Hello Dear Friends,
Can you believe I’m writing this as we approach the end of the second month of 2024? Time is flying to be sure! Hopefully everyone enjoyed the Holiday Festivals of the winter, renewed and refreshed by family, friends and loved ones who surround us at that time of year. And now we are are energized to begin to make real the dreams we formed in our hearts and minds over winter as spring begins to whisper to us. The apple trees’ buds are beginning to swell, birds are singing and mud season (yuk!) seems to have begun early this year.
As I write this on the almost last day of February (leap year is tomorrow) we are having a wind and rain storm and lots of mud is in the horse paddock. Bodie and Diamond have rolled in it. (They love to roll in it, on their backs with their hooves flailing straight up in the air!) Sigh…Cleaning them up is a challenge to say the least. The forecast is for rain all night and precipitation to end as snow which would at least get rid of the mud for a little while—but not for long as the spring thaw is around the corner.
Our winter was mild and we all came thru it well—furry, feathered and human, despite a nasty wind storm just before Christmas. Trees were damaged, and power lost but thankfully nothing else happened. The weather patterns were consistently quiet. We’re hoping this wind storm we are currently experiencing will also leave us with little or no damage!
Tonight we have our first Ephphatha Board meeting of 2024. We come together to review finances, the sustainability of the farm, future necessary projects (and how to fund them) etc. But most importantly we come together to renew our mission to provide comfort, acceptance and the renewing warmth of human community thru the challenges of daily life. Essentially our farm provides respite to the Individuals who travel here and spend some time with us. As they weave their way through the crevices in the rock wall of daily life, through our presence here we can hopefully shine a ray of light through the sometimes dark cracks in the walls of their journey.
So spring comes…a time of renewal, hope, and joy in the living creation that resurrects again! Gardens are being planned and seeds ordered. We have some joyous news…Ephphatha Farm was asked to grow organic flowers for an upcoming wedding celebration in the fall at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Portland, Maine. We are overjoyed to be part of this celebration of love and joy! We are perusing Johnny’s Seed catalog in Winslow for all types of sunflowers, snapdragons, zinnias, and miniature pumpkins. Seed orders are being finalized after a consultation with the bride and her mother! All hues of gold and burgundy will be included. It’s very exciting! I will be including the latest news of this glorious event!
Wish us a wonderful flower-growing season. We at the farm, wish you a spring of renewal and beauty. As you listen to the birds may your souls be lifted to a new dynamic of hope, filled with peace. Here at the Farm, we invite you to journey with us as we begin our season of renewal.
