Memphis Democrat Column from May 18, 2008

It is an absolutely glorious day and I am wondering right now why I am sitting indoors at the computer. I did put in a full morning in the garden, so I guess I can take some time this afternoon. to catch everyone up on life at Sandhill.

As Stan mentioned in the last column, Michael and I went down to the Ozarks for a short vacation. Our timing for the trip was perfect. We got to see the redbuds in full bloom along the Missouri on the way down and the dogwoods were at their peak when we were in McDonald County. It was a lot nicer than last spring after the big freeze. We had good visits with our son and friends while we were there and then we spent a weekend with our daughter and her family near Columbia before returning to the farm.

One thing that was very noticible as we drove back north was the sense of going back in time in relationship to the progress of Spring. It was interesting to arrive back home after thirteen days away and see our redbud on the road blooming and some of the trees just putting on their leaves. The gardens are filling up and it is very pleasant to see green plants growing instead of bare earth. The greenhouse is starting to clear out as transplants are set out or brought outside to harden off before being moved to their summer homes. Michael and Kevin have been busy the past couple of days preparing space in the chicken yard garden for our tomatoes. Hot and sweet peppers, squash, cucumbers and herbs are waiting their turn to be transplanted.

It has finally dried out enough the past few days to let Stan get some field work done. We didn't see any activity in the fields happening at all during our trip, so everyone was in the same bind. We need to begin transplanting sorghum this week, so it is important to move things along. With all the work that needs to be done, we have been lucky to have a great crew this year. A new intern arrived on May 6th and added her energy to the mix. Sarah is from Vermont and has been taking a year off from school to do some traveling. She will be with us until early June and then will go home for a while before returning to the Rhode Island School of Design for her senior year. On May 10th, we hosted our annual party commerating our community's anniversary. May 8th actually marks the thirty fourth year that we have been on this land. The gathering was attended by members of local and area communities, friends from near and far, and a group of folks from Truman State University. There was great food at the potluck, lots of music and dancing, and everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves. The inclement weather that night kept some guests who had biked to the party from returning home, so we made space for everyone that had to stay. The evening before, we held a memorial for Geoph Kozeny. Geoph passed away last October and was a long-time activist in the communities movement and a member of Sandhill's "extended family". Tony and Rachel from Dancing Rabbit joined us for supper and a evening of sharing stories and memories. Several of these gatherings have already been held around the country. Geoph had a wide circle of friends. Laird left on an extended trip this past Friday. Apple and Rachel rode along. Apple is going on a float trip on the Buffalo River in Arkansas with her sister and went as far as Columbia. Rachel had to catch a plane in Kansas City. Laird's first stop was in Lawrence, Kansas this weekend to work with a cohousing group and then he is returning to Columbia to meet up with his daughter-in-law Tosca and his new granddaughter Taivyn. He will then go on to Albuquerque to spend time with Ma'ikwe and attend the Art of Community conference and FIC organizational meetings that will be held there in June.