Gentlemen Farmers

Today we had a crazy thunder and lightning storm in Seattle (doesn’t that weather vane photo look kind of eerie—like an image from a creepy Alfred Hitchcock movie trailer?! I shot it tonight at home when the thunderstorm was still raging). So, I packed up the boys and caught a ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island (favorite island in the world—as fans of The Violets of March know!), where I crossed the Agate Pass Bridge to Poulsbo, to visit my parents for the day. My boys loved hanging with their Nana and Papa and eating ice cream sandwiches outside while playing in the kiddie pool. My dad and I went on a long jog along the waterfront (and managed not to get hit by lightning when a storm rolled through), and then the big boys (3 and 5) harvested some vegetables in the garden with Papa.

And, look at the amazing amount of onions and carrots we picked!

And then Colby passed out for a nap in Papa’s arms…

While lounging on the couch, I read an advertisement in a magazine for a “hobby farm” for sale somewhere in Southern California that included 20 acres of vineyards and rambling hills. The real estate agent wrote that it would be perfect for a “gentleman farmer,” and I had to smile and think, “can’t all farmers be gentlemen—even the ones who can’t afford twenty acres in the suburbs of San Diego?” Anywho—here are my very own gentleman farmers at work with their daddy unloading firewood. We ordered a bunch for the winter (I totally feel like Laura Ingalls Wilder writing that) so we’ll be ready when the first snowfall hits Seattle! Now, if I can just figure out how to can beets. Or not. 🙂