2006-08-12 - 8:19 p.m.
An article is going to appear in the Atlanta Metro paper, the Atlanta Journal/Constitution, soon. It will tell how Rock Farm will be closing down after this growing season and how we will be moving the operation to Florida. It's a true story and one that makes me both glad and sad at the same time.
My wife and I, along with our 2 children at the time, moved here from South Georgia a little over 18 years ago so my wife could be near her ailing mother. In December 2006 my wife's mother passed away at the age of 90 and that task ended. My folks live on 300 acres outside of Gainesville, Florida near the small town of Hawthorne. After this season ends, probably early November, we plan to move down to a trailer we have put on 90 acres of pasture land from that 300 acres.
When we moved here 18 years ago I had no idea our little farm would get as popular as it has. When I first started building the trellises and planting the first muscadine plants all I was told from Sue's family that lived here is that it wouldn't work. "Your wasting your time", I was told, "Nobody will come and buy this stuff." I kept at it and for a long time I would work at a Shoe Repair shop by day and work long into the night on the farm.
The first few sale years I almost believed my In-Laws might be right. We didn't have enough customers to pick all the Blackberries and we ended up picking lots of them and peddling them to local grocery stores. Slowly the number of customers built up and I kept increasing the plantings.
Up until about 7 years ago I always had a second partime job. When we started the horseboarding I finally went full time on the farm. It's been a great experience that I wouldn't trade for anything, but 80 hour weeks and working in the broiling sun, drenching rain, freezing rain and blowing cold wear you down over time. The time is right for a change so we're making the move.
An incident that occured recently brought home how much of our lives are tied to this farm. Years ago my Mother-in-Law gave the house we live in to my wife. When we said we were going to move my Sister-in-Law decided to buy the house, which she did. It wasn't until my wife Sue went to get her sister Betty a key to the house that a realization hit us. WE DON'T HAVE A KEY TO THE HOUSE! In 18 years we never noticed this because in the 18 years we have lived here this house has never once been vacant for a 24hr period. In 18yrs I have been on the grand total of 1 real vacation. When my newest daughter Becky was 2 years old Sue and I took her to my folks place in Florida for 5 days. Even then my older daughter Elizabeth had to stay here and take care of the animals. That's the way it's always been. Sometimes Sue, Becky and I will go camping overnight and Elizabeth has to stay. Other times Liz and Sue will go overnight to a dogshow and I'll have to stay to take care of the animals. Somebody has always been here. It will be quite a change to be able to leave and all of us go somewhere overnight or for a weekend.
Don't worry, we'll be here through muscadine season and hopefully we'll have lots more tomatoes right up till we leave. I'll try to write some more on my thoughts on our leaving in my next entry.
