Monday, December 31, 2012

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

Everybody does it this time of year.... reflecting on the past year and looking forward with hope at what next year might hold. We do it, too and at The Lovey's request some of that thinking will be posted here.


As far as the farm goes, we had a successful year. Our veggies were beautiful, the tomatoes - oh, those tomatoes - were wonderful, and our orchard began to produce. Just a teeny bit, but there is hope. I tell you, those nectaplums were AWESOME! Two Farm-to-Table dinners at an upscale resort with a fabulous view, a list of people interested in purchasing our product, a great beginning.


The new chickens are beginning to lay, and Alice's production is a little less than consistent. The photo above is of an egg with a double yolk. The new chickens lay small eggs and then big ones like this. Yikes!

It was also a learning year. What grows best does not always sell best.We are now eating the best 'seconds' around! What grew well last year doesn't necessarily do well this year. And self-care was a big focus. Sometimes what you want the most, even if you wish really really hard, doesn't manifest itself. Health has now become a main focus on the farm and in our lives. If you can't walk, there is no farm.

We are in the midst of planning an expansion. It will take a few years to actually make this transition, and it all begins with fencing. It's quite a large undertaking, and one that we realized was a bit bigger than we thought once we were into the project.


At the end of December, the Lovey's 88 year old father crossed over. He was in ailing health for several years and finally just went to sleep forever. As sad as this is, it is also a blessing. He was trapped in a body he didn't want to be in any longer. His greatest joy at the end was his great-granddaughter. Godspeed.

We had additions to our cemetery on the hill. There were the chicken deaths (four in all), OC died in December, Gracie went in April. I didn't talk about our 'pets' here. They are our children, really.


Gracie was a 16 year old Australian Shepard who was abandoned. We took her into our home thinking that, even though she was O-L-D, she deserved to not die in doggie jail because a human had cast her aside. She lived with us eight months, had the body and mind of a young pup until about a month before she died, and she has left a huge hole in our hearts.

OC with Rudy
OC was the last of The Lovey's original cats. She was an Outside Cat (thus OC) that David rescued. She had the oddest meow, shape and gait that I have ever seen. OC used up all of her nine lives battling cancer, thyroid issues, diabetes... She was 14 when she left us.


Willis was a mean and nasty inside cat that we transitioned to live outside. He was happy out there and would come greet us and hang out with us when we were outside. He'd follow us down to the mailbox and back and incorporated himself into the outside pride. And then one day he was gone. Just like that.



And then we've had some additions. The best addition to our family is that Number One Son married a fabulous woman, so we now have a Number One Daughter! He has great taste, that child o' mine. It's his story, not to be told here but the day was wonderful, and I have no doubt that their lives together and the partnership they are creating will be the best.


In January, Rudy joined us as a foster dog. After four surgeries, we decided to keep him. He usually isn't far from my lap. In November, we added Maddie.

We've gotten more involved with Peace of Mind Dog Rescue out of Pacific Grove. We've fostered (and not adopted - which is hard to do - these guys get into your heart and it's difficult to send them on!) three dogs, and there are more to come, I am sure.

There has been creative stuff going on in this here side of the world - the Lovey was granted three patents, and me - well, I've been knitting, spinning and sewing. Not quite patent-worthy, but patents are hard to compete with!

So that's what occurred this year - I wonder what the next year holds?

1 comment:

  1. What a beautiful recap of your year. May your fur babies rest in peace. Happy New Year!

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