In the Kitchen with Mom

Kelan in 2004?

This past weekend was the Strawberry festival down at the farm.  It was a crazy few days, starting off with a drive down on Thursday night in the middle of a wild thunderstorm.  What is usually a 5 hour trip took us over 7 hours and was yucky driving.  Still, even the drive had a nice side, as it was just Kelan and I-- my little one having plans to go spend a week with grammy up in northern Maine.  Kelan and I so rarely get to spend time together alone, and we both agreed it was really nice to have that chance.  He is a puzzle piece for me when I travel-- always such a smooth fit.  I wonder if that is related to the fact that we were a two man team for so much of his early life.  Just he and I, plowing through daily demands, I suspect it is at least a part of why we find such ease when we travel together.  Anyway, I am grateful for that, as we were able to marvel at webs of lightning and shrug our shoulders at wrong turns and keep on plugging away until we got to NY.

Friday was an adventure in scheduling-- as the health inspector was scheduled for our pre-camp inspection and CPR was booked at almost the same time.  Then I had a last minute surprise when going through checklists preparing for the inspection and had to pull in our Veterinarian to update Rabies vaccines for 13 sheep and a pony so we would remain in compliance!  UGH!  (Did I mention there were also a few hundred kids visiting the farm, and the phone was ringing non-stop.  AH, the farm in spring!  Needless to say, we made it through with flying colors.  On to festival prep!

The weekend weather was crummy, and so the crowds were light in comparison to the past few years, but 250 people came to celebrate the strawberry on Saturday, and 400 more came through on Sunday.  Our fantastic staff are such pros at their respective jobs that they really run on auto pilot, and Mom and I got to hang out in the kitchen making shortcake and lemonade, answering phones, and chatting.  It's funny, having grown up on the farm with all it's mania, but I often forget to appreciate the things that I love so much about it.  Getting to spend 4 hours with my mom in the kitchen- two days in a row!  Getting our part of this big production done without even breaking a true sweat... just a constant buzz.  The natural flow of the day, and the bright moments when you stop to watch dad serve his home made ice cream to excited kids, or when you see a familiar face in the crowd- quick hellos and catch up before you have to run for another bag of ice, or a towel, or something.  The frantic first hour when loose ends need to be tied up, the mid day rush, the end of the day hangers on, when we all start to let go.  It is an experience that both exhausts and invigorates, and it is unique.  Family friends meander in and chat with us while we cook- sometimes they even take over at the helm of the Kitchen Aid mixer or to battle a sink full of dishes.  There is always another story to tell, or a funny question being fielded on the phone.  It is tradition in my family as much as a Thanksgiving gathering or Christmas eve dinner, even though it wears the mask of 'work'.  And now, in its wake, I smile.  Happy to be back in my other home, and looking forward to another trip soon.