The whole Story, pretty much… And they lived happily ever after, until one day….. (to be continued)
Our Family
Mark “The Farmer”
He grew up with farming, which is what his father did, along with a full-time job, also without a Farm, after he retired from the Military. And this is exactly what Mark did as well. Military, farming on leased land along with a full-time job. He has then been "promoted" to full-time Farmer, since the company he worked for went out of business.
Susanne “The Farmer’s Wife”
I am “imported” from Germany where Mark and I met while he was stationed there. I grew up with organic farming, on a small amount of land my parents bought. This was a half hour drive away from where we lived, and just short of being considered farm. My mother retired from her long medical career and wanted to see if organic really worked.
That was long before organic was a good thing, even in Germany, and people called her crazy. They were not completely wrong . . .
I was not going to do this.
But it seems some things repeat themselves.
Herbs called me from an early age on and became my constant companions, helpers, allies. I’m The Herbalist.
I have many hats, and do what needs to be done, whatever that might be, but I’m primarily involved in planting, picking, washing, packing vegetables and working the markets and sales. I’m the one pushing the alternative growing methods.
Educating at Home
I am also a firm believer in educating children at home. Homeschooling. K-12 (and of course before and after—they can’t get away, as long as they live here), and love to share this option with other parents. You can do it! My oldest graduated, but my youngest is still under my wings, or in my clutches. It depends on whom you ask. (Update: He has graduated, and his next step is MCC with the goal of becoming a Biomedical Engineer in the direction of prosthetics).
Ultimately, we can never learn or share everything. This is the fun part. What we can share is a love of learning, how to learn and find information, which is easier than ever. Much of it was non-existent when we started. But there were always great books, and the basics stay the same. Now learning is like this huge exquisite, never-ending buffet of knowledge, literally at your fingertips, and for only the cost of the internet, we can just enjoy to our heart's content. Besides, homeschooling is a perfectly good excuse to acquire an incessant amount of books, and even if the shelves (and tables- and floors) look like Merlin’s tower, there is always room for a few more.
At the same time, other qualities are equally, if not more important than intellectual pursuits, as much value they have, or fun they are. Our children are the future. We shape the future by how we raise and teach our children, and only we are able to allow our children to reach their full potential of who they are and why they came here. Mass education is just not able to let each child blossom, even if they tried. There are too many.
(Yes, this is a real Duck baby in the picture)
Our Children
One of my sons has become a student at Manchester Community College and is loving it. He is going to be an Accountant. (Update: He has graduated in 2022 with Honors, as Valedictorian and with many awards. He had an amazing Internship and basically has a job with that company when he finishes UConn, which he will start this fall. Not too bad for a homeschooled farm boy.
Both of our kids grew up with farming and markets. First it was only the Hartford Regional Market, and people that shopped with us then, still talk about baby in the playpen in the back of a truck, little kids sleeping in the back of the trailer, all tucked in with old couch pillows and blankets at three in the morning, crawling out for hot chocolate in a thermos at sunrise.
As my oldest got older, he loved to take customers on his own, even at a very young age. He was always very good with numbers, and he wasn’t being cheated even by tough crowds, which the Hartford Regional has in abundance. He rarely wanted back-up, only asked on occasion what he already knew, to confirm it to the person giving him a hard time about wholesale deals. The Negotiator, the Diplomat. He was born that way. I learned from him in these Departments. He also helps in the fields, at home, at the Markets. He chose to take care of the geese. They are the birds he loves.
My youngest son is also being homeschooled. Very different, and yet similar to his brother, he is more introverted. His love is Biology, Genetics, Robotics, Prosthetics as well as Animals, and Farming. He plans on doing it all one day. When the time is right, he too plans to go to MCC now.
A great place to start. MCC does seem to have a knack to bring out the best in students, being encouraging and letting them thrive, while having excellent teachers. All the things I choose to homeschool for. He has been taking more and more customers at the markets, overcoming his shyness one transaction at a time. He is also helping in a lot of other farming chores and has been taking over caring for the chickens for a while now. They are his favorite birds.
I have to put in a quick note here. It is now 9-2-2022. Time has passed, and naturally, the kids have moved along in their paths. They are no longer “children” but adults for the rest of the world. But I warned them early on, they will always be my kids, regardless of age.
If you would like to know more about what happened after homeschooling, you are welcome to talk to me about it. If you would like to talk about educating at home, I am more than happy to share as well.
Above all, I have to say I do miss it very much. It was not always easy, far from it, but it is SO worth it, and it is a dimension that is then just gone when it is over. Almost as if part of the house would suddenly not be there anymore.
And then you have to rebuild it -somehow. Prepare for it. I was totally caught off guard, didn’t see it coming, and nobody ever talked about it. However, sometimes they do come back for this and that, and that is priceless.
Best of Luck and all the Blessings to you on your journey. You are on the best path possible