A buddy of mine from high school, David Mead, had a band called the Verdant Green in the early 90’s. A redundant name to be sure. They were a high school band being played on the radio and that made him and them about the coolest ever. He’s still pretty cool in my book and has made some fabulous records over the years. Here’s one of my favorites: Last Train Home
We’ve been busy at the farm this spring. I’ve tried my hand at direct seeding chestnuts and as you can see from 2 of the gallery images a few are growing. I think I started with 200+ seeds and only 15 have survived. A terrible batting average but I fully understand my mistakes and I think next year will be much better.
A failure rate like that in the past would really bother me. I might even feel a tad bit of shame. Why didn’t I know that too much water would rot the chestnuts? Why didn’t I know that squirrels in the late winter would come hunting for the seeds and rip apart the baby trees? Because I didn’t know.
Farming has actually taught me to give myself freedom to mess up. In the past I’d pass on ideas or plans if I couldn’t assure myself of a perfect outcome. Not that my assurance would be perfectly prescient, but you get the idea.
There’s no shame in trying and failing.
