What a wonderful, wild, full and oh so warm Common Ground Country Fair weekend we just had! I'm just back home and in the door, catching my breath for a moment before unloading and getting fully settled. The annual "fall" celebration that is the fair certainly felt different with ninety degree days, but what remained the same of course was all the fun, great food, amazing people, awesome connections and learning opportunities everywhere. We were joined in the booth this year by Broadturn Farm who not only decked us out with the most fabulous flower garlands for our booth, but also led us all in a flower crown making workshop on Sunday! Thanks to everyone who came by to say hello - truly I can't tell you what it means to have faces and voices to connect with through this work that is otherwise digital and in print. I - and the entire team - always leave such gatherings feeling motivated and inspired to keep on keeping on. Thank you!
My youngest three were true 'fair kids' this year, joining me for almost the entirety of the set up and fair itself, wandering off with friends and having grand adventures of their own each and every day (except for the moments when I put them - and their friends - to work!). It added a fun (and busy) element to my time there, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. They've grown up at this fair, and no doubt countless more memories were made this year to add to their store of them.
The Taproot crew had a new and delightful twist in our Common Ground Fair time by doing a farmstay at Toddy Pond Farm while we were up there. Ah! So amazing to come home each night to a peaceful and beautiful space that felt so friendly. And oh, that pond was helpful for this humid weather we seem to be having! I highly recommend a farm stay there if you're ever in the neighborhood (you just can't have it on Common Ground Fair weekend, as I'm already looking forward to being there again!).
So often this weekend marks the first frost, and I arrive home from the fair having lost much of the garden. So there is a great blessing in the unexpected weather in that all those tomatoes will now be saved! I best get to work....
Cheers to autumn harvest season!
