a little happiness

Dear Readers,

Here are some Frequently Asked Questions I've gotten recently, and the answers!

FAQ: Has the rain affected our growing season?

Yes. Flooding on the farm means that the plants' roots are sitting in water, which causes rot in some cases. We're lucky that we're on a hill, so only the plants at the very bottom are struggling.

FAQ: What's happening on the farm these days?

Peter, our Crops Manager, just got back from a well-deserved vacation, so I'm catching up on office work today while he catches up on tidying the farm with weed whacking. This week, we're going to harvest, tie up our dahlias so they don't flop over, weed, and hopefully we'll have time to fix our deer fence.

Also, it's August, which means that we just had our annual Headcrown Class with Local Color Flowers. It's SO FUN. I have no idea why putting flowers on my head makes me feel like Queen Laura Beth...

but it DOES.

FAQ: What's your favorite flower on the farm right now?

I love the pink sedum (it's that purply-pink succulent above) right now! It's such a good texture. I love berries too- I put tons of blackberries in my headcrown! And, we're getting into herbal foliage season- rosemary, sage, eucalyptus, and lemon verbena are all favorites.

FAQ: What can we do to help farmers as global warming makes their jobs super insane?

You don't have to buy all of your groceries from the farmers market, and you don't have to deprive yourself of bouquets at Trader Joe's.

But, you can buy from a farmer just once every week- a big, ripe tomato from the Saturday market, or a few sunflowers for the kitchen table, or that bunch of kale that says "Local" on it at at Wegman's. Get into the habit of buying local every week, just a little bit, and see how good it makes you feel!

Investing in each other- in our friendships, our communities, our local businesses- is a happy-making endeavor. I don't know anyone who couldn't use a little more happiness right now!

Thanks so much to BaM Co Create for the photos, and Brittney, Jess, and Ellen at Local Color Flowers for doing this class with me every year!

I wish you all a little happiness!

Laura Beth