to back days for the first time in twenty years, watched the movie BIG for the first time since the eighties, enjoyed a “tom” from our flock of last year’s turkeys with my family, and had countless other memorable experiences. Spending time with my family is such a gift.
I moved away from Missouri twenty-six years ago (woah…where does the time go?!). Childhood family vacations often took us west, and from a young age I was quickly enamored by what I saw and experienced - I knew the western US was where I wanted to be. As a midwestern girl, I was enchanted by the cool, mystic Bay Area fog, the dramatic Rocky Mountains, and the exquisite beauty of Lake Tahoe to name a few highlights. My infatuation with the west only grew more pronounced when I eventually moved to Tucson for college and I discovered the desert southwest, Latin culture, sunsets of a million shades of pink and orange, and the incredibly expansive land that surrounded me which made for endless exploration. In college, I spent a summer working at the Grand Canyon where I continued to explore trails and corners of the earth that I never in my wildest imagination knew existed. I embraced the rugged physical beauty of the American West, but, perhaps more importantly, I found an emotional connection to a place that satisfied my deep craving for adventure, for self-discovery, and for stark individuality. The lands were wild and untamed, and its people were just as free in spirit. To this day, I am endeared to this place that requires think-on-your-feet spontaneity, creativity, and, on some days, a whole lot of grit.
BUT, as we know, all decisions come with a price. For me, this cost was (and is) living far from family which is hard at times especially as my nephews grow into cool little humans that I want to hang out with and my parents age. I read a poem called “Choices” by James Crews (below) right around the time they were arriving. Essentially it points out the obvious - there are multiple perspectives to adopt in any situation and with any choice. I could dwell on missed opportunities because there is such geographic distance between us, or I could celebrate the incredible and condensed experiences, adventures, and time we get to share. Being an auntie in a distant place offers me the unique chance to introduce my nephews to unfamiliar experiences and new ways of seeing things which requires them to be brave, to be open-minded, and to grow. It allows me to explore places with my parents and remove them from their comfort zone by trying new activities, and it grants me time with my brother when he is completely checked out from work. Experiences like this past weekend allow us to be present with one another in a special kind of way experiencing life to its very fullest. I feel grateful, I know I am fortunate, and my heart is bursting.
SO…back to farming! The choice to take a few days off was a rewarding one, and I’m feeling amped up to get to growing! We’ll be having a Tulip Pop Up Market TOMORROW, and here’s the big catch - we’re having a GIVEAWAY. The first 10 customers to purchase a bouquet will be entered to win a FREE bouquet of specialty tulips the following week. That means your chances are one in ten - pretty darn good! You can pre-order your bouquet online or shop in person tomorrow. We’ll be set up outside of Cat’s On Main from 8-10 AM.
Lots of other fun events coming, too. Keep scrolling to learn about our upcoming Spring Dahlia Workshop and our online Annual Dahlia Tuber Sale which starts NEXT SATURDAY, March 1st! If you are a CSA member, you will be getting a separate email with your discount code for this season’s workshops (remember your CSA membership gets you 10% off all workshops) and to learn more details about the CSA Members’ Dahlia Pre-Sale on February 27 and 28. If you’d like to receive these CSA benefits, you still can! We have two spots to our Summer Flower CSA remaining.
These tulips are bringing us crazy amounts of joy, and we hope to see you at our Pop Up tomorrow to share in it together. As always, deep bows of gratitude to each of you for your support of our farm and local agriculture.
With warmest wishes,
Melissa & Cale
Choices by James Crews
You can grieve the leaves stripped
from the maple, all that empty
space between bare branches,
or you can bless the abundance
of light shining through, buffing
the pine boards of the floor until
they turn the color of clover honey.
You can mourn the coneflowers
now shriveled and brown, say
the whole world’s gone to ruin,
or you can stand at the window
watching the lively yellow blossom
of a goldfinch feasting on each
crown of seeds, sending more than
a few back home, down into
the open ground, which knows
how to receive them.
PS. HUGE THANKS to everyone who came out to support us at our Valentine’s Day Tulip Pop Up last Thursday. It brought us TREMENDOUS joy to share this love of winter growing with you.
