Memphis Democrat Column from December 02, 2007

I've been home from vacation for a couple of weeks and had intended to write my column sooner, but Michael and I got blindsided by a doozer of a cold bug the weekend after Thanksgiving. Definitely feeling less wobbly now, but I will be glad to get rid of my lingering cough. Fortunately, most of the crew here haven't come down with it this time around. It was very dry while we were in the Ozarks, although they had a big storm not too long before we got there. We did make down in time for the peak color. It seemed to come a bit later than usual this year but was worth waiting for. I imagine this may have had something to do with the delayed leaf-out this spring. Most of the days were warm and pleasant and we only had to have a few fires in the woodstove during our stay. Did a lot of bird-watching and we also got our chipmunk fix for a while. We miss their lively presence since we don't have them in this part of Missouri. The weather has certainly been all over the place since we came back. The ice storm Saturday made Sandhill look very wintery during the daylight hours, but it had all melted by the time we went to bed. It was nice to get the moisture though, Michael says we got seven tenths of an inch by the time it was all over. We joined the folks from Dancing Rabbit and Red Earth for Thanksgiving supper at DR's Common House. Our friends Dan and Cherie also came over from Canton with her son Teron for the celebration. There was an abundance of wonderful home-cooked food made by many hands. Both before and after the meal everyone enjoyed the chance to socialize. Meadow and her helpers did a great job of coordinating everything.

We are still busy on the farm, but the work has shifted some with the season. Our tasks include among other things woodcutting, repairs, maintenance, sewing, organizing, catching up on paperwork and cracking black walnuts. Gigi has been continuing with the work on the greenhouse and we hope to be able to begin using it this coming spring.

Stan went to the Small Farm Conference in Columbia early in November. This is the largest alternative agriculture show in the country and he enjoys the chance every year to see what is happening in this field. We also have a booth at this show and sell our products. Last Thursday, Gigi represented Sandhill Farm and the Missouri Organic Association at the Tri-State Locally Grown Conference in Quincy. This event focused on promoting local food systems and Gigi came back with lots of interesting information. Laird's travels brought him home for a very brief stop on his way to Albuquerque. After a very hectic schedule of meetings, consulting work and teaching that took him from Texas to the East Coast and back to Michigan, he was looking forward to some family time. Other Sandhill members have been doing some travelling, too. Renay went up to Minnesota with her dad for Thanksgiving. Stan left this past Wednesday for his annual trip to Manitoba to see his family. I talked to him this evening and he reported that it was minus 21 degrees F there. That makes our plus 22 degrees F at the moment seem almost balmy.