A Year in Re(ar)view - PART I
I didn’t get to a wrap up post for 2024, but I figure now that it is firmly in the rearview mirror, it’s safe to review it. And while it won’t be brief, it will be shorter than the year felt, so that’s something. Let’s begin, shall we?
JANUARY
If you squint your eyes and hold your mouth just right, you could find a pretty spot on the farm once every three weeks.
January was a month of waiting for us. Waiting for the snow to melt, waiting for the pipes to unfreeze, waiting for the weather to be warm enough to paint the exterior of the house, wait wait waiting for our lender to get their shit together to finance this house we’d poured every single cent and more into. I share this not as a complaint (entirely), but mostly to acknowledge that every single one of us experiences a time in our life when we feel like the bug that has been pinned down and can’t move. This was it for us. Almost complete paralysis, psychologically, emotionally, professionally, and all the other ‘lys. 0/10. Would not ride this ride again.
Everything looks a little prettier under a layer of thick, PNW snowflakes.
FEBRUARY
February was a reminder the biological imperative is life, and one way or another, the blackberry must be cleared and the season’s seeds must be planted. The days got lighter and I started my 48th year as the farm started its 7th.
MARCH
March brought us back to beloved Japan after a 5 year absence as a result of the pandemic. It’s the longest my husband has been away from Japan since he moved back to the states in 1991. To be back again was very sweet. We were there for work, but still had time to see some beautiful spots and hug our people.
Nozomi was a big fan of the lettuce that Hanz was distributing.
Found the next house to renovate.
Wouldn’t mind living in this one either.
The town of Beppu sits on multiple hot springs fueled by the Aso Caldera on which the whole region is built. At night, the steam rises from everywhere - sewer covers, rain drains, wells - and fills the town like some kind of dream. Very cinematic.
After three weeks of travel and music, the farm and the cats were calling and we made it back to daffodils, the first of the tulips, and what felt like the starting flare of the 2024 season.
Daffodil Prosecco
APRIL
April brought with it fewer rainy days, sweet Molly’s wedding, allllll of the tulips, and the house finally put on her little black dress.
I feel like all I did all year long was infrastructure. And the photos confirm all of that (and are quite un-postable, so I’ll spare you). In April we built a farm stand (quickly retired and currently being repurposed to raised beds), put in 22 new permanent dahlia beds that will convert to sweet pea this year for Songbird Seed Co. I’m sure there was more, but it’s all a blur!
MAY
Mercifully May was flowers, flowers, and more flowers. From all of the wonderful Mother’s Day orders that came in, to our amazing Bouquet Club members, and all sorts of new treasures in the fields. I’d never grown bearded iris before this year and boy did it not disappoint. Already looking forward to seeing more of these this spring!
First Aurora I’ve ever seen!
Did not disappoint. 10/10.
Cansu & Tony’s gorgeous Seattle wedding and reception were a highlight and squeaked in under the May wire by a day, so they get to be included!
JUNE
June rushed in on a sea of elopements and beautiful, intimate wedding ceremonies and I was so happy to be asked to design for these precious celebrations. Olivia and Hal married at sunrise and kept it a secret for weeks before they held a larger celebration.
Discovery Park, Seattle. One of my favorite spots. I had my very first album photos taken in this park.
Oban Bay with the wrong camera settings. It’s light blue in reality. Don’t believe anything you see on the internet with regard to flowers! But the photo was so pretty I had to share it!
Kings Coronation is my favorite new variety. I’ll be growing at least twice as much this year as I did last so I can get it to all of you who want to grow it too!
June always means sweet peas and this year, it was particularly abundant as the blooms started to arrive for the inaugural year of Songbird Seed Co!
Sometimes the light is just right as I’m finishing a bouquet and I can catch all of the beautiful texture. This elopement bouquet for Paige included Peonies, ranunculus, sweet peas, silene, stock, and garden roses (all grown here at the farm), and some blueberries and astilble from just down the road.
June was also significant because after 2 entire years without a stable mortgage on this house and property, and being pushed so far that we were researching selling it in its unfinished state, we finally managed to secure financing. It’s not perfect, and it still causes us an enormous amount of stress, but it’s a protected asset now and it will allow us to settle in to more routine with clear goals and requirements.
I know this sounds very heavy and not at all the thoughtful, evocative reflection I normally share. But it’s been that kind of year for us. Raw. Difficult. Not devastating, but nearly. And that takes a toll on a person.
I’m going to step away and go build some more boxes for the 300 peonies that still need to find their spot in the ground. If anything, that’s the way I know to keep moving amidst the difficulty. Work for the imagined time when things are a little easier. In 3 years, when the dust has hopefully settled a bit more, we will have over 300 mature peony plants growing right outside my (future/imagined) front porch.
Back later with the second half of the year!
