Let’s catch up.
I’m coming up to 7 years on the farm in November. Every year around our anniversary I find myself reflecting and looking to what will be in store the coming year. As the number of years grows there is so much more information to pull from. So much has happened. As you may, or may not, know I have had a couple of back injuries throughout the years, two being very serious and the most recent happening Apr 2023. The recovery is long and restricting. Which brings me to a fork in the road.
Injuries have meant I am not physically capable to keep up with all that needs doing. If I want to keep our farm life I need help. Sustainable and long lasting help.
When I moved here I saw the efforts of my labor as the means to fund what needed doing. It was slow going but it was working. Little by little covering some of the costs to run things but not enough to hire someone. Of course most everything came to a halt when I slipped my disc. 18 months of recovery accomplished and getting back into the swing of things. I started to regain the lost time. But with the second injury I wanted to break up with the farm, nature, gardens, all of it. I brooded and morned over how disappointed I was. I faced the reality that I may not be built for this level of physicality. Someone I know did a whole article about how farmers are like athletes. I think its very true and I think every athlete has to retire at some point. Maybe that some point, for me, is now.
However, the idea of leaving this beautiful haven is crushing. Especially now the first glimpses of spring are coming through and we’ve had a couple of glorious days. Fruit trees in bloom, promising a summer filled with delicious edibles. So here I am weighing out what I need, what my family needs and what we have the means to accomplish.
Do I let the farm life drift into the past as a fond moment or do I find a way to be sustainable, getting what I need to stay. If I stay I need a means of living that is within my physical limitations – using what I have. To that end, with some trepidation, I am now offering my photography prints. I have taken many images from the farm and I hope they will be a way to support what I want to continue to grow here. I only have a small selection available but am working to add more.
Let us see where this goes and I will be posting a farm update soon.
Have a wonderful day!
[…] means, physically, and that means taking a step back. The farm future is uncertain (I talk about it here) which means I am trying to orient myself in a way that supports a general unfolding. Where the […]