The Land Had Called Us

Ironically, when Rob & I first saw this house & land, I wasn't the one who knew. I didn't truly know that Rob & I (and even our kitties, possibly even our children) were being called here.

Rob & I had driven the stretch of 141 from Clements Road (the cement bridge) down to the center of Monroe. Rob gushed about fields. His head swiveled, even as he drove, down toward Monroe Center & back, craning to see the grass that would soon be tall & turned into hay.

I didn't know.

I didn't exactly know that these were fields that grew hay. I didn't know about bush hogging. Okay, the list of things I didn't know is too long to list for this blog. Suffice it to say, I didn't know just about anything about living on a farm, with or without animals.

And despite being the one writing about & exploring the soul of this land, and the desire to share it with others, it didn't even occur to me until this past year that the land had called us.

For the last six years, I've been exploring (and experimenting) with all the facets of having a relationship with this land. The trees, the garden, the rhubarb. Attempting to correctly identify plants. Learning to plant things (and grow them outside & inside), to harvest, to can, to freeze, to dry.

Yes, I left the lawn to Rob. I left the trail making (who knew you had to make trails???) to Rob. I left picking the black walnuts up off the grass, yes, to Rob (I helped a little).

Then, about two years ago, I stepped into learning about shamanic practices, & I began to see the land differently. Yet it wasn't until I returned from Scotland a year ago that it ever occurred to me to ask.

To ask the land what I could do for it.

To ask permission to be here.

When I did, when I connected with the land & the ancestors (and the rhubarb), it was joyful! I was given messages of thanks, remembrance, & beauty.

I had spent six years learning about this place, tending it, watching it change through the seasons, discovering what grows here & what doesn't. And somewhere along the way, I began to understand that a relationship isn't only about what we receive, or what we learn to do. It's also about asking what is needed of us.

The coffee shop & farmhouse store have slowed down, & we are approaching the end of the season. Our final open day is October 31st!

Before then, we invite you, whether you are familiar with us or not, to come for a free family morning for Halloween on the Farm, from 10 am to 12 pm. We'd love to see your costumes. Yet we're just as happy to see you without one.

Come walk through the tall grass. Enjoy the literal fruits of our labor (okay, we really just picked the fruit, but there's also baking!). Come see those massive blackberry bushes & marvel at the amount of herbs now growing in the garden.

There will be more to come between now & the end of the year, but this will largely be our last opportunity to gather outside.

Perhaps you'll come simply for the morning. Perhaps you'll discover something you hadn't noticed before. Perhaps the land will have something to show you, too.

Come by. See what finds you.

Warmly,

Crystal & Rob

Halloween on the Farm - [Learn More]