When Henry David Thoreau wrote in his journal that "Truths and roses have thorns about them," he wasn't thinking about marriage. Or farm life.
But as I watch the flowers that Sean has planted for our August wedding begin to blossom, it's hard for me to think of Thoreau's line and not apply it to the reality of a farm partnership.
We have so much going on this year, from planting a small orchard, to making updates on the farmhouse, to clearing out the grove and shelter belt to make room for more trees. The plants and their blossoms--sunflowers, zinnias and amaranth, are lovely, and like anything love-related they bring beauty and hope to the landscape. But as with all things, as with roses and truths, all this beauty and excitement will no doubt come with some thorns.
We see it everywhere, in newspaper headlines and on the web. "Farm Crisis" this or that. "Farmers of XXX product struggle to make ends meet." It's the thorn of reality that is farming in today's society.
But as we work to develop a model based on something not readily available in our area, Sean and I are optimistic. We believe in what we're doing as stewards of the land and Sean's family farm (he's the 3rd generation to live on it), and we believe in the region around us.
There may be many thorns hiding among the roses of farm life and industry, but we've got each other, a great community, and plenty of gloves!
