Teamwork

When we said “I DO” that hot September day back in 1984, our plans for the future never included: starting our lives anew from the ground up (LITERALLY), meeting the vet at the barn at 2am, beating snow off the hoophouses in the middle of a blizzard, hauling hay in hundred degree weather, performing a successful post-mortem caesarean on a ewe, working far harder than we ever thought we could, worrying and praying our way through countless farming scenarios. (the list could go on and on) Our plans for our future together were pretty tame…just the “Mr. and Mrs.” somewhere in quasi-suburbia. Farming was never an option, we thought we had our lives all figured out.

If we had only known…

We never planned to move to the Valley, become farmers…and love this life we live. I don’t think we had heard of a Farmers’ Market. Growing vegetables was a hobby...we never expected it to become our life and livelihood! They say that life is what happens while you’re planning other things. That is exactly what happened to us! While it has been a bumpy ride to the point at which we find ourselves…we arrived together…intact.

We have always worked well as a team. Always. We’ve had a number of mishaps and “adventures” along the way, but it’s always been together. When we faced the challenge of a totally new and different life here in the Valley, we pitched in TOGETHER and worked through it.

We each acknowledge our own weaknesses and rely on the other’s strengths. Each of us has an area of expertise, and we help each other whenever we can. The Boss can make almost anything a reality. He keeps everything running and does the muscle work. I get the nurturing jobs…and try to keep track of the little details. The farm runs somewhat smoothly because we’re generally on the same page, although we see things from slightly different perspectives. It’s become second nature to anticipate the other’s needs.

Looking back on those vows made years ago, we can actually say “…been there…done that!” to for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. Despite a few scares along the way, we’re hoping that “ ‘til death do you part” is a long, long way in the future. There’s a still lot to do around here.

Here’s to another 27!