Starting a collective

So, there were some trees removed from the property, and in their wake there is a decent size spot for a garden. This weekend we began the hard work of prepping the garden site, and while doing all of the research I can, some good news came into my life. I have wonderful friends, ones that are willing and excited to get involved. These friends are just as eager about the garden as I am, and thus have said that they will help out with some of the little bits and ends as long as they can share in the outcome. Am I ever going to say no to sharing my garden yield? HELL NO!! now take another ten pounds of zucchini. This collective arose from the first mumblings of splitting a cow between three families, and looks like it will grow into a group of friends that are beautiful and strong and I am super excited. Each one of the members of 'Our Little Homestead' has a special trait they can offer to the group. One is a vet tech and dog groomer, and has an abundance of clippings that are great for deer proofing a garden. She also has a way with animals, that will make working with 4 lambs on another friends property even more fun. A hidden talent we didn't know about her is her ability to 'pick and pull' large amounts of wool! Who knew that all you had to do was plop a full fleece in front of her and give her a glass of wine and talk about the weather. Another friend has an incredible drive, and an incredible daughter that is a good fount of energy that will be perfectly tapped by letting her loose in the garden. Did I mention that she works for a lawn care company and has a truck. Grass clippings, compost, soil... and a truck! We also have a bona-fide chef in our group that has just recently purchased a cider press. It just so happens that myself and the truck driving super mom have an abundance of apples and would love to make some cider of our own. Maybe even have super mom's husband start brewing some hard cider? Then there is me, the one who seems to take everything and do it full bore and make things bigger than they really are. I am trying to take a step back and sincerely evaluate my ability to perform to the level I want. It was while I had this deep soul searching questioning moment that I realized that the friends around me are going to make this thing work. What are we thinking about right now? I don't know. But, what I do know is that there is nothing quite as great as hanging out in the garden with my best friends, a bottle of wine, and maybe get some weeding done. Along the way I hope to also use this as a record of what is going on, and a means of kickstarting my writing again. Two of the members of the homestead encouraged me to write last year as a part of the National Novel Month, so I already know that the positive influence I need will be there. Till the next time... ta ta... I will bring photos of the garden, and a bottle of wine next time.