It's January 5th 2010. I can't believe it. My last posting for chatterbox was in March 2009. I told myself I would post weekly but it never happened. First was spring planting, then summer and fall harvesting, then cleanup and then Christmas. It seems I'm always behind schedule. 2009 however was a great year. We started selling our produce at the Dundas Farmer's market on Thursdays, had kids from the CNIB day camp tour the farm and antique shop for a day, and hosted with Chef & Wife in Dundas a Locavore Feast at our farm under a Big Top tent. A lot of exciting firsts. You can see some great photos under "Community" in our web site.

I don't believe in New Year's resolutions but this year I am going to write as frequently as possible. Life is happening and it's exciting times ahead that I would love to share. That greenhouse I spoke of in March. It's happening. I can't believe it. It's actually a bit larger then planned .... 24' x 40' . I remembered from way back when I delivered the Toronto Telegram, an elderly customer said if you are going to build something build it larger then you think .... it will never be big enough. With a lot of luck, help from Ron a neighbour who ran is own greenhouse for over 20 years growing tomatoes and the gentleman upstairs I was able to finish all the cement work for the posts and door sill before the big freeze in December. Over 7,000 kilos of stone and sand mix. Thank God for the pto cement mixer I was able to borrow. They say timing is everything. They are right. Building a greenhouse in the middle of winter while trying to prepare for Christmas is nuts. Trying to put a nut on a bolt in the deep freeze is comical ... gloves are too thick and if you take them off, your fingers freeze and become thumbs. My advice ... build a greenhouse in the summer months not winter. We are getting there however. The vents were installed last week and this week we are installing the fans and the door. With a bit of luck I'll be installing the poly in the next week or two .... probably in the middle of a wind or snow storm with my luck and timing.

Stay tuned ... in the next day or two I'll tell you all about Bennie our pygmy goat and his "life or death" visit to Guelph University before Christmas, our progress with the greenhouse and our plans for the next growing season. Jill and I have started to review all the seed catalogs I received before Christmas. I'm so excited ... really. Go figure, I must be getting old or simple ... who gets excited reading seed catalogs.