Surely, the presence of the Lord in is this place...

We used to sing a song in our little church in Esmont, that went "Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place, I can feel His mighty power and his grace"
I am reminded of this song, as I look at some of the pictures my children have taken while just "hanging out" here at the farm. They take my breath away and I think to myself...is this really where we live?

It is rare to see a "boring" sunset from our west-facing balcony. The colors, clouds, hills and trees are an ever-present reminder of the beauty that God has created for us to enjoy as we journey through this life here on earth.

In the morning, the fog/mist rises up from Hog Creek, above the cedars, clearing the way for a fresh new day. It reminds me of the scripture that tells us "His mercies are new every morning". As a person with a BS in Biology, I look at the magnificence, order and beauty of things in nature. I have a hard time coming up with a "hypothesis" other than "God as creator" to explain the source of these wonders.

As a farmer, I realize how well-designed a simple seed is...exploding into a giant sunflower in just a matter of months.
I watch a calf being born and the mother-cow's built-in knowledge of how to care for her new calf...with no books to study, no "mentor" to teach her?

I also realize how dependent we are on the intricate systems that the Creator, God, has put in place to sustain life. Every day, the sun rises. Every night, it gets dark. Animals are born, animals die. Every season comes and goes. Order. Our God is a God of order, not chaos. Our God is a God of beauty. Now, I am sure that there are some places on Earth that would be considered more beautiful than Bessette Farm, but I am still blown away at the beauty we experience each day here....surely the presence of the Lord is in this place!

June In Review

I guess I've been too busy to blog....but we really do want to document the happenings of the family and farm, so here is June 2010 in review:

I made up a rhyme last year to remember when the day-lillies bloom...it goes like this "First week of June, the day-lilies bloom" Sure enough, as I looked for these orange lilies that grow along the roadside, in the ditches, I saw them bloom, just at the right time.


This month we have continued to enjoy the garden. We have spent many hours pulling weeds, mulching and picking things like swiss chard, garlic, onions, peas, carrots, green beans, cabbage, herbs like cilantro and dill.Our potted fig trees are producing tiny figs! I can't wait for them to ripen...I love fresh figs!

Farmer's Market in Nelson continues to be profitable, but we are re-organizing. We are training the children to bake and sell the products and in return they will each get a percentage of the profits. They worked hard this week, but were well rewarded, as the market was very busy... we sold out before 10:00 am!


We continue to milk our Jersey Holly and train her little calf Gingersnap. Holly definitely likes giving Ginger milk more than us, but we're working things out!



If left to my own "flesh" I would neglect my relationships and work all the time....so this year I have purposed to relax more....laugh more...bite my tongue more...nurture relationships so these too will grow, as our farm grows. We have enjoyed swimmming with friends and family often. Almost every Sunday we gather for an afternoon of great fun! Then men and kids play rough games like water-rugby while the ladies have fun talking.
While driving into Charlottesville one evening I saw the most peculiar thing. People were just sitting on thier porches! I realized that we never just "sit"! I want to be able to sit on my porch, knowing that the day of work is done! So, we are spending time "sitting" this summer!

We suffered a tragedy in our family this month. Our niece Misty died suddenly on June 23. She was 25. It is hard to convince people that we have a kind, all-powerful and loving God during times like this. It is hard for me to accept that God did not "jump in and save the day" in Misty's situation. I have no answers. But, I know God is real. I know He loves us beyond measure. I trust in him.



Now it is July. The world continues to turn, even when we think it should stop and grieve with us. My nature memory for July is that by Independence Day, the wild blackberries are ripe...we have had an exceptionally hot month, so when I went to check the berries I wasn't surprised to see that they were at peak of ripeness. We have 300 acres of logged-property behind our property. All along the edges of the logging roads, the wild blackberries grow. Needless to say we have been picking picking and picking...Dennis is requiring the kids to collect 1/2 gallon each day...today they took a break, but Dennis and I picked about 2 gallons ourselves! Jelly, cobblers, freezer for winter!

I'm not sure that anyone reads our blog, but that's ok. I am thankful that my children like to take photos. I have never been a good family-historian, so this is a way to record our "history". It is really for the Dennis and Michele Bessette family...but if anyone out there does read it, I hope to bless them too!