As Kathe wrote in our last column, she & Michael left Sandhill to go back to their homestead in southwest Missouri. We are scrambling to fill all the work areas that they left - including writing this column. Several of us are taking it on - this one is by Stan.
A key factor at Sandhill lately has been the weather. Goodness - is it ever going to stop raining? Fortunately, we finished our sorghum harvest and were able to get all the cane out of the field - although on the last loads we dug some ruts.
We are still harvesting and eating a lot of garden produce: lettuce, chard, kale, carrots, turnips, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, brussel sprouts; and we have green tomatoes ripening in window sills.
We have had lots of comings and goings recently: the folks that came to help with the sorghum harvest have all gone - as well as several visitors after the harvest. Our interns Keren, Hannah, and Tony have left to continue with their lives. Kris from East Wind community in southern Missouri, who is our resident steam expert every sorghum season, was taken home by Apple and Emily from Sandhill, and visitor Owen, who are hiking down in the Ozarks for a week.
Laird turned 60 on Sunday; his wife, Ma'ikwe at Dancing Rabbit, organized a surprise birthday party on the weekend. Out of town guests included two of Laird's sisters and his daughter, Josefa, from Toledo Ohio. He was quite surprised! We all know Laird loves to cook - especially for celebrations - so he and Josefa cooked a gourmet birthday dinner for all of us on Saturday night.