The Mothers in my Life
Gratitude and appreciation for the mothers in my life
A buzz from my pocket,
“Good luck in Lafayette tomorrow!”
It is a text from my mother wishing the me well on our first farmers market of the season. This is understandable, considering my mom is a veteran vendor at our local market having participated for over 15 seasons. She loves the market. To be honest, I am not sure I even responded.
Fast forward 24 hours and I receive another text.
“How was it?”
I responded to this text in my post market stupor. Since day one, my mom has been a supporter of both me and the farm. When we started, she and my father opened their backyard so we could grow vegetables amongst the bunchgrass prairie. My mom is the first to ask how things are going and listen when I respond. She has been there for the hard conversations and the good ones. She even makes it a personal goal to buy the first CSA share of the season which she accomplished this year.
Now known adoringly as Gigi, she is our main caretaker outside of my wife and I, watching our son 2-3 times a week. The childcare allows my partner time to pursue her passions and projects knowing our son is in safe hands. Her presence in these early years of his life will be baked into his DNA, forging memories so deep that details fade to the periphery. Her help with him allows me extra time to get my work done too, driving the farm forward as the family unit grows. This help is indispensable for our family.
My wife, the mother of my child, is the first to know if something is going wrong at the farm with the good news coming second. She rides the waves of seasonal, small scale, agriculture, with me and is intimately connected to the farm even though not farming actively. She sees me leave in the dark to check heaters and return tired at the end of each day. I lean on her a lot, too much, for support throughout the year.
Since 2022 I have watched her become a mother with a growing network of other mamas around her. We have been together through the whole process of starting a farm from scratch and her continued support is deeply impactful.
We, I, made the choice years ago to keep our work lives relatively separate, choosing not to farm together. I wanted to keep her protected from the inevitable struggles of agriculture and build resilience in our relationship that wasn’t dependent on the farm. This led her to complete a graduate degree in psychology, start a body care product business (whose products are available in the Farm Stand), and most recently a maternity clothing consignment shop.
Mary is the primary caretaker of our son and keeper of the home. She does so much for our family it is difficult to put into words. Now I am watching her become a mother again with the upcoming birth of our second. It is exciting, nerve racking, beautiful, and challenging knowing another soul will be entering our world. As she grows, I know I must grow too. The farm must grow. Our support network must grow.
Mothers do the unseen work in our world. They provide, protect, care for, nurture, and feed just about everybody. They deserve our undying gratitude and respect. I could not do what I do without the mothers in my life.
Thank you both so much.
Farm News
Mother’s Day weekend is upon us, and the nursery is stocked with plants for gardens. This year we produced truly fantastic veggie starts that are primed for your own caregiving endeavors. The flowers are slightly behind, but we trust their blooms will arrive to bring brightness for months to come. I hope you come by this weekend to enjoy coffee, pastries, vendors, and plants!
The CSA is officially sold out for the 2025 season! Thanks to everyone who carried our farm into the growing season. We have about half the fields planted and will not be stopping for months to come. CSA members, you should have received an email yesterday outlining this year’s CSA. If not, please reach out so we can get you on the email list.
The Farm Stand is open with normal business hours. We have some produce available, lots of other vendor products, and plant starts.
Farm Stand Hours: Wed-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat and Sun 10am-4pm
See you all soon!