And another year has come to pass. At times it is easy to think it has all been a blur, yet if/when one can find time to reflect and can begin piecing the year back together a bit at a time well, the pieces can easily fill up a year.
Winter should be this time for reflection: short light, colder days and a seemingly slower pace. Good time for holidays as there suddenly seems to be more time to gather round and count one’s blessings even after checking off, perhaps, substantial losses. Does life come full circle at the end and the beginning of the years? For some.
Birds bring so much into focus as I still think they are always sanctifiers of Nature. Generally, if the birds are doing what they “should be doing” such as migrating at the “right time”, singing at the right time, hatching at the right time and so on, all is bright in the world. Which confounds this farmer even more, for I’ve been trying to make sense of our beloved bluebirds! Not a week before Christmas I was standing in our kitchen one morning and looked out to see a flock of birds in the apricot tree. Upon closer inspection, and with the confirmation from Brooke, indeed they were a small group of bluebirds. What’s more, they all soon were fluttering around the nesting box they’d hatched from in early June! What?? There are a number of ways to get hold of us here at Bluebird – none of which I really know how to use: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest (thrust?) etc. But please, please enlighten me to why winter Bluebirds? I have a couple hunches but none are satisfying. So…. I look forward to hearing from y’all.
Meanwhile, “Santa’s Workshop” here at the granary was whirring away indeed this past month. Lots of gift basket orders thanks to so many of you. Lots of local stores bulking up on our dry goods for the holidays, as well as many distributor accounts and a variety of home bakers. It is our pleasure to service one and all. The fun of ferrying freight out of the Rendezvous has begun in earnest with the first snows, yet despite the complications that winter weather can sometimes present, I’m mostly glad for the snow and cold and extra challenge because if it were otherwise this time of year well, it just wouldn’t seem “right”!
The workshop crew came through shining and we are grateful to our entire staff here – some quite new – some longtime employees. One and all deserved the nice holiday dinner Tappi in Twisp hosted for us just before Christmas, where we were treated to a scrumptious 5-course meal highlighted by baked split emmer with cheese topping, and slow roasted pork. Wonderful Italian wine helped us digest it all and it was a fine celebration to end another year. This past week between the two holidays is the only week that Bluebird shuts down during the year. Fear not, the milling line will soon be back running to mill new flour orders and clean more batches of our hulled grains that are cleaning beautifully this year.
Please keep those less fortunate in mind during this joyous time for many, yet hellish time for many others. Please keep the faith that the winter bluebirds are a harmless oddity that will be explained satisfactorily. Please hold hands and embrace one another and, above all, our Mother.
You’ll hear from me soon next year!
Peace, Farmer Sam