Small Scale Farms

Sometimes I can’t tell if things are speeding up or slowing down.

Or maybe they are just staying the same?

I don’t seem to experience “busy” the same way many people describe it. My days aren’t filled with meetings and schedules stacked on top of each other. Instead, they’re filled with driving my son everywhere, animals that need feeding, deliveries that need making, people who need help, problems that need solving, and a never-ending list of things that simply won’t wait until tomorrow.

What I do understand is the feeling of doing everything you can and still feeling like you’re not quite getting ahead.

Lately I’ve been spending more time paying attention to the moments in between.

The ponies don’t care about deadlines. They don’t care about invoices, equipment repairs, or whether I’ve crossed enough things off my list. When I walk out to see them, they’re completely present. And the older I get, the more I think that’s the lesson.

Being present isn’t some luxury reserved for people who have their lives figured out.

It’s necessary in day to day life.

Because if you never learn how to be where you are, you’ll never fully experience the life you’re working so hard to build. The destination may matter, but the journey is where your life is actually taking place.

Of course goals matter. Direction matters. In fact, I think one of the most important things a person can do is decide what they actually want. Not what someone else wants for them. Not what social media tells them they should want. What they want.

Once you know that, something shifts.

You still work. You still push forward. You still have difficult days. But you stop fighting the clock quite so much.

I’ve spent enough years believing everything needed to happen faster. Now I find myself a little more comfortable with the timing of things. Maybe that’s what happens when you’ve spent enough time chasing things to realize that forcing them rarely works anyway.

Life has a way of unfolding on its own schedule.

So these days, when I find myself standing in the field with the ponies, I don’t see it as time away from where I’m trying to go. I see it as part of the journey itself.

Because I’ve finally applied the understanding- life isn’t what starts happening when everything finally works out.

Life is what’s happening while you wait.

And that’s a huge shift for me 💕

https://nhr.soundestlink.com/ce/v/0/6a2c7dd6321b50c53fb3913e

It’s just not the same, LOL.

While I do miss my van, I’ve gotta admit I’m saving a ton on gas in the SUV.

Let the Simcoe strawberry summer runs begin! 🍓

Plus Dans Produce gave us some banana bread bananas you’re welcome to have. Limit 20.

See you around 2:00 today with fresh berries packed this morning and ready to go.

I was just gifted this beautiful marshmallow plant by a herbalist mother of eight whom I respect and admire very much. Her name is Grace, no less.

One plant at a time, we’ve been adding to our medicinal garden, which to some looks like weeds, but to us, it’s something much more. We are learning as we go and building something that I hope will serve our community for years to come.

Marshmallow is one of those plants that’s easy to overlook until you learn what it’s capable of. To most people, it’s just another plant. But those who know it understand that it has been used for generations to soothe, support, and nourish the body. Its greatest strength isn’t in being flashy. It’s in quietly doing what it was designed to do.

In that way, I think many of us are a lot like marshmallow.

We live in a world that often celebrates what is loud, fast, and attention-grabbing. Yet some of the most important things in life are gentle. A kind word. A helping hand. A neighbour who shows up. A mother raising her children. A plant growing quietly in the corner of a garden, waiting for someone to recognize its value.

Thank you, Grace. This one has found a good home.

Not gonna lie, today was hard.

There are days when responsibility really adds up. I probably did more today than some people do in a week, and I’m still not done. Am I bragging? Obviously not. This sucks.

But unfortunately, sometimes life sucks.

I’ve stopped waiting for life to become one big fantasy where everything falls into place. It doesn’t. So instead, I’ve started looking for the good that’s hiding inside the things I have to do anyway.

Walking the dog becomes a chance to kick my shoes off and feel the grass under my feet. Feeding the pigs becomes a few quiet minutes listening to their happy grunts and watching them enjoy something as simple as supper. Checking on the ponies reminds me that some souls are perfectly content standing in a field with the sun on their backs.

Farming isn’t easy, and working in food security is HARD. But gratitude isn’t about pretending things are easy. It’s about finding something worth appreciating while carrying the weight anyway.

Some days, that’s all I’ve got.

And I’m starting to realize that’s enough.

Special delivery!
It’s the first of the Ontario raspberry season! Plus they literally just packed these strawberries THIS MORNING in Norfolk Country.
I’m so grateful for farmers who farm without the heavy use of fungicides, pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. You will taste the difference.
And your body will thank you for it. 🍓

Something something about women approaching menopause, needing to maintain muscle mass, bone health, and nutrient status - becoming increasingly important.
Ok fine. I tried it. The Comforts put organ meat in some of their ground beef now which thank God tastes good!
Organ meats can provide a lot of nutrition in a small serving, which is why they’re often considered a “superfood.” 💕
Taco Salad anyone?

This week’s newsletter is packed with some of our favourites. Fresh flavoured milk is in, buffalo brie is on sale, and Comfort Farm burgers are ready for the grill. Take a look at what’s new, what’s on sale, and what’s fresh this week, all here: https://nhr.soundestlink.com/ce/v/0/6a285592b0b57eecc63a9534

Local strawberries are finally here, and we’ve got them on sale for just $6 a pint. 🍓

We also received another produce delivery yesterday, so the shelves are packed with fresh fruit and plenty of great deals throughout the store.

Lots of items priced to move, lots of fresh arrivals, and plenty to choose from. If you’ve been meaning to stop by, this is a great week to do it.

Open daily. See you soon!

Most people don’t actually want responsibility. Not really. Responsibility is heavy. It means showing up when you’re tired. Following through when it’s inconvenient. Carrying things that nobody else sees.

The reality is that many people have already tapped out. They’ve handed responsibility to someone else, blamed their circumstances, or simply stopped trying.

For me, responsibility isn’t optional. There are too many people, projects, and commitments depending on me. Some days it’s exhausting. Some days I wish it wasn’t all on my shoulders. But it is. So I keep moving.

I’ve learned is that the people around you matter.

But - to be my friend, there is an expectation.

Don’t put your negativity on me.

Your words have power. The things you repeat become the reality you live in. If all you speak is limitation, fear, and excuses, eventually that’s all you’ll see.

But words are only part of the story.

What you do matters far more than what you say.

Your actions reveal your character. They show what you truly believe. They show whether you’ll stand up when things get hard, whether you’ll help when nobody is watching, and whether you’ll carry your share of the weight.

Character isn’t built through talk. It’s built through action.

And in the end, we don’t become who we are based solely on what we believe.

We become what we repeatedly choose to do.