Flower Farming, Farm Classes and End of 2018 Re-Cap-Holiday Wreath Making

 It is now February 2019 and a good time to reflect what our farm has been up to since my long last post.  I actually hate to admit it, I have become one of those people that have become addicted to Instagram. 

I love posting on it every day what we are doing here at Windmill Farm. And I love to watch what everyone else is doing to.  It only used to be a few people associated with my likes, farming, knitting, flowers, florists.  It has now expanded.  I read on a blog the other day that you can view how many minutes or HOURS a person is viewing on Instagram.  I would bet very soon, there will be groups to meet to stop the addiction, Instagram Annoymous. 

Chatter about it is a favorite thing to do with friends as they forward to you something interesting or amusing that they saw, then you become a follower. Frank became mildly interested, he is NOT a social media kind of guy.  A few lessons were given to him,( like a user of some illegal substance), and now he too, is hooked.  He has his own account and Frank posts on his IS account almost every day too.  The photos are of his antique tractor he is working on; some welding; the dogs.  Too cute.

So that is my excuse for less blog posts, more IS posts.

Don't think because we don't write it here regularly now, it isn't happening. 

Our farm is constantly a buzz of activities or planning of planting, buying seeds, scheduling classes.I keep thinking this may be our last year, as you know, we are "senior citizens" but I just keep feeling the drive to continue and I do love it all so much.

Well, to recap what we have been doing.  The last post was about the fun, fun clock making class out of re-cycled pallets.  We then had our barn wood pumpkin painting class which was equally fun.  Frank cut the wood, glued and stapled it together; then he cut out the shapes of the pumpkins, 2 different sizes!!!  I had an idea about having separate pieces for the leaves, so he cut out 2 leaves per pumpkins, different sizes.  He was amazing and the people loved it.

I had so many different colors/shades of orange paint; then I put out purple, yellow, greens, blacks, browns just to see what people would do.  Here are some photos.

In October our farm hosted a pre-school activity day.  We had pumpkins to pick, craft projects for the kids, the instructors brought food; and I gave Gator/hay rides.

We decorated the lawn part of our field and Frank put on display his 1947 Ford tractor and his John Deere.

November our farm hosted a parent/child holiday Pom Pom making class.  It was so much fun, we made so many different sizes of Pom Poms, arranged them to make holiday trees, made headbands and wreaths.

December celebrated our 7th year of hosting Holiday Farm Fresh Wreath Making Classes. Frank and I spend days foraging fresh greens, olive branches, eucalyptus, berries, pine cones along with our traditional fresh noble fir greens.  I have so many photos of our wreath making class, but my post is way too long now.

And lastly we had a fabulous flower season where our farm made beautiful, english garden bouquets, arrangements, corsages and even some funeral sprays and graveside flowers.

I promise to try and keep you up to date on what is happening here throughout 2019.

I HAVE BEEN GONE TOO LONG!!! OUR FARM,CLASSES AND FLOWERS ARE ALIVE AND WELL

What can I say, it has been just way too long since I have posted anything on my blog.  I was looking at another flower website the other day and it had a link to a "blog", I got excited and clicked on it hoping to see and learn something new. When I got there, the last one posted by that person was December, 2017.  I was so bummed, I thought why have a link if you don't post.  Then I had a guilt moment that I haven't posted either and  just as bad. Where does the time go.

So here I am, from our small farm, Windmill Farm in the beautiful northern California town called Gridley, in case you forgot.  We have our soil tested every other year and it keeps coming up, the most perfect, the soils that everyone trys to have, we have it right here, where you put something in the ground and it just takes off.  Unfortunately, the weeds love the soil too.

 Busy flower season August and September.  Here are some highlights:

We had a few fun and different classes here at the farm too.  Frank made re-cycled pallet wood into round clock faces.  We had a class where the participants painted their own clock face, stenciled the numbers, installed the clock workings and went home with their own personalized wooden clock.

I completed a few knitting and crocheting projects along the way.

 And our fall pumpkin selling season started while I was away from my blog readers.

We had some school kids visit the farm but way too many photos already here, so promise to come back sooner next time to show you that fun day.  Please check us out on our Instagram account, I post every day there: windmillfarmofgridley.  And of course, Facebook-Paula Carli and also Windmill Farm.

The weather has been perfect, in the high 70s to low 80s with no rain in site. We do need the rain, but this helps us to get the fields cleaned up and our sheds cleaned and tractors ready for their winter rests.

Talk to you soon!!!

MSS ANNIE ON GATOR PATROL

MSS BELLA ON NAP DUTY