Anyway, the past few weeks have been totally crazy. Bryan’s grandpa got really sick and landed in the hospital, so for a couple of weekends in a row we went down to see him. The man is a miracle. He’s 95 and is so interesting and has a lot of enthusiasm for life. He’s really independent- he lives alone and drives himself everywhere. He just bought a new laptop and is reading books about computer software. I’m very impressed with him.
He and Bryan have a special relationship, so I’m really glad that we’ve gone down so much. We’re going to continue to make the trip every few weeks, and a serious bonus is that Bryan’s aunt, uncle, and cousins live down there too, and they are excellent company. Bryan’s uncle basically lives on a farm. I am so, so, so impressed with all of their hard work. They plant EVERYTHING and live in such a wonderfully sustainable way- they can and jar all their off-season produce, and they cook all of their own food (for the most part).
I was astounded by their pantry, and they asked us to come back when it’s berry picking season (apparently it’s still a lot of work, even with all the people down there to help out- his aunt and uncle have 3 kids, 2 of which have spouses and children of their own!). I could not be more excited. They kept warning us, but I just kept telling them that I volunteered on a farm for FUN. I went on my own time and picked strawberries ALL DAY LONG on a hot June day. And it was glorious. I mean, don’t get me wrong- I think farming is insane. I would be a nervous wreck if my livelihood were dependent on crops, but to be a part of something that is so much greater than ourselves- to connect with what makes us function (the food we eat!) was incredible. So I’m in heaven down there and I cannot wait for harvest time.
Anyway, they sent us home with 2 boxes of stuff- it was AMAZING!!!! They gave us homemade jam- strawberry (my personal favorite), a couple of kinds of grape, applesauce, tomatoes, 2 kinds of pickles, and tons of potatoes. They had the biggest sweet potato I have ever seen in my life. Another excellent thing about all the food they grow is that they don’t spray their plants- they don’t want to expose the little children who spend so much time out there to all the chemicals. When we last left them, they were looking into ladybugs as a way to control pests. I LOVE IT!
Anyway, it’s so clear that all of this hard work is done with a lot of love- they share what they have and they are happy to do it. They give food to their family, their church, and their friends. I'm so happy to be a part of this family. I’m really excited to be more involved in what they do.
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