good evening, friends. it has been awhile. almost a month, really. our days have been filled with daily to do lists, long evenings in the garden, fresh dinners on the patio & change. big change!
in 10 days we are moving to luke’s hometown, fayetteville, in northwest arkansas. we have already set roots in this sweet little community tucked away in the ozark mountains – we drive sixty miles to attend church with luke’s family every sunday! i sell my photography & jewelry at a handful of shops & i
co-curate a {craft show} there every winter. i am smitten with this sweet town & the people we already know & love there.
here’s where it gets a little tricky, as it always does. i received an amazing job opportunity with {NCAT} via americorps. i will work as a support volunteer to the office & several projects focusing on sustainable food systems in northwest arkansas. i am very excited to work with the {snap gardens} to educate & promote future food. of course, i couldn’t ask luke to leave his job, a two hour drive from our new home. so, he’ll be living on the farm part-time & spending his weekends in our home. it already feels so hard & i often find myself lost in thought at the stoplight feeling all teary about not having him at home most evenings.
this past year, though, i’ve learned that i’m incredibly strong. we’re incredibly strong. our last three years of marriage have prepared us for this adventure- many opportunities to practice healthy communication & share our struggles & weaknesses. our strengths & gifts, too. i am thankful for his partnership & will rely on it even more as we make this transition.
at this time, i don’t know what to expect or feel or how to even prepare. we’re packing up all of our belongings, saying goodbye to our garden {i will miss it more than anything here}, cleaning up our life in this town & beginning anew- once more.
love,
natalie
our garden is bursting with life.
+ the golden light late in the evening as we stay out just a bit more to plant, weed, harvest, & admire our small backyard
+ tiny little sungolds appearing on our tomato plants. this is our first year for sungolds- a recommendation from amy (thank you!). i am so excited to taste handfuls of this sweet tomato candy in just a few short weeks!
+ baskets of green beans & radishes turned into jars of {fermented} goodness. luke is really geeking out this summer learning to ferment all kinds of vegetables, fruits, rinds & stems. love it!
+ flowering dill creating a thick bed of bright green flora. we are drying the seeds for pickling cucumbers late in the summer
+ harvesting fresh fennel & sauteing it with a spoonful of coconut oil for dinner
+ beautiful shades of brown eggs among fresh chard & spent kale
+ using every inch of our space- an old cold frame made into the perfect bed for trellising cucumber plants
+ a blanket of volunteer pumpkins weaving around our tomato beds & next to our coop
+ a weekend of more planting, more harvesting, more weeding. the season is just beginning!
what is happening in your garden?
love,
natalie