Grateful hearts

“There is always something to be thankful for.”

How many times have I heard that phrase? How many times have I thought it? How many times have I let slip by without expressing it?

That’s why I’m here today – to say thanks and let you know how very thankful I am for each of you. Thank you for your kindness, support, encouragement, wisdom and friendship in this life. Life is HARD. Adulting is hard. Parenting is hard. Farming is hard. Relationships are hard. But because of you it’s so much better. THANK YOU!!

This has been a strange season! So many complex emotions are being felt by so many people around us – loneliness, fear, anxiety, depression, anger, panic. . . . But I hope even with these emotions we can come together and support each other emotionally with words of wisdom, encouragement, love and joy. That’s what I feel from those close to me. I feel their encouragement and love. And so I want to send that out to you – I hope you can get some encouragement from me and feel the gratitude I have for you in this post.

When we started this whole experiment seven years ago we truly never expected to find ourselves “farming” full time. I was still in the clinic working part time as a Physical Therapist and being a mom to Marshall. Barry was on the road touring with Alison Krauss and Union Station as well as “side gigs” with The Earls of Leicester and friends like Noam Pikelny and Aoife O’Donovan. We began raising a few chickens for eggs and then for us to enjoy as a family. That grew to include raising a few more chickens for friends to enjoy. Then we decided house made bacon would be a great addition to our diet so added pigs to the farm. We grew slowly and methodically but never ever ever thought we’d be here. All three of us on the farm full time.

And even this year we had plans that were so very different. Barry was going on the road, of course. We were going to let the farm rest for a season and we were going to rest as well. But then March came and everything planned was suddenly unplanned. Our lives, like every other life on the planet, changed in what seemed a week. Phones started ringing with cancellations – school, shows, festivals, tours, sports seasons. Everything. And then the shortages! Toilet paper! Cleaning supplies! Eggs! Chicken! Beef! Pork!

So we prayed and readjusted to the new times. We increased our farm productivity and we increased our numbers to increase our supply and you answered. You were with us every step of the way. So THANK YOU! Thank you for being there for us and we are trying (and hopefully succeeding) to be there for you!

We will continue to increase our supply this year. We will have new products throughout the late summer and into the fall and winter. Marshall continues to love on his girls and Barry continues to work as hard as any one human can work, in my opinion. It’s our goal to provide you with what you need, but even more than that, to provide what you want. To offer the most delicious and nutritious meat and eggs available anywhere. That’s our goal. And we are working tirelessly to meet it.

So again, thank you for your support and encouragement. Thank you for making this dream a reality for Barry and for allowing us to be here on the farm and there for you to serve you through this uncertainty.

Y’all know if you have any questions or need anything we can give to call me. Anytime. I want to be here for you like you’ve been here for us.

Thank you from the bottom of my very grateful heart!

Aliceson