“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

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

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

MOST POPULAR BLOG POST

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

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

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

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.)

MOVING FORWARD INTO 2021

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!