As the weather warms, there is something in my east coast born heart that wants to get out and feel the earth under my toes and pick the fresh blooms of spring. I want to enjoy all of beauty winter left us longing for. It’s like I forgot to tell my heart when I moved here 20 years ago that there isn’t really a “winter” to wait out or a frost to thaw. A kind of spring fever in a place without seasons. But nonetheless it is there each year without fail.
Each day last week, I was waking up with the desire to visit a farm. I’ll be perfectly honest, though, the idea of manure and livestock kept me and my newborn baby at bay. Then, I stumbled across this website. I was totally intrigued by the pictures. A farm selling fresh produce and teeming with flowers seemed just my speed. To have it right here in Scottsdale was a wonderful bonus. The market would be open in just a couple of days. I could get out with the baby, get a few veggies and get my growth of springtime fix.
Tucked amongst homes and horse ranches is the 3 acres the farm sits on. Unlike many farms, the produce, herbs and flowers greeted us at the entrance. It felt fresh and inviting. Two things will keep me coming back. First, the owners were engaging, kind and respectful to my kids. They asked them their names and thanked them for visiting their farm. They also answered all of their questions, explained things the kids might not even think to ask about. They even gave them a little tour of the goats and chickens. My kids loved it and even the prissiest of my girls thought it was lovely.
The second was the encouragement one of the owners, Michael, gave to me and my girlfriend. As he walked us around the farm, he shared with us in all humility his trial and error methods of becoming a farmer. My friend is a budding home gardener. He willingly let her pick his brain and showed her all of the produce they were successfully growing in the Arizona heat. After last week, I have a feeling she’ll be expanding her garden and tree varieties. Me? I can’t grow anything. I kill the plants from IKEA that are in the dark shadows of their warehouse that no one is supposed to be able to kill. I love the idea of gardening but just can’t seem to get it to work. Michael said very plainly that if something is worth doing, it is worth doing poorly. In other words, I need to not give up. I really needed to hear that. What a great reminder for so many aspects of life that we so readily give up on because they aren’t our strengths. I don’t know if I’ll ever reach the point where my spring fever for fresh growth is quenched with my own gardening. But even if that never happens, I’ll be enjoying the market freshness at the Simple Farm and I just might entertain the idea of a new house plant.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Cate Johnson has been married to her best friend, Sean, for 10 years. She is the mother to their three Haitian princesses who came home forever in 2008 and is currently in the process of adopting a son domestically. She is passionate about Jesus, adoption, and attachment. She also loves coming alongside prospective adoptive parents as well as those struggling through transition and attachment. Cate blogs about all of these topics and more at Gathered From Afar and Attaching Hearts
.
Beautiful! I really want a peach tree!
How incredibly kind of you to write this. Michael and I are humbled.
And, I did promise those princesses to help out feeding baby goats their bottles….Miss Storm is due 5/18…:-)
xoxo lylah
LOVED your writing. Makes me want to visit Simple Farm even more. Though I have never met Michael, both he and his wife have made an impact on my life. I’m especially blessed to know their daughters.
Comments are closed.