I've been away from the forum and winter sowing for almost a year now. Some of you will remember me and some won't.

I'm launching into a new endeavor after a very bad year. I will be managing my own 180-acre farm. I'll probably be taking orders from the lessor lol. Already have, why I can't have this why i can't do that, etc. It's going to be a huge change, and I'm easing into it, am waiting for my deeds to be recorded & other legal stuff.

Anyway, I was so depressed in the real early spring last year, I let all my winter sowing sit in their containers from the winter before this one; most of it was dead and lost a lot of labels. Some may come back in the spring. It's a total mess out there. The Japanese beetles came, and this year I pretended they weren't there but did squish a few. My gardens are extremely neglected, no time for that last summer, but i'll try to get help to shovel prune some stuff and try to get the weeds cleaned out.

But I'm getting the bug again thinking of some of the things I might be able to do with my farm. I have to take it in small baby steps. I have a renter lined up, and will try to set aside about an acre orso where it won't get in the way of the machinery, try to spring sow some redbuds like I lost a couple years back to line the lane.

Then my mind is swirling with ideas. I'm pretty old to be starting on this new phase of my life, but I think my adult children will help me this time.

I'm thinking raspberries, a small orchard, and some dayliles and iris to start, easy perenniels that have worked for me, then see where/if I go from there. I don't even have a picture to post. It's been in the family over 100 years, and the house is very old, but I have good farmhouse renters. And she LOVES flowers, an older couple raising their 5-year-old granddaughter. They were happy to get a place in the country, and she brought a lot of her flowers with her, so they probably plan to stay for some time. When the weather is nicer, I'll dig a few things and take them and introduce myself.

It's 50 miles away, and I will have to decide if we can weekend garden and commute or move closer. I can't make too many changes at once, and am so used to the convenience where I am, but could save more living in a smaller town nearby, maybe.

I hope I got this in the conversation forum for winter sowing which is where I have tried to put it. There is a farm forum here, but most of the talk is chickens, and I don't think I can manage any animals, but time will tell. My oldest daughter has always dreamed of having a horse and wants to rescue a few. Oh boy. Be nice to have a pasture and manure though. The original red barn burne down years ago, but there is a livestock shed. The more we set aside, the less for crops, well enough.