Memphis Democrat Column from May 13, 2007

I'm back after a ten day vacation in the Ozarks, rested and ready to go. Michael and I had a very enjoyable time relaxing and visiting with family and friends. The freeze set things back a bit down there, too. The trees did not really start leafing out in earnest until the end of our stay and we found ourselves hunting for shady places to sit outside. While we were traveling on Highway 39 between Stockton and Aurora on our way south, we were shocked to see the extent of the damage from the ice storm this past winter. There were miles and miles of broken and downed trees. The cleanup was just starting and I imagine it will be a while before things begin to look normal again. Stan and Emmet were also away for a few days while we were gone. Stan was an exhibitor at an organic trade show in Chicago that was held May 5 to May 8 and Emmet rode along to visit a friend there. The weather here has been really pleasant since we returned last Wednesday. Folks here at the farm had to deal with the three days of rain that happened before that, but they found things to do inside during that time. Our farm office was completely repainted after a new double window was hung in the south wall. These were the finishing touches to a makeover we started during the winter. It is a cooler and nicer space to work in now. With the return of sunny days, our crew has been busy in the garden and the fields. Beets, chard, oriental greens, kale, collards, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and the first round of potatoes are in, along the second planting of lettuce. Our priority for tomorrow is to get the tomato fences set up and it won't be long before the tomatoes are in, too. If everything goes as planned, Stan is hoping to begin transplanting the sorghum that was started in mid-April this coming Wednesday. Sandhill Farm celebrated its thirty third anniversary on May 8 and we hosted our annual Land Day party on Saturday. We were joined by members, residents and visitors from Dancing Rabbit and Red Earth Farms, along with other friends. There was a maypole dance, music, volley ball and other games and a mass exhibition of hula-hooping in front of our farm house. We also enjoyed a great pot-luck buffet. Everyone had a great time, including our dog Sammy who displayed some real talent as a soccer player.

Our friend Julie and her daughter Luna, who came up from Columbia for the party, are staying on to visit with us this week. We have known Julie since she was a student at Truman State University and we are enjoying the opportunity to spend some time with her again. Luna is not quite a year old and it is fun to have a little one around for a few days.

We have an unexpected visitor at the moment. An approximately four month old male Golden Retriever/Hound mix puppy showed up here at the farm today. It may be a coincidence, but this has happened to us before on the weekend the swap meet is held at Rutledge. We are going to make an effort to find the owner over the next few days, but if we are not successful we will be looking for a good home for this dog. He has a sweet personality and gets along well with our dog and children. If you are the owner or are interested in adopting him, please give us a call at 883-5543.