Dear Family and Friends,

Red Dead-Nettle (lamium purpureum). Driving to church yesterday I passed several huge fields covered with the most lovely shade of magenta.

The nettle grows close to the ground so my eyes could enjoy the subtle contours of the land in its royal array. Three years ago, during a cold, wet spring like this one, I was entranced by the purple haze on the fields. Made me think of Alice Walker's novel The Color Purple. Since then I've learned a few things. It's an invasive, non-native plant. Sasha tells me you can't get rid of it. The more you pull it out the more it seems to multiply. Not such a problem in fields due to be plowed for spring planting. But a real pest in strawberry beds. We've lost a whole bed to an invasion of gill-over-the ground and red-nettle.

Last Wednesday we had our first visit by a school group. That means the farm kitchen is now in operation. Over the course of a week or so all was made ready. New plastic was stapled to the walls to keep out the cold wind and rain. Paul built two new tables, narrower than the others, so there would be more room for movement around and between the tables. Robin and Madeline spent hours cleaning shelves, counters, floors; checking utensils and storage containers. The well and related barrel pump-system was refreshed to provide water. After a monumental grocery run, Robin spent a whole day preparing the meals for the group. I made pie crusts for 4 butternut pies. Paul and some of the students made the filling. When I discovered next day that two of the students, Ryan and Dylan, were graduating to high school, I quickly baked a pan of my much-loved oatmeal chocolate chip bars for their departure lunch.

With St Patrick's Day falling at the beginning of Holy Week I was baking soda-breads on Monday and cheese-cakes for Easter on Saturday. We had lamb, roast potatoes and parsnips, spring salad. Former interns Bret and Steph, intern Daniel, and friend Kay joined us for our spring feast. Then it was time to get ready for the students. Robin says we'll have a group a week through May. What fun.

Things will be very different this season. Paul and Robin have decided to let go of meat-chicken production. The care and feeding of those delicious birds is more time/labor/expense (grain) intense than the return. We will not replace our laying flock this year. We will raise fewer turkeys. The idea is to concentrate on our vegetable operation, while building more adequate infrastructure, eg watering systems, fencing, compost. I miss the laying flock but I realize the need for Paul and Robin to focus their energy in a given season. I suppose that's the difference between farming as a hobby and farming as a living. The bottom line has to be met. Last season it felt to me at times that there were too many loose ends. I have a very minor part in the actual running of the farm but I often felt overwhelmed.

To replace some of the meat income Paul has decided to plant organic tobacco. Last Thursday afternoon we all drove up to our neighbor Rickie's

tobacco barn. He and his dad have grown burley for Phillip Morris for 30 years. They have developed an efficient system for the whole process. To start, the seeds need to be planted over float beds and kept warm for 8 weeks. They are placed in rectangular styrofoam trays (12 x 24 = 288 cells). Rickie has a giant bathtub mounted at about waist level. You pour your growing medium into the tub. Then place the seed tray on top and push the medium into the cells, brushing the top so each cell has clean "frame". Then the tray is taken to another table. On this table is a rectange of plywood with marbles mounted on it- spaced to fit exactly in the center of each cell. The "top" is carefully fitted onto the tray, then pushed firmly down to produce a little dent, a dibble, in the center of each filled cell. Final step is the vacuum-seeder. A rectangular box, with a top dotted with tiny holes spaced to go into the center of each dibble. When the vacuum is turned on, the seeds are shaken over the top until there is a seed in each tiny hole. The box is VERY carefully place on the seedtray. The vacuum is turned off. The top of the box is firmly struck. Ideally the seeds drop out into the center of each dibble. If not, some very minute corrections are made by hand. (Tobacco seeds need light to germinate so we had to be careful not to get any dirt over them). Daniel filled the trays. Robin "dibbled". Paul seeded. Sasha handed empty trays to Daniel. Madeline and I handed the filled trays to Robin. I switched the vacuum on and off , then carried the seeded trays to the van. We filled 24 trays, with approximately 7,000 seeds.

We brought them back to the A-frame yard where Paul, Daniel, and Sasha had already prepared the float bed. Very, very carefully so as not to spill the seeds or cover them with dirt we placed them on the water and sealed the tented roof over them. Now we wait for the plants to develop.

I am enjoying my work at Christ Church Bowling Green. Every Tuesday evening I meet with the Western Kentucky Episcopal Students group who come to the church for Eucharist and a meal. Earlier in the afternoon I do some pastoral visiting there. Once a month I preach on Sunday. I will be there until late July when the parish expects to have an Associate Rector in place. Mid-April I travel to Oviedo, Florida for a week-long conference for clergy in early retirement. Should be interesting to meet others like myself.

Wanted to get this off before it becomes April Fool's. Love, Louise