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"In folly's cup still laughs the bubble joy." Alexander Pope

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The Bubble Joy

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The State of the Blog 2020

January 30, 2021 mithra ballesteros
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“A married couple, mid-fifties, responsible community members, believers in recycling, pinewood derby, and gluten-free book drives, take leave of the suburbs and stick their shovels into a country farm. It is not what they expected. The work dulls his mind. The lack of company sharpens her temper. The chickens never shut up shut up SHUT UP.”

I wrote that caption for a Halloween Instagram post and isn’t it the most fitting photo to lead off my annual look back? “Dumpster fire” doesn’t adequately describe 2020. Maybe “flaming pile of maggoty wood” is better.

This week, as I renew my domain The Bubble Joy for another year, I’m asking myself a few questions. Why blog when there are so many weeds on this farm? Why blog when it pays less than a pound of hidatsa beans? Why blog when Instagram is so much more edible with its bite-sized portions?

I guess because old habits die hard. I like the routine. I like the interaction with readers, the friendships with people I’ve never met. I like that I’m the gatekeeper, the one who decides what sentence to cut, whether to use a swear, or my other favorite, a semi-colon.

Truth: I hide behind the blog. It allows me to avoid submitting work for publication. (Rejection.)

Will I continue?

Who the fuck knows.


MOST RELEVANT INSTAGRAM POST

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I photographed this old letter and posted it to Instagram on March 8, 2020, about ten days before stay-at-home orders began and Tom Hanks got sick. The letter was written by a resident of Merton on March 11, 1888 and contains the following words:

“Dear Children, we received Eddesa’s and your mama’s letter last week... there have been so many sick In Merton this winter ... The new store keeper’s little girl died two weeks ago six years old. Dr. Farley tended the child ... he could not tell what ailed the child ... he said it was a new disease. It had not been around for many years some kind of fever with pneumonia. The child’s father took the corpse out to Iowa where its mother was buried last spring...”


BEST READER COMMENTS

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I adore hearing from all of you. The post about the rooster dumped in our yard generated some amusing comments:

“Mithra, roosters are just assholes. Period. The only kind of rooster I would ever allow in my hen house (after learning the hard way) was a Blue Cochin. They are much more timid than any other rooster I’ve had the displeasure of knowing. XXOO” — Peggy

“Eat him!” — Melody

“As for the narcissistic, puffed chest, orange bully you have among your girls, please get rid of him! God knows we don’t need another one of him around!” — Terry

“That cocky cock needs taking down a peg. Time to sharpen the hatchett!” — Sara

“I think he’s pretty. But that’s no excuse for behaving like a Viking.” — Joan

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MOST POPULAR BLOG POST

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Our farmhouse was built in 1842 and you loved the before-and-after of the tiny kitchen. More farmhouse improvements coming in 2021!


MOST NOSTALGIC BLOG POST

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The last trip we took was with my parents in February, and I blogged about the experience in Roses Are Red and the Plane Is Blue. Oh, to be harassed by TSA security again!


YOUR FAVORITE INSTAGRAM POST FROM THE BUBBLE JOY VS. LAURENTIDE

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Pic on the left was the top post on my blog’s Instagram. Pic on the right was the top post on Laurentide’s Instagram. Lordy lordy how life changes.


LAURENTIDE FARM SUPERSEDES EVERYTHING ELSE

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It’s been so tough to start a farm in the middle of a pandemic. Seeds sold out everywhere! We couldn’t source certain materials needed for infrastructure. Farmer’s markets closed. Restaurants too.

But food pantries had a huge need, and we feel so good about donating a lot of our produce to Feeding America, Milwaukee Rescue Mission, Tandem, and others.

We experimented with different crops, and made wheelbarrows full of mistakes. Corn, ugh, what a bust! The basil was lovely until we overwatered for a couple weeks and noticed our mistake just in time for a long rainy spell. Beans — what a pain! They took up a lot of space and in the end, we got two good meals out of all that work.

Walter’s greens though, are just sublime. His tomatoes too. And his hybrid peppers, which he named Tejos, resulted in a deliciously fiery hot sauce. Someday I will blog the story of the bottle that exploded.

Then there’s the bread. Our son Walter’s partner, Heather, worked in a bakery while getting her computer science degree at Iowa. Guess which skill set she is using on a daily basis. One never knows, right? Heather’s bread will also be the subject of an upcoming blog post. It causes multiple foodgasms and we have the passionate texts from customers to prove it.

Our resident lawyer, Gary, has incorporated Laurentide Farm. He’s filed for permits to sell our produce and applied for a grant to build a new hoop house. Next, he will organize our non-profit work as well as explore grants for solar energy. And no, he is not retired.

Our son Nicholas, who is a painter, has expanded his repertoire by designing logos and packaging. I cannot wait to reveal in yet another future blog post!

Seriously, if you are interested in our bumpy journey from novice to neophyte farm, follow us on Instagram. Do it! Every night after dinner, we sit around and groupwrite a fun essay. Of course I’m the boss of the final product, but I promise, it’s a stew of interesting words that reflects all of us. Also, the photos, mostly our son Walter’s, are truly outstanding. (See the series below of Walter with his favorite new gadget for harvesting greens.)

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MOVING FORWARD INTO 2021

A few days back in the ‘Quon. All of February is the price I’m willing to fork over for one week in September.

I’ll close this look back on 2020 with a photo of my beloved looking forward. He is the reason why I can wear a crown while mucking out a chicken coop. He loves me for all my kookiness. He is resigned to my never ending procrastination. And his infinite enthusiasm for all that I do powers me to keep typing.

Thank you for the gift of your eyes and your time. I hope to continue to earn it. And please feel free to leave me a comment on what you think will happen in 2021. For yourself, for the country, or for our farm! Best to you!


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In Lessons, Farm Tags state of the blog
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Welcome! I'm Mithra (pronounced Mee-thra). I'm an interior stylist and a writer. I'm also a vintage and antiques lover. I have an online shop, Finder Not Keeper, where I sell my best finds. (That's a white lie. I keep the best finds.) Read more about me and the blog here. 


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A few days back in the ‘Quon. All of February is the price I’m willing to fork over for one week in September.
A few days back in the ‘Quon. All of February is the price I’m willing to fork over for one week in September.
Latest blog post about our new outdoor shower and the differences of opinion between this guy and his mother (me) on how it should be used. #linkinbio
Latest blog post about our new outdoor shower and the differences of opinion between this guy and his mother (me) on how it should be used. #linkinbio
Brainy, brave, kind, genuine, indefatigable, funny, patriotic, fair, hard working, gentle, strong, iconic.
Brainy, brave, kind, genuine, indefatigable, funny, patriotic, fair, hard working, gentle, strong, iconic.
Those aren’t my hands forming baguettes. But I took the pic. @heat_her_all_a_man has it down  and I’m ready with my salted butter and honey. What do you eat with baguettes?
Those aren’t my hands forming baguettes. But I took the pic. @heat_her_all_a_man has it down and I’m ready with my salted butter and honey. What do you eat with baguettes?
Surveying the herb garden after a good weeding session. Basil took a hit the last couple weeks but everything else is flourishing like summer lasts forever.
Surveying the herb garden after a good weeding session. Basil took a hit the last couple weeks but everything else is flourishing like summer lasts forever.
First restaurant account for @littlelaurentide! Also first time eating out since the snow was flying. Really really fun night. (Not to mention that building’s white with black trim paint color scheme is 💯)
First restaurant account for @littlelaurentide! Also first time eating out since the snow was flying. Really really fun night. (Not to mention that building’s white with black trim paint color scheme is 💯)
Surprise lilies, also known as naked ladies, fit in well here at the farm for reasons we will let you ponder.
Surprise lilies, also known as naked ladies, fit in well here at the farm for reasons we will let you ponder.
This is son #2, the farmer. Walter is working hard to turn this place into a sustainable organic farm. Follow us @littlelaurentide for the latest on how mother and son align, clash, argue, hug.
This is son #2, the farmer. Walter is working hard to turn this place into a sustainable organic farm. Follow us @littlelaurentide for the latest on how mother and son align, clash, argue, hug.
On the blog today, the newest bachelor at Little Laurentide. Will he draw viewers or is he a train wreck along the lines of Juan Pablo Galavis? Read the latest blog post to find out! Link in bio.
On the blog today, the newest bachelor at Little Laurentide. Will he draw viewers or is he a train wreck along the lines of Juan Pablo Galavis? Read the latest blog post to find out! Link in bio.
On the blog today: a tour of the best places on the farm to sit for a spell. And I write a bit about what it’s like to cohabit with a son who used to give me every kind of gray hair. He could teach a polar bear how to be grumpy and I could teac
On the blog today: a tour of the best places on the farm to sit for a spell. And I write a bit about what it’s like to cohabit with a son who used to give me every kind of gray hair. He could teach a polar bear how to be grumpy and I could teach a grizzly bear how to be grumpy. It’s a new world for the two of us, farming together, and can you guess how it’s going??

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