Settling In

Quick update, and Accepting Life’s Twists and Turns and Making a Home

Well, here we are, readers.  It is hard to really feel like you are really home when “home” has changed locations so many times in the last few years; in fact, we have been pretty mobile since 2019, which, again, was not my plan, and I have been tentative about whether to really call this home yet, based on a few things.  First, I wanted to see if Alex really liked this job (he does!).  Unexpectedly for us, he is being moved up to Director of Farming Operations instead of Assistant, which is great for him.  

I also really wanted to know if we liked this area, and if the boys would like it, and, so far, so good.  They actually really like living in a town, even if it is louder than they are used to (the bike trail’s parking lot right near us seems to be party-town on the certain Fridays and Saturdays).  We have an adorable, organic, farm-focused charcuterie shop down the road that we visit every week and where I am able to work part-time at, an awesome bike path through the woods outside our house, and a movie theater and performance center next door that had a music festival just happen and where we saw the excellent new Miles Morales Spider-verse sequel.  Hurleyville, a small town on the brink of major revitalization, has the tagline of “the liveliest little hamlet in the mountains”.  And because Alex does feel good about his job, I am doing my best to really focus my energy into liking it here, and what we can make happen.

Of course, as many of you know of our saga, Alex and I had major disagreements with what we should do after having to leave our farm rental property.  I was deadset on finding another farm; I knew a time would come when the kids were older and I could help out more and do more fieldwork, which was always my intention, and with their ages now being ten and twelve, that time has finally come….but alas, we have no farm where I am suddenly able to do more at.  That is sad for me, and if had been completely up to me, we would have transitioned to a farm that we were able to have rented-to-own or taken over (at one time, we had three very viable options).  But it was not just my decision, and I did agree to Alex accepting this job, mostly because he wanted it, and mostly because I was so tired of us saying no to everything.  I just wanted to say yes to something, and this is what Alex was excited about, and what was in front of us.  I took a gamble, rolled the dice, closed my eyes and blew out the candles.  Now that we are here, I feel like all I want is to stay put and make it work.  The immense guilt about moving these kids around has really more gravity this year than it has in years prior, and part of me feels like never wanting to move again.  That said, I am homesick, and I think when I was just wanting to say “yes” to something, didn’t really think that one through.  I am going to resolve that by the planning of a trip back home for a week this summer with the boys.  Generally speaking, though, I’m hoping I can just get used to things enough, and maybe the homesickness can subside. 

In other news, I have some balls in the air that I will start talking about more soon.  My new friend, Eve, who works at the farm as the lead herbal grower, has let me help her in the greenhouse while we nerd-out about all things herbal medicine and biodynamic growing-related.  And, besides working on-call at the wonderful La Salumina, I have another project that I am starting and will talk about soon!

Besides all that, I started a small garden that is buoying me and my sanity, too, if I can keep the groundhogs out. (I also make the boys help me with planting and weeding while chiding them to not forget their farming roots—Huck is pretty much at the eyerolling stage of our relationship, but to his credit, he does a good job at trying to appease me.)  And lastly, speaking of animals in the we-are-definitely-not-in-Kansas-anymore sense, a few mornings ago I was sipping my coffee and staring out our back window when a large black bear sauntered past, stopping to sniff the glass.  It was the closest I have ever been to a bear, and as I squealed for Alex to hurry and come see, we stared, amazed, as it walked through our backyard, sniffed our compost, and left.  “I feel insulted it didn’t eat from that,” Alex said, but I was eager for it to go back into the woods and find real bear food; poor animals, I always think, getting their habitat taken over.  At least the Catskills seem to have enough forest for them.

And finally, food adventures!  Recipes are coming back!  I am finally getting my groove back in the kitchen, my sourdough starter is truly thriving, and we went to eat at a diner a few weeks ago (you know how I love me a good diner) that I have wanted to eat at for many years.  Regular newsletters will be back, and next newsletter will be all about diners and diner food and how I love them and am constantly inspired by them. 

While I do not have a picture of the bear (I couldn’t find my phone fast enough!), here are a few highlights from the last few weeks.

River, swimming in a river

Huck helping Dad

“Boys, don’t forget your farming roots!” “Ugh, we know, Mom!!”

Finally I made a really good sourdough pizza crust. Pizza Friday nights are Back, baby!

Eating outside at the Phoenicia Diner. More on this diner (which actually does look like a diner on the inside) next newsletter.