This post is exceedingly late.

As summer finds itself at a close, we find ourselves busier than ever, scrambling to complete the majority of our outdoor projects before the famous Seattle grey sets in.

Our garden sits unattended, my chicken coop needs a thorough scrubbing and my potted plants look sad and tired – spent after dropping their seeds, and signaled by the retiring sunlight, receding to a dormant state.

We, however, act as the busy bee or the skittering squirrel – tirelessly working to make preparation for – dare I say it – winter.

We have, however, made great strides on our projects. Over the past few weeks we finally bought a new (used) truck. Soon after we also purchased and enclosed trailer. We spent more on the truck than on our last three cars combined. That’s not to say we spent a lot of money – it is a 2002 – but that we generally don’t invest a lot of our discretionary funds into commuters. I guess it demonstrates where our priorities lay!  It may seem a silly thing, but it’s almost a symbolic purchase for us. We are committed to buying a farm in the next year or two, and having a truck moves us that much closer.

I’ve also been trying to find a new job more aligned to my education and passion – food and sustainability. Unfortunately, it’s been a bit more challenging than I at first imagined. Apparently trying to make a career change mid-stream is not the easiest thing to do! But I’m keeping at it. While establishing a farm is our major goal, we’ve already agreed one of us needs to keep working at least part time to maintain some income. For various reasons, I make the more likely candidate.

But it hasn’t been all work. Last weekend Todd and I volunteered as photographers for Seattle Tilth’s Harvest Festival. I had never attended the event before, and was delighted by all of the new food products vendors had to offer. We left the festival loaded with shrubs (yet another post topic you’ll soon see!), shallot oil, flavored brines and a tote full of apples – all organic. It was local organic food heaven. We also learned about a couple new farm direct sell companies that aim to connect farmers to customers sans the middle man; Farmigo and Barn2Door. I’ll share and expanded post about this soon too.

While it seems a bit funny that we are pushing ourselves to this break-neck speed when at the same time trying to make strides towards a simpler, less hectic life – it feels different than the past. Our efforts have a tangible goal at the end. One we have been planning for and working towards for years now. Each project we complete means once less obstacle in our way between us and our farm.

I look forward to continue sharing our journey along the way!