Wordless Wednesday is a way for people to have a completely wordless blog, pictures only. I love pictures and also agree that they are worth more than a thousand words. However I’m also a bit wordy…soooo…I’m adding captions 🙂 Anyhow I’m hoping to post pictures most Wednesdays of what is going in my random life, around this crazy farm and anything else that might be entertaining!
Here’s this week’s pictures, Spring is here!
Some new baby robins, getting very crowded in their little home!
Just a few days ago we received some tough news from one of the company’s that we grow for. They were no longer going to be doing business and handling the crop that we contracted to grow with them. At first I was very upset, it’s most frustrating because we had already planted half of that certain crop, the other half of the acres was still bare ground. There was an article in the paper saying that the farmers were not effected too much because we had lots of options for crops to still plant. Unfortunately that is not the whole truth, and as of Tuesday it was looking more like summer fallowing our land was our only option.
But this isn’t a blog about our hard times, and it isn’t about the company and what they did wrong. Honestly I truly feel like they did their best and treated us very fairly, this is just one of those things that happens, that’s terrible and hurts not only us as farmers, but our industry as a whole. This blog is more about how in the past two days I have learned about what to do when everything seems to be going well, and all the sudden someone shows up at your farm and the whole scenario changes.
I know for a fact that we aren’t the only ones hurt by this substantial shift. There is an entire industry here in the Willamette Valley that will struggle through this challenge. Also there are many people who were employed because of this company who are going to be hurting. It’s a tough deal, but it’s also life. I just hope that we can all keep moving on, working hard, and being thankful for our blessings we have now.
I have learned that you can’t just give up and take a trip to Hawaii, although that crossed my mind many times! You have to dig in, start calling, start working hard, and figuring out what you need to change to make this work for your operation. For us we have chosen to grow a new crop that we have never grown before. I’m looking forward to learn something new, and also excited to see if this can be something that will work into our operation for years to come. The future is yet to be seen, and I don’t know for sure that everything will all work out in the end. But I did learn that even when the rug is pulled out from under you, you can get upset and moan and complain, or you pick up and move forward. I’ve always been told that farming is a gamble, but until this week I never really understood the stress of what that can mean. I’m hoping that we can look back at this adversity and be thankful because in the end it led our farm down a healthy path of more diversity.
I always have been told that I take after the Kirsch (my dad’s) side of the family. I look like my dad, talk like my dad, I have a rather imposing Kirsch sized nose, all good Kirsch traits. However I also get many things from my wonderful mom!! So for this Mom’s Day I want to thank her for all the wonderful gifts she has given to me. Here are just a few…
1. Optimism. If you’re ever having a tough time and just want to complain, don’t go see my mother. Because somehow amidst all your moaning and groaning, she will turn it around to some kind of positive message. She can turn any situation, no matter how bad, into something to shrug your shoulders at and move on. Let me tell you, living life this way is contagious.
I should add “TRUST” Mom is letting me practice IVs on her in EMT class!
2. Cooking. My mom is the best cook in the world! From very early on I have always known that I loved to cook, because it was something that I saw my mom love to do. Some of my most vivid memories of a very happy childhood have been spent with my mom in the kitchen. I’m not nearly as good at cooking as her, a few years behind probably, but she’s always there encouraging me along the way.
3. Silver Hair. I know this sounds like a negative but her hair is beautiful and although I’m not ecstatic about going “grey” at age 28, I can look forward to pretty hair someday…a far away someday…still dying my hair.
4. Big Heart. Mom is the most unselfish person I know. She gives so much of herself to others to make sure that they are ok, that they are getting help if they need it, or even just a warm meal when going through tough times. She’s an incredible giver and everyday makes me realize how much I want to be more like her everyday! My feeling of wanting to be there for others, and help those in need stems from seeing her be unselfish for others my entire life. The most amazing part is that she never leaves you feeling like you were left out or put on the back burner, she knows how to prioritize and always get things done.
Big hug after the Portland Marathon
5. You Can Do IT!! It may seem trivial, but hearing these words from my mom my entire life has gotten me through just about everything. I ran a marathon with these words ringing in my ears, because I could hear her yelling them from the sidewalk most of the way! Encouragement is something mom is never short on, and something that I admire in her. She’s always there to tell you that you can do whatever you set your mind to and because of that it’s made me more happy and successful than I could have ever dreamed!
I could go on and on with things that my mom has given to me over the years. From dinners everyday out in the fields during harvest, to the many rides around the farm shuttling tractors across the prairie, taking care of me when I’m sick, my mom has done it all! She reminds me of how good people can be, and when you have your priorities straight and you treat people with respect good things come to you in life. And when they don’t, look on the bright side, brush yourself off, and move on! Thanks mom for everything, you’re amazing and I love you!
Some new baby robins, getting very 
NuttyGrass 