It’s been a few weeks since we had our last farmstand, and I sure do miss seeing and chatting with all of you! The time has been well spent over here, though. The weather has been amazing! We’ve had some great hikes and long walks, visits to a few parks, more leisurely mornings, and plenty of prep work as we get closer to winter. If winter came tomorrow, we’d be in good shape, but, you know me – I have more that I’d love to get done this fall.
Spring is just so fickle with cold, wet, windy weather and mud. I can work in most conditions, but mud is where I absolutely draw the line! OK, high winds are tough, but can still be workable. If you’ve ever worked in mud to the point where your boots weigh more than your whole leg and the thought of moving or cleaning those boots make you want to throw the boots away, you might feel the same. Wait? Only me? You’ve never been that deep into the mud on a work day? Hmmm… One more reason to be glad that I’m out of the building trade, I guess. And, vegetable buyers are much happier people!
Over here, the failing herb beds are being replaced with metal Vego beds, and that project is halfway finished. The metal fence posts that keep our tall plants and their cages upright should be pulled (that is easier now when there’s no frost in the beds). The raspberries will get cut back. Trees need to be trimmed, and of course there are leaves.
We woke yesterday to the entire front yard and parking area covered with 2-3 inches of leaves! Those two big trees dropped ALL of their leaves overnight. The hackberry leaves turned a yellowish tan color and curled. It looked like a dump truck of Bugles had been left for us. Sadly, it was not Scott’s favorite snack food on the driveway. Those leaves and stems were so deep that the snow shovel was used to get them off the driveway! I’m sure people that drive by here regularly wonder what they’re going to see me doing next. Hahaha!
I’ve started preparing for holiday shopping season. Products have been restocked in my booth at Rescued in Silvis, and more are being made to have on hand. Some jams still need to be made, and there are cookies in the freezer. That’s good progress considering that Friday I was still working outside until nearly dark.
Yesterday, I signed a contract to rent a space for a pop-up. I hope you’re as excited about this as I am! It’s been a long time since we’ve done one. Ashley, owner of Bev’s Yarn Barn, has graciously allowed me to book her vendor area in her new shop. Click the link above to see her shop, offerings, and store hours. For those of you familiar with downtown Rock Island, she’s in the old Stecker’s Minuteman Press location on 18th Street right off 4th Avenue (the Law Centre is around the corner). I’ll be there on Saturday, November 22nd from 10:00 to Noon. Parking is easy at the curb on both sides of the street and there are no steps to get inside her cute shop. Bonus, she has some beautiful yarns! Crocheting and knitting escape me completely, but I do love their finished products. I hope you’ll grab a friend and come down to meet Ashley and see me! There will be holiday jam, lots of baked goods, chai latte mix, potato soup mix, dark cocoa mix, and body products like lotion bars, sugar scrubs, and so much more! Let’s start the “Shop small” season early and beat the crowds. P.S. There will be a reminder as the date gets closer.
There may be another pop-up opportunity coming early in December, but I’ll stay in touch on that. As always, if you would like something, just reach out! I’ve had requests for full batches of cookies, and as long as you give me some notice, that’s easy. The focaccia breads are made in single loaf increments, so those are easy too, and you know I’ve got jams on the shelf. There is almost always chai latte mix here, too. An order is on its way with more ingredients to make sure that we can stay stocked up.
In closing, we hope that you and your family are well and enjoying the long fall season! We are definitely enjoying the slower pace and fewer deadlines (like picking or watering daily). I hope to see you at Bev’s Yarn Barn and chat!