Happy Friday y’all!  We’re looking for Spring help!  We’ve got a few different positions to fill and are looking for really bright, warm, and competent people to fill them.  Spring is really really busy out here, so we’re looking for folks that can successfully handle a fast paced day with lots of moving parts and do so in good spirits.  Our existing crew is wonderful and it’s a beautiful place to work, so  if you or someone you know is the right fit, it could be a great 4 months (Feb-May) for you to experience this kind of life, while helping kind people throughout the country get the best flowers and plants possible.  We have assistant positions available in 3 departments: mum propagation/shipping, flower bundling/shipping, and customer service/admin.  Check out the job descriptions and applications HERE if you are interested.

  If you’re looking for last minute gifts, there are really only a few reliable options since the holiday fast approaches and USPS has gotten so slow under Postmaster Louis DeJoy.

• A gift item from the farm store if you are local.  We are open Friday and Saturday.  
• A giftcard from the website.  It's digital, so would be automatic and can be printed out in your home.
• A wreath making video for the craft oriented giftee, or for folks who enjoy a group activity during the holidays.
• A spring flower subscription.  There are multiple options that can be explored here.
• Mum cuttings for someone with a green thumb, that will ship in the Spring.

      I wouldn't trust the mail for anything else to arrive before Christmas or Hanukkah.  If you wanted to send chai, smoked salts, or a 3 Porch shirt or hat,  we can send it out today if your order is placed by 3 pm.  Do note though, that any order placed after 3pm today will ship January 7th as our whole crew is taking 2 weeks off for the holidays.

  Houseplants and bulbs are on sale for 50% off in the Farm Store today and tomorrow and then we close for the season, so come pick up some discounted goodies for that special gardener in your life and then head over to Neat Pieces Antiques to grab some festive gear for your holidays!  Mandy and I got all sorts of fun stuff there last weekend (as evidenced in part by our owl mask inspired dance routine in the deep woods on IG stories last weekend).  If you are new to the place, all the clothing is upstairs.  We got all sorts of vintage wears and holiday sweaters to spice up our celebrations. The place is just filled with treasures…including Jimmy and Peggy Sue who run it.  Tell 'em we said hey.

  I’ll be newsletter free for the next couple o' weeks.  Tackling the unavoidable farm tasks, but avoiding the avoidable in an effort to spend time with loved ones.  I hope the same for y’all.

For those of y’all with strained relationships due to partisan divide, we send you hearty hugs and wishes for greater harmony going forward and once again suggest the gift of Tangle. It’s a media resource that can help bridge the divide.  Here’s how they describe themselves: “Tangle is an award-winning media organization that covers the biggest politics stories in the U.S. by summarizing arguments from the right, left, and center (then "our take"). We are independent, non-partisan, and subscriber-supported, with a newsletter read by over 275,000 people in 55+ countries across the world and a podcast that reaches hundreds of thousands of listeners every month. Our audience is made up of conservatives, liberals, independents, and those who don't identify with any political tribe.”

       I have pretty deeply held convictions about the state of the world, but believe that empathy is critical to communication and communication is critical to resolution.  If we can't understand where others are coming from or weed through the hyperbole and fear mongering on our own side, then we stand little chance of improving the world for anyone.  I really appreciate this resource and am starting to share it with loved ones.  I may not agree with every take they have, but I'm not looking for another echo chamber, and they're not even trying to persuade you to agree with all of their takes.  They do an excellent job of presenting info on the latest headlines from all angles and I get a richer, more nuanced perspective than I was before that ultimately I find quite helpful.  I truly appreciate pragmatism.  Especially in these times.

       That's all for me.  Happy Holidays friends.

Steve