I arrived home from Israel and spent the next two weeks in culture shock. Driving on roads felt restrictive, walls hemmed me in, even the regime of regular showering seemed wasteful and redundant. It was wonderful and exciting to see family and friends but I also missed writing blogs and posting cool pictures. It took some time to adjust to regular life again. But my hiking boots are back on the shelf and my feet are firmly planted in the blueberry field (which is doing awesome by the way!)

I have been busy on the farm doing farm things: building gates, planting Apple trees, fixing a section of my deer fence that came down in the winter. This year’s lack of rain made installing the irrigation system a top priority. I pruned off the winter kill from the blueberry plants and spread 500 more pounds of sulphur to maintain a low soil ph. Mowing the grass and weeding the rows is ongoing. And weird as it sounds, getting years of compacted hay and goat poop cleaned out of the barn and clearing away junk piles has been a real thrill. My son’s friends say, I’m a little out there. I guess they’re right. But I hope they mean it in a good way.

I must have been on crack to consider ordering more plants this year. I’m so glad that I didn’t. I am loving getting organized and trying to prettify the place without being in the pressure cooker of last year. My blueberries are healthy and life is good but I think I’ll let “The Merry Blueberry” get a tiny bit established first, and maybe even generate a buck or two before expanding.

At the end of the day, showering definitely no longer feels redundant.