Ho Hummm....it seems that I have come full circle and I am spending a good share of my time waiting and watching for tomatoes to ripen! Weren't we in this same spot a few months ago? They aren't turning red any faster now than they were then! I keep telling myself that patience will be rewarded in the form of spicey salsa and chunky chili sauce! Since the pace is slowing down at the farm and our activities are limited by shorter days, all will probably get a more intimate glimpse of a more personal nature of the inner goings on here on the farm, as if all of the shennanigans with the cows and the bull, the does and the buck, the hens and the rooster, aren't intimate enough, you are going to learn a little more about The Farmer and the Other Farmer.(the terms that my young neice uses to describe us) The motivation behind this tell all, is to help you better understand our dedication to our land, our stewardship over our animals, and our devotion to each other, and why we have chosen this age old profession to wile away the hours, when we could be fishing, golfing, playing tennis, or traveling the world, enjoying any number of activities, instead of toiling daylight til dark intent on making a success of this small 40 acres we have been blessed with. Rocky was raised "Old School", doing farm chores since he was a boy. A man's word was binding, an honest days work, for a fair wage. Play hard, work harder....he is no stranger to a 16 hour work day.... so it is second nature for him to rise at the crack of dawn and work until the last glow of light dims, when the sun goes down. For those unfamiliar with country life, there are very few things that can be put off until tomorrow. If it doesn't get done today, usually... well, it MUST get done today, thus the long days. Now if you can imagine pairing this rough and tumbling country fella with a city raised, hoity toity, teetotalling, fashionista, you would have a clear picture of spontaneous combustion! We were like oil and water, the only thing that we had in common was that we had NOTHING in common! He was used to country raised, fun loving, wild living gals, and I was used to solid, serious, business minded, boring, guys. For some reason, I just could not stay away from him. I was hooked! Bait, line and sinker! We are the poster couple for "OPPOSITES ATTRACT". Now almost 20 years later, the rest as they say, is history. He took me in, a divorced woman with 4 very small children, a yankee, no less, and taught me what a pinto bean and okra were, showed me how to cook turkey fries, a best kept secret to say the least, let me help dress a wild hog ,( after he explained to me "No, Carol we country folks do not put clothes on pigs") explained the difference between fried chicken and chicken fried ( who would have thought!) Let me practice driving a standard shift in his new pickup, and most of all gave me a whole new perspective of what I wanted to do when I grew up. I taught him that" Gone with the Wind" is not just loosing your hat during a Texas gale, Spinach salad CAN have nuts and fruit in it, and even though bluegrass music is the original country music, a fiddle player and a symphony violinist are truely not very different. Oh, and contrary to popular belief, religious girls most definitely can be fun. And yes, in a family, the more the merrier! So on our story goes, I will share some of the highlights and the lowlights, letting you get to know us a little bit better, and give you a more personal glimpse of one of the most fulfilling ways of life that exhists. More of the R&C Saga to come! From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!