August 28, 2022

Good Morning! Two weeks is too long. I've missed my time writing to you, but happy it’s spent caring for land and lives. Each day that passes, I think about what I can share from the encouragement and lessons I find on the farm each day. These past two weeks have been busy, prepping for school and fall garden beds while maintaining farm chores and epic harvests.

Last night we had a special night - another Dine on the Land shared with guests from all over the country. At 5:45pm, guests gather at the bar and we take an hour farm tour, sharing stories from our lives and the good work done in the gardens and the fields in preparation for dinner. Yesterday, I shared a few new stories, including a vulnerable fact that Farmer Jones and I needed this farm adventure in order to hold on to one another.

Suburbia, good jobs, paid bills, and busy schedules were creating an independence from one another that was not good for our marriage. We’d finally had kids after an 11 year struggle and were experiencing financial stability after the meager earnings of a military salary. We’d thought the comfort would bring about more happiness and more opportunities to enjoy one another, but the truth is that all those struggles are what created the connectedness and vigor of our relationship. That’s why the desire for adventure was so intense. It was a cry and call for each other. We feared that the path we were on would make us ‘comfortably numb’!

We love people and felt there is no better way to show that love than by being good stewards of the planet, growing good food and gathering people around the table to experience one another. We noticed that by following our desires, all those odd jobs and weird talents we’d collected throughout our lives were divinely curated to prepare us for this work.

Today, Farmers Jones and I continue to fight for our marriage. We are great at arguing and we both struggle at apologizing to one another. We drive each other crazy in both good and annoying ways. We parent imperfectly. We fail one another, but we also know how to endure with one another. We laugh, and we share a passion for this farm and the future of this farm and its role in changing community. We love our children and believe this life is the best life for them to live. We have committed our lives to truth and believe both love and truth are found, first, in God alone.

Next week, we will celebrate 24 years of marriage. We met in May of 1998. We were engaged in July and married in September. We didn’t know each other then and we have still only cracked the surface. We look forward to growing old and senile together, bouncing grandbabies on our knobby knees. We’ve held on when we’ve wanted to walk out. This farm is a story of love and commitment to each other and the vision we share in our hearts, together!

Until next week-ish,

Mrs. Farmer Jones

If you haven’t come yet this season, we hope to see you Thursday or Saturday before mid-October. Very soon, we'll post our schedule for holiday markets, dinners and special events for fall and the holiday season. Next announcement: Fireside Fridays. Our bar lounge will be transformed into an intimate and romantic dining space. Fire pit on the patio. Seating for up to 25. Very special and incredibly cool Stay tuned.

Reserve Your Seat at the Table

Make your reservation for Thursday Night or to Dine on the Land. This coming Thursday, September 1 will be a little bit more special than most. Come see!