Farm Happenings at Tumbling Shoals Farm
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Farm Happenings for October 10, 2023

Posted on October 5th, 2023 by Shiloh Avery

Picture of joy after fear

Well, it appears that it's time to get back out the box of winter warm things that I only just put away in July.  This weekend, fall appears in earnest, but we're ready with lots of cool season things.  We've covered the late planting of beans and probably will be pulling out the okra plants next week.  Still harvesting a smattering of summer things like beans and a few chiles, but it's time to pick up sweet potatoes from Cottle Organics and don the thermals.  Enjoy your harvest this week!

Here's this week's blog

“If it feeds you more fear than joy, skip it”, she says to me.  Perhaps she can see the fear in my eyes, but I’m familiar with the feeling. I shrug, and keep going.  I know the order of operations.  It’s not “more fear than joy”, but rather, “first fear then joy”.  Always.  The joy comes from powering through the fear, from doing it despite being afraid.  I’ve been told that this is what courage is: being afraid and doing it anyway.  I never would have considered myself a courageous person.  I know I tend more toward the “flight” end of the adrenaline response. But in some contexts, I find fear to be a signal of future joy and power though. I want to say I just learned this from our new hobby/addiction/obsession (whitewater kayaking), but I know there was fear as I headed off into the unknown of west Africa at age 19.  Or even to the unknown of Kentucky at 17.  And certainly at the unknown jumping off the cliff into full time vegetable farming. And oh! The joy that is borne from that fear.  The celebration of spirit that clambered over that boulder of apprehension. The printed exclamation point does not do the exhilaration justice (even multiple ones), but alas, this is our medium of expression at the moment, so feast your eyes on the joy: !!!!