Category: Organic Gardening

Or should that title read fail, because that is exactly what happened. I failed to keep this Newsletter going. I also failed to post regularly on our social pages and all I can say is that life has had us in a whirlwind and although farming continued I had to prioritize where my time and energy went.

For a lot of this year it’s been with my parents, but they are the reason why we live in this area in the first place, so that is to be expected. I’ve stated this before, but when Brandon lost his Mom TEN years ago now, he said I want you to be closer to your parents and in September of 2015 is when we officially made Alabama our home, With age they’ve gotten sicker and that is just scratching the surface. I am thankful to be here to support them.

You guys know that one of our goals this year was to find someone to help with the farm and I am happy to say that we did, but in the same breath (or sentence) I am also sad to say that it was short lived. One good thing that came out of that situation is that I realized that having help goes a long way. So we have set our goal once again to finding someone to help out on the farm. I can’t say when that will be as we need to grow the food, to generate the funds, to pay that person, but along with everything else, that is a prayer!

Brandon recently had a friend relocate here and he’s been staying with us during his transition. He and Brandon have had a friendship for over 35 years so he is more like family than anything. Since he’s been here, his help to the farm has been invaluable. It’s been such a blessing to have someone see and understand what needs to be done and help out where they can. We are grateful.

Ok, so let’s catch up on what’s been happening this year. I last wrote a Newsletter back at the end of January and since then we’ve had a lot going on. If you’ve been following us, you know that our house we purchased was a real life fixer upper and in February we finally got to the point where our cabinets were being built and installed. We also got a dishwasher courtesy of one man, Daddy!

February was also the month where I ran trials on some early tomatoes. We harvested some beauties later in the year. (More on that in a little bit) I say February, but most of the plants were actually started in trays in January. Check out some of the tomatoes and other starts below.

In March both my parents were hospitalized. One went in one week and then the other one the following week. Thankfully, they were both ok, but my sister and I literally had to take turns with them in the hospital which was crazy to say the least.

March is also the month that we have our annual closure. This is where we take some time off and shut everything down so we can celebrate our wedding anniversary. We were more than ready for it after dealing with all the stuff we had going on. Thankfully, this was at the end of the month and my parents were better by then. We had a beautiful vacation as you will see below.

Upon our return we jumped right into the Spring season of Kith and Kin CSA. It wasn’t as large of a season as it had previously been so there was less to stress about, but of course no season is perfect, so I’ll leave out the bad and only share with you the good. Carrots were the star of the Spring season. Everyone had the best time making so many different carrot dishes. We even made some carrot “bacon”

April was also the month that our peach trees decided to show off a little. Unfortunately, they did a little too much and that attracted the bugs. So we didn’t get to eat one peach as they bugs took over, but they were beautiful on the tree.

May was also a whirlwind month as this is the month Joshua graduated from High School. He had been homeschooled since the 4th grade so we had to drive to Birmingham for his ceremony, but it was so nice seeing everyone come together and support him. We actually did post those pictures. You can find them on our social pages.

In June when our Spring season ended the farm still had a lot of produce that was slow to develop so we also had a Summer Season. This is a special one because it only happens when the farm has or is projected to have an abundance.

July was filled with spiritual activities for us and I traveled to spend a few days with our youngest daughter, Megan. She and I had the best time and I am super thankful that I got to spend that alone time with her.

July was also the month where the rain was non stop and so between the unbearable heat, humidity, and the non stop rain, the garden succumbed to the the bugs, weeds, well really everything.

Of course you know this continued over in August, but we did have a few cooler days and nights in there.

Sadly, our AC went out in our house and we found out the hard way that it was an original unit. So the fact that it lasted almost 25 years was great, but that was an expense that we could not take on so as an alternative we decided to install window units in the areas of the home that we are mostly in. Thankfully, that has helped us bear the unbearable heat.

I would like to say that it got better, but recently we got down to just one bathroom because the we found the other one had a leak. This leak means that we will need to replace the subfloor and some of the joists. The house isn’t old, old, but it wasn’t properly maintained before us. We knew that it needed work, but a lot was covered up! Thankfully, my Dad is like Superman and Brandon is a fast learner. The issue is having the money and the time to do it all.

So with all that’s been happening we have not been able to scale up on the farm like we had planned. I had actually purchased the drip irrigation supplies in January when I last wrote the Newsletter, but you would not believe that it was just installed about 2 weeks ago. LIFE!!

Currently on the farm, just about everything we have established is growing in one box. I was determined to move the peppers and eggplants since they usually produce again. Some of them made it and others well you know…. but our Fall season members of Kith and Kin should see both peppers and eggplants in their deliveries.

We have the prettiest tallest lemon grass we’ve ever grown. I have had to constantly remind the family that, that is a plant that I actually want so they would not take it out like they did the mint last year and my lemon balm in the Spring. Now that I type this, I wonder if the rosemary survived. I’ll check and let you guys know next time.

Of course we have started many plants as we are about 38 days away from the start of the Fall season and the plan is to keep on planting weekly through throughout the season.

In chicken news, we purchased many new layers this year so eggs should be plentiful when Spring comes around again. We also expect our next harvest for meat birds to be in the Winter. We had to skip our Fall harvest after receiving a bad batch of birds from a company that I had not used in years……now I remember why.

In pig news, we still have each one of the ones we had earlier in the year, but they’re fattened up for the most part and will be in the freezer soon. We’re trying to decide if we want to take them in before the butchers concentrate on deer season or allow them to continue to grow. The issue is that feed is expensive and right now the farm has little to no potential to make money as we’re in transition. So lots of prayers that we make the right decision

If you’ve read all the way to end thank you! I’m excited to share something with you that Brandon has been urging me to do for years…..probably about 8 of them. Hawkins Homestead Farm now has a Youtube channel! What you will find on there is an up close and personal look of what goes on, on the farm. I started it in June and it’s been a labor of love trying to figure out how to fit the channel into my already packed schedule. I think I’ve figured it out though and I’ve been able to get a video up twice weekly. So many of you ask about visiting the farm and my hope is that the channel makes you feel like you’re there.

Brandon and I appreciate the support you all have given our family farm over the years and I want to personally say thank you for hanging in there even in the times where it may have seemed like we weren’t coming back.

Here is the link to the Youtube channel. I think there are about 20 videos or so up there now. I can’t say that I will be posting daily on our other social channels because right now there really isn’t anything to post, but I will slowly began posting there as well. So stay tuned.

The farm’s produce production is expanding because these grocery prices are getting out of control and we all have to eat. There are just two of us maintaining the farm right now though so please be patient with us.

Again thanks for being the best part of our farm. We appreciate you guys and will chat again soon. Until then…..

I guess I should start this Newsletter off with long time no see, but that would really be an understatement. Life threw us many, many curveballs which in turn made everything crazy. Even now as I type this, I’m fighting sickness. Instead of going through a drawn out explanation of why we’ve been so silent, I’ll just say that we are working our way back and we thank you for hanging in there while we’ve been gone. This newsletter will be on the longer side, so I thank you in advance for reading to the end.

How in the world did it get to be 2025 already?!? It’s crazy how fast time goes. Joshua who was 9 when we moved to this area is now 18 and will be graduating high school in May. We came to Alabama with mostly teenagers and now everyone except him is grown and on their own. Not to mention that fact that we have grandkids who are also growing up so quickly.

Brandon and I have often talked about what we would do when we got to the point where we were empty nesters and although I doubt Joshua is going anywhere anytime soon, the thought of how close we are to it is crazy. 

We are both grateful that we’ve been able to give them this farm life. Thankful that each one of them have been out on the farm helping to grow their own food. Thankful that they find value in “shopping” with their parents (which is actually me packing bags of produce and meats for them to take home). Grateful that they understand the work that goes into farming organic and appreciate the food that has been produced from it.

To be completely transparent, the farm life has been a struggle this past year. Really if I am being brutally honest, it’s probably been the past 2 years since we lost our oldest son. Growing food and taking care of animals has felt like more of a burden than something we love. We’ve had many disappointments, sadness, and at times felt very defeated. I even questioned my ability to grow something as simple as radishes!

This is not something we talk about everyday with you guys. Actually it’s not even something that we share really at all. Instead I’ll say things like “the highs and lows of farming.”

When we post it’s mostly happy times or pretty pictures, but farming is hard! When you lose crops, and you have to scramble for back ups. When the weather does crazy things (like now). When new pests decimate your farm, or you’re spending so much that breaking even is something to be laughed at let alone making a profit…..it becomes stressful! When you lose a farm animal or production is low, but there is no money to scale up, it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel and you sometimes want to give up. We’ve been trying to smile through it, but it has really affected our joy and for me, my ability to post or provide updates on a regular basis.

I’ve watched the big farmers. Those who collect government subsidies, while they allow their corn to dry up in the field. I’ve seen the crop dusters out there spraying entire fields and I think I don’t want to eat that! I don’t want my family to eat that. I don’t want my friends or our community to eat that. I’ve seen how some are able to thrive on what they call a family farm, but really they are ordering produce from other counties, and sometimes states. It frustrates me that my family works hard to grow and produce real food, but are constantly questioned or looked down on by some.

Then we have CSA members who renew, and those who have been with us since the beginning, comments we get from people about how wonderful our chicken is, the thanks we get for raising excellent pork, and people who tell us how much they love our eggs. We have those who were raised on a farm and they get it. They know what goes into all that we do and they appreciate it. Words of encouragement from fellow farmers and help from them when needed. Then top it off with the fact that we are customers too. We even have people where the only meat they eat comes from our farm, and that is HUGE! We have to do this!

Reflecting on these things provides me fuel to keep growing. To not beat myself up over the setbacks and failures. There will be always be setbacks. There will always be failures, but to know that we are on the right track is what matters.

I’ve been sick since the end of December, so a whole month. At first I was too sick to do anything, but then I as I started to get stronger I decided to use that time as I was laying in the bed to start researching, crunching numbers, looking at this food desert that we live in and thinking about what our farm does well and what we can do better.

I’m just one person. A small farmer who wants to do things the right way. but I can do just that. Farm the right way and for us that looks like poultry and pork that eats grass first. Then we supplement them with organic garden goodies and feed. It looks like vegetables and fruit that is grown without chemicals and it also means that we have to accept some failures, but those failures doesn’t make us a failure. 

So this year we will be implementing changes. Starting with our hogs. Very soon we will be sending our hogs to a local USDA processor. This will allow for those of you who have been contacting us for cuts to get them without purchasing the whole hog. Of course the best value is in securing a whole or half hog, (look for this listing in Spring) but we want to fulfill a need that many of you are asking for.

Additionally, we are expanding our vegetable production. We have purchased and will be installing drip irrigation once the weather clears. This will give us back the time we spend watering and allow that time to be better used elsewhere.

We are in the process of trialing one permanent garden bed. If all goes well, the plan is to invest in and switch out our current wooden raised beds for permanent ones. It’s a big expense upfront, but will keep us from replacing the wooden ones.

After the Fall season of Kith & Kin CSA ended I realized just how defeated I was. Hawkins Homestead Farm has always just been us, our family, but we see the need to take some things off our plate which will allow us to grow without being overwhelmed. So we will soon be looking to add a part time farm hand to our farm family. I’ve prayed about this, researched, looked at where we are versus where we need to be, and I believe that we can make these changes happen and more.

So this is where you come in. Yes, you! We are planning to pray and plant each step of the way, to pray for the wisdom to care for our animals well and the knowledge to carry it out, but we need your support to make our hard work worth the effort. We don’t know what this year will bring. We have no idea what challenges we’re up against, but we know that we are going to keep our heads held high and our standards higher!

On our main page, you know the one with the big rooster. When you scroll down, there is a donation tab for those of you who live far away and want to support us. For everyone who lives locally, consider purchasing our meats, joining our CSA, grabbing those cookies from Josh, our bath and body line or even bookmarking our shop page so you can see what we have to offer throughout the seasons.

Now I know that recently some of you have contacted us for produce, eggs, and meats that we’ve had to turn away. I get it. I’ve seen the meat recalls, the egg shortages, and I understand that when the grocery stores are out, people tend to look elsewhere, but shouldn’t it be the other way around? Without farmers, where does the food come from? We’d love to be your first choice! I was speaking to someone today and explaining to them that it’s almost like farmers don’t exist in the Winter. So we grow enough for our family and that’s basically it. Let’s change that!

Granted, we can’t supply food for everyone, and please don’t misunderstand, we wanted to say yes, but we will always prioritize our family, those who have purchased a subscription such as our Kith & Kin memberships, customers who have reserved our meats, and those who are our loyal regular customers first. So if you don’t see it on our shop page, we are not currently offering it.

With that being said I take full responsibility for my lack of posting so I understand the flood of calls, emails, text messages, and contacts on social media, but going forward we will be back to business as usual. So please stay close to our social pages and look for monthly updates here. Maybe sooner.

Thank you for hanging in there until the end. I want to personally thank you for being the best part of Hawkins Homestead Farm and I will chat with you soon. Until then……

It’s officially June and that means the heat and the humidity have arrived for us. For those of you who follow this Newsletter, but are in a different area allow me to take a minute and explain the humidity. You walk outside and instantly feel wet and gross! We’re usually up early, but when the weather gets like this, we make it our goal to get up, get outside, and get our farm chores done!

In the gardens we are going into our last week for Kith & Kin CSA, but the farm is in full on production mode. We have so many tomatoes that aren’t fully ripe that you would think that’s all we grow!

Usually when there is an abundance the CSA will run a Summer Share, but this year our Summer is extremely busy so as the bounty comes in we will be creating some Seasonal Farm Baskets. Be on the look out for those!

In addition to tomatoes we have squash, zucchini, okra, peppers, and green beans just to list a few. The green beans (which yes I am biased because they are my favorite vegetable) have been extremely delicious and prolific this year. Our CSA Members have been making some beautiful dishes with them and we have too.

Over the next few months, we will be here, but we implore all of you to get out there and support local by visiting the many Farmers Markets happening in your area. If you have chemical sensitivities like I do, just remember to ask your questions and give your produce a good soak before using it.

Since our move, we’ve planted fruit trees but just like everything else things take time to grow. So we wait patiently or at least try to while this happens. Our peach tree gave us six peaches this year which is a drastic jump from the one we got in our first year. In the Fall it will be fertilized to prepare it for next years harvest. We are hoping for a big one

For now we’ve been supporting local and enjoying time spent with our family. Here are a few shots.

Most of you know that my Mom is recovering from a hospital stay and I have taken off time from my full-time job to assist their family. This meant everything took a step back and we were behind on our poultry harvesting schedules. Well thankfully my Mom is doing so much better, and we were able to get caught up this last week.

The birds were absolutely beautiful and tasty I might add. It seems that there is never enough to go around because we find ourselves sold out on chicken more often than we like. The other day when we cooked up one of our birds Brandon said “Ok from every batch, we need to keep 10 of these for ourselves”

I really need to learn to say no, but if it’s in the freezer I feel like I want people to experience this chicken because it is just soooo good. Of course I’m going to listen to my husband so our next harvest is set, ours will be put to the side, and you can reserve your own now.

Last month we shared with you guys that we are officially going to run turkeys on the farm for the first time since our move. Turkeys get pretty tall so we can’t just put them in a tractor and push them around the farm.

So we need to purchase the infrastructure in order to make sure that they are safe from the many predators out here and then it’s a go! Typically, we post them in July, but having the deposit up front helps us purchase what is needed to raise them well.

An all organic diet is a very expensive one, but we want them to have the best feed in addition to what they can find on their own. Plus the taste is more than worth it in the end. Turkeys are also up on our shop page!! They will be ready for that big November meal. It’s been our experience that these birds sell out quickly and we will not have extra once we get closer to that day, so please reserve them now.

In family news, WE HAVE OUR FIRST COLLEGE GRADUATE!!!! Our oldest daughter, Brooklynn completed her degree program and if that weren’t enough she passed her boards with high numbers! Brooklynn has always had a love for learning and it’s not surprising to see her excel, but to see her do it through pregnancy, while working, caring for a toddler, and then a premature baby with all his ailments, and still being a wife all while trying her best to keep God first has been amazing. We are so very proud of her!

Joshua is going into his senior year of High School and that blows my mind! He has also figured out that he wants to go to Culinary School and that is a perfect fit for him. As you know he has really been enjoying creating cookie flavors with The Sweet Spot, but he really has loved being in the kitchen since he was a young child. So seeing him choose something that he enjoys as a career choice is something that makes us excited and happy for him as well.

This month we will be pulling plants and turning over beds. We are installing new raised beds and with new beds comes new compost. We will also begin the process of scheduling for the Fall Season of Kith & Kin CSA which begins in October. Planting for it begins next month and it’s really my favorite season for the cooler weather, the changing of the leaves, less bugs, and the produce is a nice mix of Summers abundance and Fall veggies. We’d love to have you join! In fact, we are running an Earlybird Special for the entire month of June!

In Pig News, the piglets are just so sweet. We have one who is still just small enough to squeeze through some slats in the paddocks we set up and so it’s funny to go out and see him all alone enjoying the “greener grass” on the other side. They all enjoy their daily fill and of course we love giving them weeds and other produce from the garden.

We recently picked blueberries and Brandon is set on having us go back and get more for them. Yes we’re raising them for meat, but we want them to enjoy their lives and we definitely enjoy getting to watch them grow. Plus since we have made the decision to eat pork, eating our own is the best way to go!

If you’re interested in raising your own pork, reach out to us as we do have a few piglets for sale.

It’s planning to be a busy month, but we will have to fill you on all that happens in the next one. Until then……

Have you had the chance lately to just take a break? To turn off your mind so to speak and quiet all that runs through it every day like…..To do lists, work, what’s for dinner, what did I forget, worries, workouts, kids, schedules, disappointments, just those things that’s cause us to stress and our foreheads to wrinkle. Some of which we share with people we trust and others we just give to God and try our best to leave it there.

Sadly, many of us don’t. We live a life full of chaos and never take a break or just a few minutes to breathe in the smells, listen to the sounds, and appreciate the few moments of quiet. To feel the warmth of the sun, listen to the birds, or even watch the clouds go by.

Personally, to say our lives are hectic is an understatement, but I’m so thankful for every single moment I have to decompress, to talk to God, and to just appreciate all that creation has to offer. The other day I took off my shoes and just walked through my grass. It was enlightening! Not that run outside and get something real quick with no shoes on, but an intentional walk to feel the grass under my feet. Have you tried it?

I love to find a quiet spot, pull up a chair, or pop a squat just to listen and watch. It brings me such joy! I think clearly, feel less stressed, I’m no longer irritated, and it allows me to give my mental a break. This is something I cherish because I promise that all that is running through my mind will literally be there right after, but I’m better equipped to handle it. So although this really has nothing to do with farming, I just want to give you a little reminder to take a break for you. Even if you’re not a nature person, put your phone down, turn off the tv, grab your favorite cup of whatever you enjoy drinking and give yourself a moment. Frustrations will come and go and life is truly crazy, but it’s ok to just give slow down and take a little break for you. .

Now that I got that all out, let’s talk about farming! Has anyone noticed how late everything is this Spring? Brandon and I were out the other day and the farmers were plowing their fields. All I could think about is how it’s almost May and wow it’s not just me in my organic farming world singing woe is me about the weather and how it’s affecting our ability to grow food. It was an Aha! moment because so far this season has really been a struggle. I say it all the time and I KNOW it’s true, but when you’ve planted and replanted, it’s easy to be discouraged…especially if you’ve had to plant again after that!

The truth is the weather trumps everything! Perfect schedules, excellent seed germination, no bugs……All of the farming conditions can be wonderful, but if the weather isn’t, it really doesn’t matter. It wasn’t until I came out of my own sad bubble and saw it for myself that I was able to relieve some of the frustration, pressure and stress I was feeling. Brandon felt it too and drove me to where he knew we would both find comfort. Hence the picture above.

Now don’t get me wrong, we don’t have perfect anything around here, but we work hard and truly love what we do. Each year we learn more, but the best thing for us about growing food is knowing where it came from! I mean groceries are sky high! Did you catch my little rant when we returned from our time off? For a family of 3 between two stores we spent $600. Like how? It literally blew my mind and that figure did not include household items because we have a separate budget for that. So Spring and Summer are the seasons when we try our best to grow an abundance and eat from the farm. We usually put up foods through canning, freezing, and this year through the offer of friends we hope to freeze dry some items as well. So if you have been thinking about starting a garden……do it! A pack of seeds could save you so much money in the long run, not to mention all the fun you could have while learning and growing.

So on the farm now everything is in bloom. From peas to peppers, and tomatoes. The gardens are in that beautiful stage. Everything is green and growing and although the bugs have started to emerge, they haven’t done too much damage yet. Actually with the colder temps staying around a lot longer than usual we were able to keep some greens longer than we normally would. This made for some beautiful deliveries for the members of Kith & Kin CSA.

That same cold weather also put us behind on plantings and was responsible for all those replantings we mentioned above, but now that the weather is evening out the crops are settling in and beginning to produce.

We should have squash and zucchini next week, and we’re now picking peas and my favorite, green beans. Banana peppers are the first peppers of the season and as you can see above and jalapeños are following behind them closely. With tomorrow being the start of May, we will begin our next round of succession plantings for Summer crops.

In family news our oldest daughter, Brooklynn will be graduating from college this month! I remember having the pleasure of carrying her in my stomach and now I get to watch her make milestones in life. She loves God, is an excellent mother, a beautiful wife, and now add to that a college graduate! She’s worked so hard, especially over this last year and a half and to see her success is my own!

Congratulations Poopie! This Mom will always be your biggest fan!

If that wasn’t enough news, Joshua is now driving! He got his permit a few months ago and his driving lessons have ensued. It’s so crazy that this is our youngest child and here he is trying to become a man. I did not approve of him growing up so fast, but I’m ready to embrace it.

Life is always interesting on the farm with our animals. Hazel Rae loves going into the new chicken house trying her best to get a “chicky” Most of which are just about as tall as her. She also loves feeding the pigs with her Pop Pop. We’ve broken Ezra in as well, but since he’s still so young he just looks for now.

The hens have been on a roll with their laying and for that we’ve been so grateful. We have a new set of hens that should be laying any minute now, but these girls have been putting in enough work for everyone. We hope to hatch out some new babies this year so we’re keeping our eyes out for broody hens who want to be mamas.

The meat birds will be harvested in the next two weeks for a Spring harvest and then our next one will be in September. If you’re in the market for chicken, be on the lookout for our next listing soon. Now that we’ve been in our space for almost two years, we also plan to run turkeys for those big Fall dinners. That listing is typically added in July, but we will keep you posted. Be sure to grab both birds quickly as they do sell out fast!

The piglets are fully weaned and enjoying their fill of all that they can munch on. It’s fun to watch them grow. We’ve gated off a new section where we’re going to separate the boys from the girls. We’ve already done that with our breeders and it’s now close to the time for this new batch as well. We don’t want any surprises and we also want to make sure to fatten them up for a Winter harvest.

If you haven’t checked out The Sweet Spot lately you’re missing out! Joshua has done so well with his cookies and they’re just so delicious!

As always, we want to thank you for being the best part of our farm. We appreciate you being here. Until next time…..

When our family moved here in 2015 it wasn’t for farming. It was to be close to family after Brandon lost his Mom. Now that we’re in 2024 and I’ve taken some time to reflect on how we got here, I’m grateful. Grateful to Our Loving Creator for listening to ALL my prayers, cries for help, and for providing us with the wisdom and knowledge needed to farm. I’m grateful to my husband who has literally been my right hand man. Grateful to everyone who has supported us through encouragement, likes, shares, reading our newsletters and, of course purchases. Our small family farm will turn 8 years old this year and we think that’s pretty amazing!

Now I titled this one Spring Update instead of “Growing Now” because it’s officially Spring and there is a lot to type about.

In the gardens, we have onions growing, lettuce, celery, brassicas, kale, root vegetables and more. Spring planting is mostly geared towards feeding our family first followed by Kith & Kin CSA. The Winter weather patterns were all over the place, so we have welcomed Spring with open arms!

The pigs have been enjoying munching on fresh Spring grass, plants, and weeds. The piglets started solid food last month and are roaming around exploring their surroundings. At first they were skittish, but they’ve realized that seeing us means food, treats, and most importantly water. Water is most important because pigs don’t have sweat glands. They cool off by wallowing in the mud and having plenty of cool water to drink. The picture below was taken in February.

The chickens are also enjoying fresh grass and weeds. Of course we supplement all our animals with the best feed we can get, but we make sure they have access to what God grows for them as well. Eggs are being laid fresh daily and the Spring harvest for Meatbirds happens next month.

This is the time of the year that we take our break. Brandon and I have been together officially for 25 years and will be celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary this week. We spend our days finding delicious food and choose not to talk about anything, but us and our trip. We’re very busy, so really this is time for us to reconnect, rest, and just enjoy being together.

We’re together a lot in home and business, but it’s not quality time and honestly we don’t always see eye to eye. We even get on each others nerves, so spending this time helps us remember that we’re in this together! The picture below was taken in 2006.

Any orders will be filled the week of 4/1/24.

In our online store, you’ll find limited items as the produce grows and the animals do the same. Josh’s cookies are always in season as are most of our body butters, but even if you don’t shop with us, we appreciate you being here.

Let’s chat next time. Until then……

Hello farm family. Here we are at November and we’re wondering how that’s even possible. So much has happened this year in what seems to be a very small amount of time and now that we’re heading into Winter the year will be over before we know it.

So let’s get started. This month is a very sad one for us because it’s the anniversary of losing our oldest son, Jonathan. As I think about him, I really miss hearing him say “Hey Mom.” That’s how he would always greet me. On the phone, in person, over video chat. I just keep hearing his voice in my head and it’s hard to believe that it’s been a whole year since I haven’t.

To share something personal, I read his obituary the other day. I remember writing the words, but I haven’t read it since. So when I did of course it brought many tears, but it also made me thankful that I got to be his Mom. He was extremely loving, giving, and kind. Plus his smile just lit up the whole world. Now of course as his Mom, that’s my biased opinion, but if you knew him, then you also understand. We’ve took some time off to grieve, but it’s still very difficult. Please pray for us as we all try our best to navigate through it.

Looking back, 2022 started off hard beginning with my Mom having a stroke. Then Hazel Rae’s parents got COVID and we became full time Grandparents for 2 weeks. Sadly, it ended with us losing our son so we’re thankful that, that year came and went.

That was the beginning of FAMILY NEWS, but it’s not all bad. We also purchased our house last year so although there were a lot of downs, there was good as well.

Many of you have heard me talk about our youngest, Joshua. He’s quiet and shy until he gets to know you, but if you saw him in the kitchen you would think he is anything but. Joshua really has found his calling. It used to be all about how spicy he could make well…everything, but really almost since we’ve been in this house he’s been baking from scratch. It started with him wanting something sweet and since we hardly ever have any junk food in the house, he began to experiment with baking.

If you follow us on Facebook, you know that we recently introduced you to his personal line:

The Sweet Spot, Cookies by Josh

He has really found a way to make a chocolate chip cookie into something delightful so we named his first cookie just that:

Chocolate Chip Delight

A few weeks ago, he made a batch as samples. This was our market research. Then we sent cookies out to our Kith & Kin CSA members. On both occasions, the feedback was AWESOME! So we knew it was time to get these cookies up on our site. Get ready to be delighted with your own batch by purchasing here. Each order contains six large cookies for you to savor.

It’s really beautiful to see him doing something he enjoys. I should have taken a picture of how much he was grinning at all the great comments about his cookies, but definitely next time.

In CHICKEN NEWS, our Meatbirds are SOLD OUT for our January harvest! THANK YOU!

We didn’t expect such an overwhelming response to these birds, but we are super grateful for it. As we get closer to January we will announce the harvest dates.

Our layers are doing well adjusting to the lower light. We’re getting less eggs, but that’s to be expected.

In PIG NEWS, the other day our youngest hog, Fatback found his way outside of the enclosure. Brandon was at work and Joshua and I had to think fast to capture him. Thankfully, we got him back rather quickly by luring him in to one of our kennels, but once we tried to move him we realized that was a no! I’m not sure how much Fatback weighs, but I do know that it’s more than Joshua and I were able to safely lift. He is one that we’re keeping, but as you guys know we don’t keep farm animals as pets. Everything and everyone is used as production so Fatback is our breeding boar, while many of the others will be food.

I know that people find it weird that we name our animals and then take them to processor, but we’re totally ok with that! We’re looking forward to fattening them up over these next few months. Then in a January, we eat! Don’t forget to order your own pastured pork here.

In GARDEN NEWS, we’re going into Week 7 with Kith & Kin CSA and the garden was beautiful up until the big frost. We’re ok with that because it’s November afterall, but let’s take a look at what the farm has been producing this Fall.

Pests in the Fall for us include the flea beetle and worms. We’ve been dealing with both since about mid October and within the last two weeks the flea beetles put the pressure on us. Most times these beetles hide at the base of the plant or between the stems. You can also find them on the underside of the leaves. Since they hide so well, this makes the wash and pack a long process for us, but we’d rather fight bugs then wash off chemicals. So we’re extremely proud to be chemical free since day one and counting!

Kith & Kin CSA just announced its Spring season. We always give first dibs to our members and then it’s everyone else. Our produce delivery will be turning FIVE in the Spring and like WOW! It’s crazy to think that an idea born in my head and then shared with friends has grown so much. I’m truly grateful for so many families who have trusted us to feed them! We would love to feed your family as well. Sign ups are happening now. You can find the options here.

Growing Now on the farm are all things Fall with a little bit of Summer left over. The star of both the Summer and Fall for us has definitely been eggplants. We’ve literally grown hundreds of them!

They will soon be pulled along with the Summer Squash plants shown in the photo. This will leave us with mustards, kale, Choi, and a few other greens, but soon we will be putting most of the farm to sleep for Winter. We will keep a small amount of crops for our family and some Seasonal Farm Boxes that we will post soon, but our efforts will be concentrated towards our animals and planning for the new year.

As always we thank you for being the best part of Hawkins Homestead Farm. Without you, there’s no us. Let’s chat again soon. Until then…….

Hey Farm Family! I know…..I know. It’s been like forever since we last chatted, but LIFE has been crazy in general! There is so much to update you guys on so let’s get started.

I went to visit my sister in Nevada a few months ago and it was 113 degrees in the shade! That sounds crazy I know, but it’s dry heat so it was actually nice believe it or not.

I have to share some photos with you guys of the beautiful mountains. I guess that means we’re starting with FAMILY NEWS.

Both Nevada and Utah (I was there too) have the most gorgeous scenery. Imagine going to the grocery store….just driving along in your car and when you make a right turn there in the distance are these glistening mountains. They are literally everywhere and I laughed when someone asked me what do we have here in our state. Can you guess my answer? I said we have grass, cows, oh and trees. Her response was that she just couldn’t imagine not seeing any mountains. We should all be so fortunate to see a postcard created by God each day. It’s truly captivating!

In other FAMILY NEWS we’ve been keeping a secret. Just over 3 months ago, our daughter and their family welcomed their second child into the world! His name is Ezra. He was born at just 36 weeks with immature lungs and as a result Ezra didn’t come home until his 8th day. This little boy is fighter just like his parents who were committed to being in the NICU with him as much as possible. I’m happy to report that as of today he is one happy chunky little baby boy! He has some definite issues from being a preemie, but the plan is to love him through each and every one.

What makes Ezra so special is not just that we have another Grandchild, but also that our daughter incorporated her brothers name into his. Our son was Jonathan Scott and Ezra is Ezra Nathaniel Scott. The Scott part is a true family name as it comes from my Dad and you all know how I feel about him. My heart is SO full that they wanted to keep Jonathan’s memory alive and pass on his name while still allowing Ezra to have his own identity! I’m crying while typing this, but they are a mixture of happy and sad tears.

Of course we can’t forget about our Hazel Rae! She is officially two and amazingly brilliant. If you follow our social pages you know how much she loves to farm right along with us.

Another OH EM GEE moment for us is that we finally harvested our Meatbirds. You know how you taste something that you haven’t had in a long time and then it hits you how good it is? That’s this chicken for us. With the move and everything that happened after it, we had long run out of our own birds. So now, every time we cook one I am super excited to eat it and I am kicking myself thinking, Rachel you can’t eat them all.

We have had them fried, baked, and grilled so far. I am planning to put one in the Instant Pot so I can make shredded chicken. Of course this is my biased opinion, but this chicken is just so fresh, clean, and delicious. Even Joshua was complaining about the store bought chicken we had in the freezer after eating ours. So needless to say, we are going to try our hardest not to be out of HHF raised chicken in our freezer.

I know eating clean and organic is not for everyone, but it is for us and to literally grow and raise our own meats is very rewarding. You’ve heard or read me say this before, but it’s not something I’d ever thought I would do. As a meat eater though, I would rather shop with us than anywhere else. The next batch has already been listed so you can shop with us too. So that’s part of CHICKEN NEWS.

The other part is eggs. August was the month that we’d been waiting on for our layers that hatched in February to begin laying. I’m happy to say that they’ve begun laying, but since we’re now in Fall and Winter season, the laying is slow. We’ve been directing those of you looking for eggs to our friends at Bain Home Gardens, but our understanding is that their chickens are slowing down as well. As we go into low light, the girls can’t lay as much, but come Spring there will be plenty of eggs for everyone! The picture below is a flashback.

In other chicken news, we’ve learned that we have 3 additional roosters in this group so they will be going to freezer camp soon. At one time we had 7 or 8 roosters and the competition crowing was outrageous! When one began to crow, they all kept it going. Just imagine 8 roosters crowing over and over again. No thank you!

Although the chicken tractor is farther from the house, between the crowing and the fighting over the hens we’ve decided to keep it to a maximum of 1-2 roosters. That way we will have two flocks going and as they age, we plan to hatch more to keep the rotation going. If you ever purchase “Stewing Hens” or “Young Roosters” from us they need to be cooked low and slow. This tenderizes the meat.

In PIG NEWS we added one more piglet to the group over the Summer. His name was Kevin (as in Kevin Bacon), but Brandon re-named him Fatback. We’re keeping him separate and watching him to see if he could be our boar for breeding. This breeding part is all new to us so we have a lot to learn, but we love to do research and we are both great at asking questions. So we know that through prayer and working with those prayers, we will figure it out. The picture below was taken a few weeks ago. Fatback loves watermelon!

It’s not too late to reserve a half or whole hog for your family. See here for all the details.

In GARDEN NEWS I posted some videos in our story a while back of the exact hot mess that we were dealing with. Excessive heat and rain grew excessive weeds and that’s literally what we had on the farm. We had to go in with the push mower, the machete, and the weed whacker to get it all cleared! This was no labor of love….it was a battle and one that we are happy to say that we won.

At our other property we always had natural walkways and wanted to do that as well here. Sadly, we’ve learned that, that is not going to happen. Out here, weed barrier is critical and even then, the grass and weeds try to grow through it. Our plan going forward is to weed barrier the entire gardens. This won’t completely eliminate the weeds, but it will give us a good fighting chance to stop them.

In addition to the weeds the heat bred stink bugs and other garden pests like crazy. I came back from my trip to find that both our Summer and Winter squash had been nearly wiped. It was more than a little discouraging, but such is farm life at times.

Of course, we try not to farm much at all in the Summer months, but some things are just necessary. It’s crazy to think that the temps were in the high 90’s when we began seeding for Fall, but thankfully, the weather broke. It made me think that I really need to get a move on the she shed that needs power ran to it like forever ago. Brandon hates when we have to set up our temporary nursery in the house, but the weather is beyond our control, so we do what we must in order to grow this food we all have come to love and depend on.

Speaking of growing food, GROWING NOW on the farm are all things Fall with a little Summer in between. Think eggplants, different varieties of tomatoes, and sweet potatoes, just to name a few. There are no real pictures to show because everything is growing so slowly with the weather changes. So we’re in transition, but give us a little while and things will be bright and beautiful once again. For now enjoy this little shot of what fullshare members of Kith & Kin received in Fall Week 1.

Thanks for hanging out with us for this end of Summer update. We know it’s Fall, but you are all now officially caught up.

The best way to support our farm is to make a purchase, but when we’re in off season or if you’re not near us, there is a donation link on our home page. You know the one with the big rooster?!?

Chat with you soon. Until then…..

Did you ever get the feeling that what you’re doing is EXACTLY what you’re supposed to do? I had that realization last month after being invited to Landmark Park to host a class on organic farming. To say that I was nervous about it was an understatement! I literally prayed right up to it because it had been years since I hosted a class and although I have always been huge on educating others I honestly felt all over the place.

The turn out was good and the class was more of an open discussion as I went over my bullet points. I left feeling extremely grateful that I was able to help others learn and it’s my hope that they can take what I shared and literally grow from it.

In Garden News we finally installed the berry bushes last month that had been sitting on the back deck forever. They’re a mixture of raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. Since they spent almost their first year in a pot, we’re not sure how they will grow, but only time will tell.

We harvested our first round of zucchini and cucumbers for Kith & Kin CSA members last month as well. We love that we can give our members first dibs of what’s growing.

Kith & Kin Summer Season is underway and the Fall season of Kith & Kin is now open for membership.

For those of you who are new here, Kith & Kin is our produce delivery program or CSA which stands for community supported agriculture. The idea was born back in the Fall of 2018 and we’ve been delivering the freshest chemical free produce around since the Spring of 2019. Each year we hold a minimum of two seasons in the Spring and Fall. Some years, like this one, we also have a Summer season. We’re very thankful and proud that we get to do this year after year and now we have the space to take on even more members.

We’d love to have you join. You can find the details of our upcoming Fall season along with the link to join here,

We’ve added and will continue to add lots of new items to the Shop Page as they become available. Buy your veggies a la carte or save money by purchasing a Seasonal Farm Box. Next to Kith & Kin CSA this is the best way to get in season produce from our farm.

In Family News if you follow us on Facebook and/or Instagram, you may have seen our video of Hazel Rae feeding the pigs. When she was younger, we introduced her to the farm as soon as we could and now she loves it. She enjoys “working” with Nana and Pop Pop and her favorite thing is to collect the eggs.

It’s hard to believe that we’ve been in our new property for one full year! We’ve accomplished so much, but yet there is always more to do. When we lost our son all the work definitely stopped, but between rebuilding the farm, repairing, and trying our best to fix our fixer upper, it’s been a whirlwind of emotions.

One great thing that we all appreciate about our home is that It’s been really nice having space for family and friends. Our house was the hub when we lost our son and it was comforting having everyone together.

It’s also been excellent having the land we need to grow our farm in a way that we’ve wanted to for a very long time. Speaking of growing, in Farm News we added two piglets to the farm and our cute little baby chicks are not so little anymore.

When it comes to the piglets, if it were up to Brandon, everyone would be named Ham or Bacon, but Shena over at Bain Home Gardens dubbed them Pepperoni and Porkchop and we decided to roll with it. We haven’t figured out which is one which, but time will tell.

These babies are of the Mulefoot variety which just so happens to be on the Ark of Taste List for pork. Their meat is red as it should be before commercial growers began to advertise pork as “the other white meat.” We’re excited to add them to our growing farm and look forward to seeing how they fit here. If you’re interested in purchasing your own whole or half hog, check out the details here. We’re currently experimenting with ratios to blend our own organic feed just for them! It’s expensive, but if we can do it, it will be worth it in the long run.

The meat birds don’t have long before they to go harvest. They’re putting on weight nicely and we have enjoyed having them again on the farm. It’s been far too long and we’re thankful to my Dad for completing not one, but two chicken tractors for us. We look forward to the meat and appreciate the manure that is left behind to fertilize the land for years to come. They will be ready to harvest at the end of the month. It’s not too late, to grab one or more for your family. You can find them here.

In Egg News our hens have just about one at a time went broody. This is when they would like to hatch babies so they sit in the nesting box all day and night in hopes to hatch some. So just when we thought we would have enough eggs to begin listing them, NOPE! The girls had other plans. So the wait continues here with us, but by all means check out Bain Home Gardens that we mentioned above. We happened to know for a fact that they have the prettiest eggs hatched by hens who are organically fed and Certified Naturally Grown.

If you follow our social pages, you’ve seen that we recently started trying out reels. After being off social for a while and coming back to see how things had changed, we decided why not?! Brandon has been talking about starting a YouTube channel almost since we started back in 2017, but neither of us have the time. With the reels though, I’m usually recording or taking a picture of something, so its been easy and fun putting them together. We’d love to hear if you guys are enjoying our content. Remember you can use our contact page to reach us.

Thank you for joining us this month for our “Growing Now” section. We appreciate you spending a few moments with us and we thank you in advance for supporting our farm and family. We hope to chat with you again next month. Until then……

Hello Farm Family Whew! A lot has been happening over the past month and a half since we last chatted and there is so much to get caught up on. This update has a few surprises so let’s get right into it.

In House News, most of you know by now that we moved last year, but you may not know that the home we bought is a fixer-upper! You know those shows renovation shows on HGTV? The ones where everything turns out beautiful and terrific in just a short period of time? Well that’s definitely not happening here! There was a lot to be discovered once we got started and although we’ve come a long way, there is still so much to get done.

My parents have owned several properties throughout my life and my Dad has always been a General Contractor so you would think that I might be good at renovations, right? WRONG! I am a hard worker, and I have my strengths, but construction and renovations really don’t fall under my wheelhouse. I love learning though, so I’m not giving up.

I have always been super thankful for my Dad but, when I tell you how in awe of him and of his hard work I am, like it is so true! Even in his 70’s it has truly been amazing to watch him work and to experience both learning from him and watching him and Brandon work together.

Since our last Newsletter we have almost successfully finished sanding all of the ceilings in the entire house. Why are we doing that? Well, it’s because the previous owners were smokers and they didn’t think twice about smoking up the place. The good news about getting the ceilings done is that next comes the flooring which means that we can finally start putting the house back together and I am so ready for that!!!!

OK enough about renovations now onto Family News. You may have seen on Facebook that Brandon and I took our anniversary trip at the end of March. It was just a short trip to Biloxi, but it was extremely nice to not only get away but for us to be able to spend time together.

With all the chaos of everyday life coupled with the sadness of losing our son we NEEDED it! If you’ve never been to Biloxi before but would like to go, we know a good a couple of good food spots to try.

In Farm News the Spring season of Kith & Kin opened earlier this month and things are going well. We are very thankful to grow food and take care of our members, both old and new. With all of the weather changes, including the crazy rain, we know that is only through God’s blessings that we are able to be successful.

Spring will soon turn into Summer and we are excited to announce that we have just opened up a Summer Share for Kith & Kin CSA!!! This is a short four week season happening in June. Then we will gladly take the month of July off and begin planting again in August for the Fall.

Growing Now we currently have squash, eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, herbs and more. You know all things Summer! On a side note this is actually the first year that we haven’t been able to grow our own potatoes, and no one is more sad about that than I am.

Seems like everyone is attempting to grow their own food (which is not a bad thing) and we could not get the organic seed potatoes that we normally buy in time to plant them earlier this year. It’s not all bad though, because we have decided to run trials on growing Fall potatoes. So stay tuned.

We recently planted melons and cantaloupes and will continue to succession plant more Summer produce throughout the season. Of course we still have things like kale and radishes along with a brand new speciality green that we just introduced to our lineup. We announced it on social media, but if you missed it. It’s Endive!

We’re always looking to try something different. Plus we love learning about and growing new things so bitter greens was a no brainer for us once we realized no else is growing it in the Wiregrass. It’s something that we couldn’t be more excited about and you may be thinking why, WHY would you want to grow something that is bitter right? Well I’m glad you thought that.

One of our major goals is to eat mostly from our farm and greens from the chicory family like endive and radicchio (coming soon) are a great choice because they are high in vitamins and antioxidants. Talk about eating healthy! Yes please! Plus once you know how to cook them, they are really delicious! We’ve learned that finding the right ingredients, the right pairings, and the right cooking techniques goes a long way when it comes to eating farm to table meals.

In Chicken News, the meatbirds finally arrived. Their late arrival puts them ready just in time for grilling season. This throws the scheduling off a bit but, we are planning to keep them in stock throughout the Summer. The listing has been updated to reflect their expected harvest date.

Our new hens had a little bit of a setback between the weather and the new rooster that we added, but they have gotten back into the swing of things and arer pretty consistent with their egg laying now.

We have another set of layers that are about two months old who are expected to begin laying by the end of Summer. Additionally, we have some good friends that are hatching out a new set of birds for us as well so we are slowly build up our flock. It’s really thrilling to see it all come together!

On to the Pig News…It truly had to be a family affair getting the fencing in place, sectioning out paddocks, making sure they had fresh grass, lots of water, wallows, and plenty of shade as Pigs do not sweat and need to stay cool.

We have been hinting about having Hawkins Homestead Farm pork and the BIG NEWS is that we are announcing that our Pastured Pork is now available for you to reserve! They will be sold either by the whole or half hog.

This has been a long time in the making since we trialed pork back in 2020. We shared some of the meat with friends, customers, and family and the feedback we received was so much more than we ever expected! Some even asked if they could buy it then, but we knew at that time that we didn’t have the space that would allow us to raise more. So fast forward to now and our time has arrived!

As you can probably tell there is a lot going on to keep us busy between our spiritual routine, farm animals, produce, home renovations, work, being Grandparents, and just life in general. So we are thankful for it!

We will see what new developments happen in the coming weeks. Chat with you again soon. Until then……

Hello Farm Family. Brandon and I would like to thank everyone for your prayers, patience, understanding, and support during our downtime as we grieved the loss of our son. We’ve been trying to figure out how to navigate this new normal for quite some time now and to say it’s hard is a gross understatement! We know that this process of grieving will take a long time, but we are PRAYING and pushing forward in the best way we know how. So many of you have reached out to our family and to me personally. You have provided meals, sent cards, text messages, emails, and made phone calls.

THANK YOU!

For me, I have to say that to see the outpouring of love has been overwhelmingly beautiful and even though I couldn’t express it at the time, I appreciate it more than I could ever say! One of my good friends reminded me that our son was known for spreading love, peace, and happiness. “Out of all people,” she said….”you are the last person he would want to be sad.”

So that leads me to this Newsletter. I have been supplicating my God for the strength and courage to get back to doing things that make me happy. Things that will help me to be ok, and things that make me, me. If you know me personally, you know that a huge part of that is having my hands in the soil, raising animals the way they should be raised, and watching God grow food as He allows me to tend to it……also known as farming.

I am excited to tell you all that we are officially back open for business!

Our first step in re-opening our farm has to be us taking care of our CSA members. So we have begun the process of praying, planning, preparing, and planting for the upcoming Kith & Kin Spring CSA season. It begins in one month on April 3, 2023.

To our members from last season, we can’t thank you enough for everything! Brandon and I appreciate your continued trust and support despite our hardships. We are looking forward to connecting with and feeding your families again.

Over these past few months, our farm has received so many inquires for eggs and organic pastured birds. I wish I could say that we can accommodate everyone, but we are still rebuilding our flocks.

Just the other day my Dad and I made a day out of it and went to pick up some beautiful chicks from Bazan Paradise Farms. They raise goats, poultry, and more. Plus they’re family owned and operated and you know how I love to support small farm families! So please click on the link and follow their page on Facebook.

Being on their farm filled me with joy as I carried around a baby goat and reminded me of how much I really do love farm life. You can check out the some of the pics below.

So back on our farm, we do have a few hens that are laying, but priority is given to our family first, our regular egg customers, and CSA members. With that being sad…. eggs are back, but they are LIMITED! So if you see them on the site, grab them quick. I will try to keep them updated each week as the girls lay more. You can find them here.

In regards to our organic pastured birds, their infrastructure is being built this weekend and I know of at least 2 people (myself and my Dad) who are eagerly anticipating their arrival into our stomachs. For all of you that are looking for a better poultry option, we are now accepting deposits for a late Spring harvest. You can find them here!

Speaking of animals…..we have added just a couple more to our farm. Meet Ham and Wally (Yes I know they have their faces in a bowl). They are Kune Kune piglets that were bred from registered stock. You may remember our first attempt when we raised Piggy from farm to table a few years ago.

Now before we all get too attached, only one of them is staying and the other is being raised for food. I struggled with the butchering part of Piggy last time, but having him as a food source during the height of Covid, proved to be a wonderful blessing. Since then I have purchased pork from the store and been more than disappointed so I am thankful that Brandon and I are able to raise meat for our family again. If all goes well, we hope to be able to offer Hawkins Homestead Farm pork soon!

In the gardens, the name of the game is build up the soil! My Dad went out to our former location earlier in the week to grab some supplies and all he could talk about was how beautiful the grass was and how fertile the soil is. It made me both happy and sad because it took years to build up that soil to what it is and to see it as a backyard now instead of a place where we grew our food is bittersweet.

The list we have over this next month is very long to say the least, but just a few of our priorities are to finish installing the fence on the animal side of the property, purchase and truck in compost to install into our permanent no till beds, lay weed barrier to protect the soil, and plant our berry bushes to their homes before Spring officially arrives.

Later into Spring, we hope to establish a perennial garden. That makes me ecstatic just thinking about it and although it’s been a long while since I’ve planted flowers, I’m examining the area for a flower patch as well.

All in all, with the space that we have here, starting from scratch is proving to be a labor that I am trying to love. Brandon continues to remind me that it will be worth it and I know he’s right, but I guess I just need those reminders for now. We are currently growing specifically for our Kith & Kin CSA members, but we have planted in abundance and will continue to do so as the Spring comes in so there should be plenty for all.

We learned in the Fall just how much pest pressure there is here and we are sure there will be even more as everything awakens in the Spring, but this time we are ready! We have loaded up on insect barrier and have already began covering plants that need no pollination to grow. Additionally we are armed with our pots of boiling water, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon to ward off the millions of ants that we find ourselves fighting with almost daily.

So that’s it guys. I typed that with tears because things that were once easy for me are now difficult, but these are happy tears because I got this Newsletter done!

The last time I wrote a Newsletter was on November 3rd and it was also that evening we found out that we lost our son. So to complete this one four months later makes me truly thankful!

I am healing. Slowly, but getting there and I am so grateful to share and connect with all of you again. So thank you!

Let’s chat soon. Until then…….