Farm Notes:
This spring started off very cold. There was snow on the ground in early April and we
planted a lot of the first fields weeks later than normal. I was shocked to find that this
October was nearly 10 degrees cooler on average than last October. That cold October explains why we still have cabbage, broccoli and romanesco in the field not yet ready to harvest. Now we have had several inches of snow in mid-November and Thanksgiving Day is predicted to be frigid. Every year farming is different and I have learned to be thankful for what we DO have. I am thankful for the bountiful harvest that this season has brought.
Knowing how fragile crops can be and how necessary and vital food is, I can appreciate the pilgrims' gratitude for the Native Americans as they fed them and taught them how to farm and live in this new world.
Thanksgiving has a historical context, yet it also has a personal context, a context that is unique to everyone's experience. Thanksgiving is a day to pause from our busy lives and our busy world and take note of all the good that we have. To give thanks for our food, our lives, our family, our friends, and our happiness. Thanksgiving is a two-part word: to "thank" and to "give". It is seen as a day to give thanks. Yet, I prefer to see it as a day to give of ourselves, to give and share the good that we have, and also to be thankful to God for that good we are able to give.
Wishing you a peaceful day of giving and of thanking,
Farmer Dave
|
