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For the most part, I have successfully avoided technology and gadgets. Not that I am against them, I just don't look for reasons to need new stuff. I would rather eat a blackberry than stare at my emails on one. But in the harshness of this past year, I have really enjoyed and truly have been blessed by reconnecting with old friends and discovering new ones via Facebook and smallerindiana.com. Friends who, because of similar circumstances, have really reached out in ways that others could not. Who would have thought an introvert like me would enjoy and be so blessed in the world of social networking. (Especially since I always made fun of it!) Who knows, we may start using these tools to help us better connect with you. Someone has suggested we use Twitter for the cowshare owners to stay connected on issues such as supply, and other uses as well that I don't really understand. It's not really my thing. We'll see, I'm open to it.
This past beautiful week was absolutely perfect for making hay. Making hay is one of my most important jobs because our winter feed expense is our biggest expense on the farm. While everyone else was making hay, I was not. Why? Uh, well, some computer malfunction on the hay baler. Hay balers have computers? Yeah, so they can help me bale lots & lots of acres per day. Well, the Amish with their horses got alot more hay done than me and my high tech equipment last week. (And they probably ate blackberries in the shade while their horses rested and drank water.) Oh well, at least I read some good emails last week, while they were getting so much work done! Hopefully I'll be ready to go when the weather cooperates next.
On kind of a humorous note, we have 2 good Dutch Belted dairy bulls. Both are good, but one I think is outstanding. The kids I think call him Big B, but his given Christian name is Slick Willie Nelson Mandela the 2nd. His only job is having healthy intimate relationships with 30 hot cows. (Well, I'm just assuming they're hot by the way he acts.) He takes his job very seriously. He 'had' it pretty good. 'HAD!' He developed a bad habit of knocking over the mobile water tanks in the pasture which would sometimes break the water lines. I don't know if he was just showing off for the ladies, or if he actually realized that if he broke it at night when I wouldn't notice, the water would spray all night and by morning there would be a small pond for him to stand in. After the second time, I told him "from now on, it's swimming OR the women." He decided that night it would be both, swimming WITH the women! I got to the pasture the next morning with all the cows bunched up standing in water. So I removed him from the milking herd and put the other bull in. Slick Willie is now in a pasture with about 10 calves that all hang around him like he's a bigshot celebrity. I wish I were tech savvy enough to take and post photos on here because it truly is hilarious. He just stands at the edge of the fence looking at his women in a far off pasture and just moans so sadly like he has lost all that matters to him, which is exactly what HAS happened. Poor guy!
I love this time of year because this farm now truly is a land flowing with milk and ...... uh, that reminds me, we do actually have local raw honey back in the store, thanks to the Browns. I so much appreciate all the beauty that has been added to the store thanks to Josh and Sarah, especially Sarah's art, both on canvas paintings hanging on the walls, and now directly on the walls themselves! I love it! The canvas paintings are for sale, the walls stay here. I also really appreciate Heather Harvey and all the flowers and landscaping. Beauty is so uplifting to the soul!
I wish you all a wonderful day. Please come and hang out with us, and let us know what more we can do for you. Soon we will start our Friday evenings featuring all the coffee/espresso drinks you can think up, maybe smoothies, Trader's Point ice cream, yogurt, and chocolate milk, (which many have pointed out causes a "crack" like addiction.) We'll have the grill going if anyone wants to cook out, and we'll make music and have great conversations about anything and everything, and just let the spirit lead. Sounds like fun, I can't wait! God bless you all!
Mark
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Signage/Espresso
Oh how I love a good latte or cappuccino. In our travels to Italy I usually way overdose on the words "un cappuccino" (one cappuccino) as we travel from coffee shop to coffee shop. In fact, I'm quite particular about the way the coffee drinks are made. Starbucks just doesn't cut it! They don't do it right (I could go on and on).
Well we're going to do it right at the Apple Family Farm Store. A few years ago when preparing to open a youth hang out in Fortville (The Cabbage Head), we purchased a genuine Faema Italian espresso machine. We've now installed that machine at the farm store in preparation to have a weekly "open house" where family and friends can gather at the farm store for great coffee, snacks, and taste tests. We even plan to have a grill lit up and ready so you can cook the meats you purchase at the store (we'll have plenty defrosted).
By popular demand, we have started adding signage to the property (temporary at this point) so no one will ever again wonder "Where's the store???" Now you can tell you friends with confidence to visit and know they'll actually make in to shop!
Blessings,
Josh
Well we're going to do it right at the Apple Family Farm Store. A few years ago when preparing to open a youth hang out in Fortville (The Cabbage Head), we purchased a genuine Faema Italian espresso machine. We've now installed that machine at the farm store in preparation to have a weekly "open house" where family and friends can gather at the farm store for great coffee, snacks, and taste tests. We even plan to have a grill lit up and ready so you can cook the meats you purchase at the store (we'll have plenty defrosted).
By popular demand, we have started adding signage to the property (temporary at this point) so no one will ever again wonder "Where's the store???" Now you can tell you friends with confidence to visit and know they'll actually make in to shop!
Blessings,
Josh
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
The New Shopkeepers
Hello,
I wanted to take a few minutes to introduce myself. I'm Sarah. My husband Josh and I have taken on a new adventure; we are now the shopkeepers at the Apple Family Farm Store.
Any of you who have been part of the farm for at least six years may remember when Debbie first opened the Cranberry Cottage Shop- but it wasn’t at the farm, it was at our house on Main Street in Fortville. Back then I was the live-in shopkeeper, while Debbie and I both contributed our dreams and products to the little shop. It was about five years ago when we moved the shop to the farm, I was too busy with my babies to be very involved at the time, but my children are older now, and it’s a good time to help out at the farm. So, it seemed very natural to step back into the shopkeeper role at the Apple’s store.
We’ve made many updates over the past few days, and we think you will really enjoy what we have in store for you all. We have added a few new products, and many more new things are on the way, so check in often. As we add new products to the store we would like to hear what you think. What kind of things would you like to see in the shop? Were there products offered in the past that you would want us to bring back?
If you have been to the store lately you may have noticed the espresso machine, and the big coffee bean grinders. Today we had a waterline for the new coffee bar installed, and in a few weeks we'll start hosting a weekly Friday Night Coffee House at the store. To celebrate the opening of the coffee bar we will serve free Lattes, Mochas, and Cappuccinos to anyone who brings friend to the Farm Store. We’ll even give your friend a free latte too.
During the Friday night open house you will all be able to meet other patrons of the Apple Family Farm. There will be some music (bring your instrument!), free samples, and other fun stuff for the whole family to enjoy. Watch for updates so we can tell you when the friday night gatherings will begin.
We will also be planning workdays on the Farm from time to time. There are many things happening on the farm, and Mark has really had his hands full lately. Would any of you like to join our family and others to give Mark a hand? We are also hoping to build a new petting farm this summer, and we are looking for volunteers as well as lumber materials. This will be fun!
We look forward to meeting you all, and hope to do all that we can to create a great experience and provide everything you would look for in a farm shop, and more.
If you would like to learn more about our family visit www.BusyBrowns.com. We are a homeschooling family with seven young children, we have one son who is ten years old, and six younger daughters, and a baby due in the fall. You will enjoy seeing the products that some of our children are producing for the Farm Store. Our family lives just a couple miles from the Apple Family Farm.
Blessings,
Sarah Brown
P.S. Here is the link to some fun Youtube Movies our family has made:
http://www.youtube.com/user/SimplerTimesFamily
I wanted to take a few minutes to introduce myself. I'm Sarah. My husband Josh and I have taken on a new adventure; we are now the shopkeepers at the Apple Family Farm Store.
Any of you who have been part of the farm for at least six years may remember when Debbie first opened the Cranberry Cottage Shop- but it wasn’t at the farm, it was at our house on Main Street in Fortville. Back then I was the live-in shopkeeper, while Debbie and I both contributed our dreams and products to the little shop. It was about five years ago when we moved the shop to the farm, I was too busy with my babies to be very involved at the time, but my children are older now, and it’s a good time to help out at the farm. So, it seemed very natural to step back into the shopkeeper role at the Apple’s store.
We’ve made many updates over the past few days, and we think you will really enjoy what we have in store for you all. We have added a few new products, and many more new things are on the way, so check in often. As we add new products to the store we would like to hear what you think. What kind of things would you like to see in the shop? Were there products offered in the past that you would want us to bring back?
If you have been to the store lately you may have noticed the espresso machine, and the big coffee bean grinders. Today we had a waterline for the new coffee bar installed, and in a few weeks we'll start hosting a weekly Friday Night Coffee House at the store. To celebrate the opening of the coffee bar we will serve free Lattes, Mochas, and Cappuccinos to anyone who brings friend to the Farm Store. We’ll even give your friend a free latte too.
During the Friday night open house you will all be able to meet other patrons of the Apple Family Farm. There will be some music (bring your instrument!), free samples, and other fun stuff for the whole family to enjoy. Watch for updates so we can tell you when the friday night gatherings will begin.
We will also be planning workdays on the Farm from time to time. There are many things happening on the farm, and Mark has really had his hands full lately. Would any of you like to join our family and others to give Mark a hand? We are also hoping to build a new petting farm this summer, and we are looking for volunteers as well as lumber materials. This will be fun!
We look forward to meeting you all, and hope to do all that we can to create a great experience and provide everything you would look for in a farm shop, and more.
If you would like to learn more about our family visit www.BusyBrowns.com. We are a homeschooling family with seven young children, we have one son who is ten years old, and six younger daughters, and a baby due in the fall. You will enjoy seeing the products that some of our children are producing for the Farm Store. Our family lives just a couple miles from the Apple Family Farm.
Blessings,
Sarah Brown
P.S. Here is the link to some fun Youtube Movies our family has made:
http://www.youtube.com/user/SimplerTimesFamily
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