Love Letters From Ladybug Farm - Donna Ball [91]
A smile started in his eyes, and traveled to his lips, where it lit up his whole face. “I thought you’d never ask.” He opened the truck door. “What time?”
“Two o’clock.”
“I’ll be here at one,” he assured her, as he started the engine.
Lindsay clapped her hands together like a girl, laughing, and did a little twirl in the driveway as he drove away.
From “Ladybug Farm Charms,” a blog by Bridget Tyndale
One of the best things about living on a farm is that it’s usually pretty easy to get your priorities straight. In July and August, when tomatoes are coming in from the garden by the basketful twice a day, there’s nothing more important than peeling, slicing, and preserving. In March, when the little lettuces are just starting to come up and a freeze is predicted, you don’t wait until your nail polish dries to start covering the rows. And when you have to choose between a Caribbean cruise and making sure there’s firewood in the shed in October... I’m not saying that the choice is an easy one, but it is fairly obvious.
Things have been a little hectic on Ladybug Farm this spring, with lots of changes and exciting new challenges. It’s been fun, but in the middle of all the excitement it’s been easy to forget what’s important, and to brush aside all the things I love most about living here. But over the past few days some things have happened that have put everything back into perspective for me, and made it a little easier to focus on my priorities.
So today I’m announcing that I’ll be closing this blog at the end of the month. I’ve loved getting to know everyone, and I really appreciate those of you who’ve been reading from the beginning. But everyone knows what happens to a neglected garden, and exactly the same thing happens to a neglected life. So I’ve decided to get back to what’s important before everything is taken over by weeds.
Meanwhile, you can still keep up with the goings-on here at Ladybug Farm through our website, or feel free to e-mail me with questions.
Meanwhile, I wish you all the best, and cheers from LadybugFarm!
Secret Admirer said:
Dear Bridget,
I’m sorry to hear you’ll be closing the blog. Coming home and reading about what’s happening in your world is the calmest, most pleasant part of my day. And I’ll miss the recipes.
I made your apple-currant pie, but somehow it didn’t taste as sweet as I remembered. Thanks anyway for your help.
Bridget smiled as she typed:
Dear Secret Admirer,
Most likely you left out a key ingredient: love.
By the way, I think you know you have an admirer here, too. I hope you’ll do something about it before it’s too late. As I said, it’s all about priorities, and gardens aren’t the only things that can die from neglect.
16
Life Is Not a Rehearsal
NORTH-DEERE/THORNTON REHEARSAL DINNER
Menu
Appetizer: Three-berry fruit cup in balsamic vinaigrette topped with Gorgonzola crumbles and toasted black walnuts, served with miniature cheese biscuits
Soup: Chilled cantaloupe soup with mint and crème fraiche
Entrée: Free-range roast turkey wrapped in applewoodsmoked bacon served on a bed of fresh cherry conserve and accompanied by fingerling potatoes and baby carrots sautéed in rosemary-infused olive oil
Summer squash soufflé
Garden fresh green beans, lightly sautéed and tossed with thyme, toasted almonds, and baby onions
Dessert: Strawberry crumble topped with homemade vanilla ice cream
The event was organized with the precision of the Invasion of Normandy.
Countdown began at 5:45 a.m. Friday, when Rodrigo the rooster sounded the first call to action. By six, the troops were assembled in the kitchen, bleary-eyed and clutching coffee cups, to receive their orders. Noah and Cici: Construction and Assembly. Ida Mae and Bridget: Kitchen and Amenities. Lindsay: Design and Decoration. Lori: Hospitality and Incidentals. Everyone: Housekeeping and Aesthetics.
By ten, the windows were washed, the baseboards scrubbed, the furniture oiled, the carpets vacuumed,