my bluebird sings

the month of may-hem is over. for many of us here on the farm and many others i adore afar, it’s been a bitch.
part mercury, part spring, part weather, part life equaled a lot of change. a lot of loss. the latest frost in 50 years claimed the hundreds of big and beautiful tomatoes and eggplants we watched blossom from tiny little seeds. grapes and peaches were bit with the black tongue. the potatoes took a hit but seem to be bouncing back (must be an idaho/irish thing!!). we’ve only just started transplanting from the greenhouse most of what has been begging for earth, air, and sky. what a season to be a farmer in the sierras!
the beauty in all the bummer is that this pacific northwest-like weather has brought unusual abundance. all of the berry bushes have twice as many flowers, which means twice as much fruit. yummy!
by the way, next to my favorite the raspberry, we have strawberries, blackberries, boysenberries, blueberries, elderberries, black currants, and the area famed mullberry tree. mmmmmmmmm.
and there are hundreds of birds on the farm-ones missing from the trees for ten years or so. it was a lovely day to see a tiny nest in the rose bush filled with even tinier baby chicks, pink skin and whitish mohawks, so new and fragile. the mating calls of the ravens are a click clack like i’ve never heard before and the morning songs of countless other birds make waking up so damn early almost pleasurable.
so friends, as you cry from heartbreak just remember that may has passed and june is here, summer is on her way carrying sunny days and new love. so come eat some freakin’ berries! possibly bathed in liquor as a sweet reminder that may came only once this year!