Hometown Happenings

Redeeming the Thyme Farmstand: A Tale of Community, Collaboration and an Upcoming Christmas Event

• Angela Ballard & Aundrea Rogers

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Get ready to immerse yourself in a vibrant tale of community collaboration, self-sufficiency, and a dash of fun and laughter at Redeeming Time Farm Stand in Lead Hill, Arkansas. You'll journey alongside Angela, Drea, and their remarkable guest, Alex, as we paint a vivid picture of this local hub that's part grocery, part farmers market, and wholly dedicated to the community it serves. Expect to be intrigued by the array of local goodies on offer, from mouthwatering baked goods and organic eggs to artisanal woodworking products and charming heirloom seeds.

We'll then transport you to the exhilarating Frosty Fun Night event, showcasing a fascinating array of local talents and innovative products - on DECEMBER 9th, 2023. Picture this: strolling through the stand, surrounded by captivating photography, indulging in natural skincare products, and discovering the locally grown loofahs. But it's not all business; we keep things light-hearted as we chat about our recent quirk - a personality test and a hilarious anecdote about a mischievous cat with a knack for escapades. 

To wrap up our chat, we delve into our lives as stay-at-home moms, council members, homeschoolers, and farm stand operators. We emphasize the vital role our farm stand plays in supporting small businesses and providing access to locally sourced produce. We'll also give you a sneak peek into future plans, exciting upcoming events, and resources that make Redeeming the Thyme Farmstand an invaluable part of the community. And as a bonus, we'll spill some behind-the-scenes secrets about our podcasting journey and future plans. So, buckle up, and get ready for an exciting journey through the world of farming, community building, and podcasting!

The Home Team
Angela Ballard & Drea Rogers
870-577-6754 | 870-577-0276
Weichert Market Edge

https://aundrea-rogers.weichertmarketedge.com
www.angelaballardrealtor.com

Speaker 1:

This is this week's episode of hometown happenings, and today we have Alex from the redeeming time farm stand in Lead Hill, arkansas. So, andrea and me, angela, better use to us at this point, you and your gray. Again, I don't like color.

Speaker 2:

It's a firm base. Yeah, I'm consistent. Yeah, yes, have you been in her farm stand? I have not. Oh, you really should. So I take guided tours to there, I feel like, because I took my mother-in-law down there like couple weeks ago guided tours.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I'm like.

Speaker 2:

And I thought that your cat was kidnapped the other day and returned. And thank God.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah, it was a Christmas miracle.

Speaker 1:

When I go home every day and leave and I get there and I see it in front of me and I think I should stop there and like when you have all the pumpkins out and all you know You're decorated for different things I think I should stop and but I'm always ready to just go. I understand so much, I do so yeah, I like it, so tell us a little bit about the farm stand, like what made you get started. You know that sort of thing.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, so the farm stand. It was kind of like this random idea that I had a few years ago and the concept is that it's a locally sourced grocery, slash, brick and mortar farmers market. So it was kind of in the and like you're gonna be super familiar with this and that big rush of people that was moving into the area and you know people from California and Colorado and like literally everywhere coming in for the Ozarks landscape and to be able to Provide for themselves in some way, and the majority of them did not know how.

Speaker 3:

And I mean I think that you know, coming in from a city, or even being young and new at the homesteading or the farming or whatever you know. You kind of have this Idea that you're gonna be able to someday, with enough work and effort, be self-sufficient. And it's just, I mean, unless you have resources coming from the outside and a lot of time and no other Previous commitments ever anywhere.

Speaker 3:

It's really impossible. You know you're not gonna be able to do all of the things and grow enough wheat for all of your bread for the you know so it takes a community and so that kind of paired with just knowing that you know, I don't know.

Speaker 3:

I think that we can be easily discouraged in our area because we're just so busy trying to survive and we don't really have the time or the Motivation or the drive to do the things we really enjoy doing, because there's not really a market for it around us and so.

Speaker 3:

I think all of that kind of together Pushed me to do something. So we opened in a little horse trailer and my friend Ashley and I we were doing that a couple days a week. We, you know, painted the inside of this thing and we were making a lot of our own products and we really enjoyed that.

Speaker 3:

But you know, we knew that it was just a placeholder for people that were doing those things better than us, because we just wanted to kind of set the business identity that we are locally sourced, you know by the community for the community and it worked, and so then when we opened in our little shed there on the corner, like right away, we ended up with 25 vendors, and so now I mean we really don't have a whole lot more space right for More than 30, but we have kind of a revolving 30 one way or another. You know, we've got people from all over the area that do all sorts of interesting things, and so In there we just have a snapshot of each of those things. You know, obviously we can't supply a Flea market size booth for everyone right.

Speaker 3:

But we can give a snippet of what they do and then contact info if someone wanted to go. You know, order directly through them or whatever so.

Speaker 1:

So tell us a little bit about the products that you have of these 30. You can start with miss Bronner's peanut butter cookies.

Speaker 3:

I mean, is there really that lady? She has been baking for the Bergman cafeteria for I don't know how long, but I think if you've been to school in Bergman anytime in the last couple decades you probably had her baking. I don't know, but I think so. So she does a lot of the baked goods cookies and banana breads and things like that.

Speaker 2:

People love them. Loves peanut butter cookies. These are the best. And you know of her kid. So Corey Mitchell, realtor over in Fayetteville, is her son, and Delaney Bronner, who's a phenomenal photographer, yeah, it's her daughter. Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, local tidbit there.

Speaker 3:

There you go. Good people and then we have several sourdough bakers. There's one farm that we work with quite a bit it's rambalon farmstead and they do fully organic everything. So they've got organic sourdough and like fully organic eggs. So I mean, if you're going fully organic, so not everything in the shop is organic right.

Speaker 3:

And I think that, like this, is kind of an important distinction because you know, it's assumed that everything is, and we have a lot of things that are. But as far as eggs go, if you go to Walmart and you're going to buy organic eggs, they're 550 a dozen and these are 450 and it's you don't have to leave what they get them exactly. Yeah, I mean.

Speaker 1:

So you have those usually always all the time. Yeah.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, we have grass fed beef. That I can't really say is grass fed, but they've only ever eaten grass Like they're not certified grass fed.

Speaker 2:

Stipulations and stuff. Thank you, government. Yeah, but they've only ever eaten grass.

Speaker 3:

So and our freezer stocked with beef from them. We have woodworking products, and Stacey Valentine does a lot of crocheted products. And we have seeds heirloom seeds from my gardener, which is not local, but the produce that you'll grow will be.

Speaker 3:

So you know, I mean yeah, I am so happy to have been able to partner with them. Um, christy fro does a lot of photography and like natural skincare products and then, um, trying to work my way around the shop, we've got jams and jellies. That lady, she started with apple butter. She just consistently made apple butter every year for her family and then she's like, well, maybe I'll try to sell it, and then she sold it gone and then um expanded and now I mean I think she has like 30 something flavors that she revolves between. Her last one that she brought in was a cherry almond.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 3:

And it's so good, yeah, Anyway. So, um, it's pretty neat. It's pretty neat the different vendors that we've got a lady who does scrubs and you know beeswax products and a lady that grew Lufas there's the most dramatic looking. Yeah, you grew Google that they're like, they're like this long and they like poke out of this basket All pretty. It's such a dramatic display and they're squishy.

Speaker 2:

Anyway, super cool.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, oh and okay. So for people who aren't familiar, I'm kind of a little. I just got to go to sign up the grown Lufa.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, that you could grow a Lufa. I'm just like, where did you think Lufas came from? Like plastic.

Speaker 3:

No, I know, yeah, no, I know Plastic mesh that they made in a factory. Lord, no Different.

Speaker 2:

So I am a. This is like the brown one, Lord.

Speaker 3:

Hummers Go harvest. We have the pink puff trees.

Speaker 2:

Now we're having to educate Angela on what Lufas are. Um, I'm a little birdie.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I know. We normally have a snippet of a little birdie every week.

Speaker 2:

On the other day on a little birdie she's making me. I don't like contact or closeness.

Speaker 3:

I understand.

Speaker 1:

I just hugged her for those of you that are at least tried to hug her. No, for those of you that are listening.

Speaker 2:

Did you get pricked? Yeah, kind of yeah, right up A little birdie. There was someone looking for local honey, hmm, and I know that you have an assortment.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so do you have bees? Or is this somebody that comes in? No, it's a vendor.

Speaker 3:

She partners with a farm and she does beeswax products and supplies local honey.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, so there you go, hit her up.

Speaker 1:

Is it?

Speaker 2:

organic it is raw.

Speaker 1:

Well, I don't have any. I don't know I'd have to like. I just know when you go to Sam's like it says like organic honey. Oh, I don't trust any of that.

Speaker 2:

It comes out of the mason jar. I mean the bees are eating flowers. I mean technically right. No, why it wouldn't be? I don't think.

Speaker 3:

I don't think they use any like pesticides or anything like that, because that would be a bad thing.

Speaker 1:

On their flowers.

Speaker 3:

Right.

Speaker 2:

Right, yeah, and their free range bees, yeah, hahaha.

Speaker 1:

Come on one of they guys. Yes, yeah.

Speaker 2:

What was another question? You said, up late too, I did, because I was on the phone with you. We did it you called me. Okay, I'm going to interrupt our interview here. We did a colors personality test yesterday at work. Yes, it led to some self discovery and we will be sharing that in a no, we won't further episode, because this green over here just doesn't like displays of what anything less than intelligence, and I'm just cool with talking, so right.

Speaker 1:

I get bored easily, yeah, so you should look into this a lot fun. I know her lack of planning, even though I'm not a big planner, but her not getting it togetherness I was here before you today.

Speaker 2:

That's not my fault, sliding that in here you have an event coming up.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, we do, back on track, we do.

Speaker 3:

So it's the frosty fun night at the farm stand. Oh, that sounds fun, isn't that cute? That's a mouthful, I just absolutely love the literation no. I made that up on my mind. Well, you're better than AI. Thank you, I am pretty proud of that one. I would be a while, finally, I like knuckled down and did it, like went through the alphabet anyway, it's just coming weekend it is.

Speaker 3:

So we've been a little hesitant to commit a whole lot to the date because the weather was looking pretty raunchy, but it does look like the rain is clearing out for Saturday evening it's just gonna be really cold yeah it's got time, it's a frosty fun night. It's like come prepared.

Speaker 2:

So what can we expect at your frosty fun night?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, so we're going to set up kind of a big tent and move some of the farm stand stuff and the newer products outside and create a shopping experience. And then there's games and activities that are for different age brackets, like the little kids started four and it's a candy cane hunt Okay, and then the Okay. So I should have brought information on that.

Speaker 2:

No, it's cool, we can post it in our show notes.

Speaker 3:

Okay, good because I don't remember the age bracket. I think it's five and under. Okay, is that four, mm-hmm. Six to twelve is at five, fifteen, and that is a glow stick scavenger hunt.

Speaker 1:

So we have to wait for it to get cold and then they're gonna have.

Speaker 3:

Can I play Like a piece of paper with like a Like you know those decoded things where you have to like find the picture that matches the order and like decode it. So they have to go out and find the letters. Anyway, super fun, yeah, super fun. The vendors have been putting all this together. I'm like here, doesn't this sound great? And they're like, well, we're gonna do this, this and this, and so I'm just told what we're doing. That's awesome, yeah, it is yeah. And then at six, fifteen, I think, we're gonna do the minute to win it, and there's prizes for all of these. The minute to win it is thirteen and up, sort of. So there has to be a team of two. Okay, this one you have to pre-register for, so if your team wants to participate, she's a 13 and up and we can team-mate up.

Speaker 3:

There you go. Yeah, if your team wants to participate, you have to tell me in advance so that we can get the materials, because there's at least ten different activities that have to be completed within a minute.

Speaker 2:

Oh Lord.

Speaker 3:

So, yeah, it's like, yeah, so in teams of two, no more than eight, you can have younger kids as long as there's someone 13 and older, okay, and the cash prize for first place is a hundred bucks, so donated by the vendors, really.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, they just it's been a good year. Guess what I'm doing. It's one.

Speaker 3:

Saturday night and we're gonna have refreshments. A lot of the food vendors are gonna whip up products, whip up dishes with their products.

Speaker 1:

I'm gonna be buying some peanut butter cookies, not if I get to them first. My husband will beat you up for them, and you know it. His blueness, his blueness.

Speaker 2:

So is this the part where we tell everyone that Ben's a crier? No, we don't talk about that. You might want to edit that out.

Speaker 3:

Anyway, so it should be a fun time. We'll have a bonfire, so it's sponsored by the vendors, and then PJ at Diamond State Cremation and Mortuary. I mean she's just wonderful. As far as supporting the farm stand, the farm stand, yeah, they sponsored. They sponsored the Hay Rides for the Harvest Festival, so 150 people road free, really, because of her sponsorship, their sponsorship. So anyway, yeah, so she called me. I know more than posted. It Wasn't asking for sponsors and she's like hey what can we do to help?

Speaker 3:

So anyway, she brought us a bunch of firewood for bonfire and cut us a check. So anyway, sweet, wow, yeah, it's pretty, pretty kind.

Speaker 1:

So you've told us that you have a lot of vendors that provide elements to your farm stand. Do you personally grow?

Speaker 3:

Things for the farm stand.

Speaker 2:

I mean some yeah so, kids, that you contribute to the business.

Speaker 3:

I grow children. Okay yep, and they work like little slaves, yeah so. No, um, we grow some, so I currently have like 200 laying hens and I'm waiting on eggs. We do have, you know, gardens at home and things like that.

Speaker 2:

I have one of those months a garden, yeah, chickens, or it's tough kid one of the other, I'm lost here a garden a garden. Okay, they can be a little finicky.

Speaker 3:

So we put in a high tunnel at the farm stand so that we can start growing some things there.

Speaker 1:

And I like a green garlic and onion mm-hmm.

Speaker 3:

Yep, it's different in the way that a greenhouse is electrified, right, so it's got heat and air and all of that to it, and this isn't, it's just cover, so just rain, rat structure, right, yeah, okay, I'm like a sturdy sturdy structure.

Speaker 1:

Do you have to think about in the winter, things that can handle the cold still?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, so little known fact. Arkansas, our zone right and it stretches across the country, you know. But our zone actually has a really awesome growing season in winter for cool weather crops, all the things lettuces, spinach, peas, brassicas, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, carrot, celery, cilantro, all those things grow in the winter with a little help. So you know like most of that will die back in, you know below zero temps but up until that, I mean a lot of those things.

Speaker 3:

Uh-huh, lettuce needs a little cover, but also little known. Fact that I think is pretty fascinating and we're kind of experimenting with at the farm stand is, rumor has it, each layer of protection gives you a grow zone and a half, really. So if you can cover those things at least and so far we've been pretty successful at keeping those things alive Throw a lot of these really cold nights, um, and it's not even sealed up, really. So I mean, the door stays cracked for the cats, of course, you know, because they roll Anyway. Yeah, so then if you have your one layer of protection and then you have another smaller layer of protection, now you're in like zone nine to be able to grow stuff, and so your cool weather stuff, for sure, it's just safe. You know, I think we'll experiment more the more. I kind of wow it's gonna grow.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, interesting, isn't that?

Speaker 3:

cool. Yeah, I think that's neat. I'm pretty excited about playing with that stuff.

Speaker 1:

I'm pretty proud that we have this in my yeah, I am too and like what she's talking about. So like I had a client who she does a lot of the the homesteading type things and like so when she was looking for a property it was really important that it had some downhill Like water running so she could put her some sort of garden at the bottom and the water would naturally run there so that she could like have irrigation. Yeah, but it was, some of her plants grew in like water and she grew them in kind of the year-round type thing and then she kept her tomatoes under her house. There was something where you could take your tomatoes and put them under your house.

Speaker 3:

Um okay, in the winter I had a customer do this yeah she took. She gave me. All of the cherry tomatoes that we grew this year were from her cherry tomato that she stuck under the house. It sprouted thousands of baby cherry tomato plants.

Speaker 1:

They put them in like a bucket in a five-diamond bucket and put it under the house and then they stay through the winter that way, in the dark, coolness, and Then. So the crawl space of their home was important to them. Oh, so they had a place to put that like. So these things she's talking about interest me because I've had clients that these things have been applied to. Yeah, yeah, because we have a lot of people that are moving here because of what she's saying. With our zone, we have a really good zone.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, we're kind of in the middle. We're not tropical to where you know. I mean you go really far south and the cool weather stuff is really difficult to grow.

Speaker 1:

I mean it gets too hot in a lot of places.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, you can do your shade cloth, but here you can pretty much throw up a structure for cheap I mean really not much at all and then throw shade cloth on it year-round and you've got the protection for your cool weather stuff, you've got the shade for your warm weather stuff, and then it's just watching your temps and your humidity and airflow you know, yeah, anyway, it's neat the college actually has done a lot of experimenting with.

Speaker 3:

They've got a we get their lettuce, we get the lettuce from them and they have a greenhouse and they have a high tunnel, and so they've done a lot of work, like looking back and forth at what it takes to do both, and it's pretty fascinating stuff.

Speaker 2:

This is way bigger than I thought it was.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, See in some areas water. Conservation is a big deal like in southern Texas. They get told they can't water their yards and stuff after Certain times of day. Yes, so even if you live in the country, you can't really have a garden because you have to conserve your water, and right. So people want to move here because they can have that garden and they can do these things. So do you help educate people if they are moving here and need help with their mean?

Speaker 3:

I'm not a wealth of information, but I kind of tried to direct them to people yeah, with all the different vendors, different vendors, and we've done a lot of classes and.

Speaker 1:

I say a lot of classes.

Speaker 3:

We've done some classes and one of the things that I think probably was one of the best things We've done, that I'm probably the most proud of having just that spot on the map that we can work from Small as it may be, it's just that point. We did coffee and chats between Homesteaders, gardeners, farmers, and the idea is people that have been here and have been doing it all this time, y'all educate them, right, you know, give us some education. And those grew and we were having, you know, 50 people at Our coffee and chats, really monthly, yep, showing up and hanging out and meeting each other and swapping Information, swapping materials. We have done a couple seed swaps now and those have been really cool. So you know, I mean those are free people bring their seeds and they swap those around and then information. So luffa seeds always end up getting swapped around. They look like watermelon seeds anyway, so cool.

Speaker 3:

So that has been probably one of the most exciting parts is watching those connections be made between people, because that's really the best Education. I mean you can watch YouTube's, you know and you do this great right, Love it. We're on it all the time. But that personal connection when you have a question and being able to call somebody this is crazy and I don't know what to do.

Speaker 1:

Those connections have been priceless you know so anyway, so what kind of challenges do you feel like you have encountered? And if there aren't any, then that's fine too.

Speaker 3:

Gosh, what kind of challenges. I think I mean this probably isn't what you're asking, but my personal biggest challenge is my lack of time to be able to be there. You know, like I, I'm still a stay-at-home mom and we home school, and so you know, all of my mornings are dedicated to that, except for this one.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for that. My kids are thrilled so no worries, we really appreciate it.

Speaker 3:

We're thankful. I mean, I'm thankful for the publicity, for the farm stand and the vendors and the event.

Speaker 1:

So I'm learning so much and I'm living down in city and I'm on city council in Diamond City. I should know about the farm stand and I don't. Everybody should. That's like bad on me.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, it's a little asset, but it does a lot.

Speaker 2:

I mean it really especially when everyone was so upset because the dollar store didn't end up getting produce right. But we still have access.

Speaker 3:

There's still some. Yeah, yeah, yeah, like.

Speaker 2:

Walmart selection, but it's still good stuff, right.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, through the winter we hope to have. We, thanks to Hudson's, they've let us tax and stuff on to their grocery order, so it's not gonna be locally sourced. But when we asked, you know we put a poll out. You know what do you guys want through the winter? What's the priority? Locally sourced and limited supply. Or, you know, have the staples and it not be locally sourced and it was a resounding, just get the produce and yeah just cuz it's I mean Okay so like my lettuce, I probably could stop buying.

Speaker 1:

Get some, let they get lettuce from that. Yeah, I Needed lettuce last night.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, okay they're on break right now, so we don't technically have a list right now, but any other time between then and June. Yeah, we have their lettuce.

Speaker 2:

It's pretty great and it's beautiful and you can message her and be like hey, do you have this before I run out from Diamond City?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, and I mean I know my hours are limited, right, so I mean I can set things out, and we haven't had any. We haven't had any.

Speaker 1:

Via like I have QR code on the door.

Speaker 3:

Okay, you can just hang on there. Okay, or slide cash under a flower pot. Okay, yeah, okay, we make things work. Yeah, it's a. It's the beauty of a small town, I think, the beauty of a small town.

Speaker 1:

So do you have any future plans for the farm stand? I Mean yeah, of course, you know yes.

Speaker 3:

I think it's a delicate balance because, you know, I want to be able to Still have the freedom to do the things that we're doing from a small space without much overhead. Right, I mean we're able. I don't see, event-wise, us doing a whole lot more than we're doing right now. Right, unless we bring on a board because I just don't have time. I mean we have this year We'll have three relatively Major-ish for us events one major event and then a couple other, you know, medium events, and then we've had farmers markets and we've had coffee and chats and we have an Azure pickup once a month and I mean I just don't know that like what is that?

Speaker 3:

So it's a. It's a bulk organic food supplier that does a Monthly drop-off with an 18-wheeler. You order in advance, you go online, you place your order, they have a drop spot and then everyone gathers, picks up off the truck and it's called what now? Azure standard. So they have one here in Harrison too, there's one in Branson and then we were approved as a drop spot for Led Hill.

Speaker 2:

So anyway I don't.

Speaker 3:

I don't coordinate that. Uh, lori Campolito, you can email her, but anyway, it's a pretty great thing. You could just go on to Azure standards website and then look for the drop spot near you and we'll pop up and then it'll kind of keep you updated as to when your next cutoff date is and when your delivery is going to be, and Does it tell you like what?

Speaker 2:

you'll get you order what you want. Yeah, you just you order what you want. It's like Amazon, but for food.

Speaker 3:

Do you remember I don't know if they still do them but like the meat trucks that would deliver like the bulk meat, to like church parking Lots and you would schedule in advance, then go pick those up. It's the same thing, okay, but they have organic everything feed, okay, meat, dairy produce, plants in the garden, season supplements, all the stuff. Yeah, it's a cool resource to have delivered right there. It's not directly connected to us, apart from they use our location, but I mean it's cool that they have a location. They bring it to Let Hill.

Speaker 1:

Yeah Well, I used to do this thing when I was in Oklahoma it's called like bountiful baskets or something like that and you ordered every week but you only got what, like a CSA, I don't know, I don't know. You only got like what was in season at that moment in time, like you didn't really know, Thursday it made you like just basket.

Speaker 2:

You didn't. It was a surprise.

Speaker 1:

Kind of yeah, yeah. No, this is more planned and it was just vegetables and some fruits, but they were all like organic and that's everything and it was like $40 and you got quite a bit of stuff.

Speaker 2:

Do you have any random, funny or horrific tales from your farm stand?

Speaker 1:

Besides the cat being kidnapped. But that came back, so it's pretty miracle.

Speaker 2:

It's Daniels who was rescued, but they didn't know that he was.

Speaker 3:

I wish I could tell you, like the details of that story on here, cause it would qualify Really, but I can't Right. Yeah, but I will in a minute, right Off the record.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, we'll cover that one later. It was pretty great, I'm just not. He came back.

Speaker 3:

Gosh, I don't know. I'm sure if I really thought about it we'd have funny ones. I think it's. I think it's neat. We've had some weird things happen. When we first moved into the shed, a couple people were up snooping around the outside and the art teacher at Lead Hill. She went blazing in to the parking lot.

Speaker 2:

If you know her, that just makes this even better. She didn't even tell me about this until the next morning.

Speaker 3:

right, like no emergency about it, like she's just like hey, by the way, I ran people off from your farm stand last night. It's like wait what?

Speaker 2:

I'll introduce you to her, so this is even funnier. She's amazing anyway, but she gets out.

Speaker 3:

They had left their truck parked on the other side of the billboard. Oh, with like engine running lights on doors open, they take off running when she pulls in, they just bolt you know Pretty good sign you're up to no good yeah. Then, a few months later, the Corps was doing a control burn behind us. But you know, we didn't know that they were doing a control, burn Right.

Speaker 2:

they don't call you and warn you.

Speaker 3:

No, so like 1130 at night, a neighbor calls and she's like so the pasture is on fire, I've already called the cops, it's a control burn. Like she had all the info. That's nice, told me all the things, yep. And so I sat there in my PJs until 1130 in the morning and watched it burn. But anyway, yeah.

Speaker 2:

I don't nothing, nothing super crazy.

Speaker 3:

My favorite. As soon as we shut this off, I'll think of something Absolutely yeah. I can't imagine what that would work.

Speaker 2:

My favorite farm stand moment though. Oh no, is the first time I ever went in.

Speaker 1:

And like, like I said, you're involved, she had it.

Speaker 2:

I know it's not anything bad, it's something fantastic. So her kid was checking me out and I gave him cash, you know, and so he counted back my change. How old is your son? That son 13. He counted back change like better than any grown adult I've ever met in my life. Oh, like it's like a skill set.

Speaker 1:

And I'm like saying they're like Like legit, like can count it back, can count it back, not telling you how much you have, but counting it back.

Speaker 2:

Right, he counted it back and I was just like Wow, whoa.

Speaker 3:

But you know why? Because we don't math well, so we have to count it back.

Speaker 1:

Like it's easier to count it back than it is to do the math and then hand someone their change, like I have to.

Speaker 3:

It's a skill that you need. I have to do it that way, but it was on her days. I was really proud for you. I am a stickler. I don't teach you that in school. I dream my kids all the time about sorry, my, my, my, my, my customer service and I mean we're learning, we're getting there. But it just is a major pet peeve of mine to walk into a store and it'd be like a young kid and they clearly are terrified out of their mind and rude because of it and it just drives me nuts. That's where we are. That's the person that is so rude to us.

Speaker 2:

So that's a very clean the other day, yes, the lady.

Speaker 1:

She was having a really rough day. We forgive you. I went to a fast food place. You gave us our ice cream, so we are happy oh yeah, did it shut down.

Speaker 2:

Just keep going, because it's being recorded on the phone.

Speaker 3:

I went to a fast food place the other day and the girl didn't say a word to me, not at all, not a single word. And I told the kids you know, of course they get in trouble when we leave I'm like never, will you ever, ever. They're like we didn't even do anything wrong. I'm like I don't care For all the things that you wish that you could do later. Don't do this. Don't injure it to people. Kills me.

Speaker 1:

Let's set Alex free, because we kept her for forever. Yeah, and I was like getting here, it's been a joy, thank, you for having me and giving all of our vendors some publicity.

Speaker 3:

I should have mentioned Lost in the Ozarks, because those guys are there every Saturday morning yeah, every Saturday and they have amazing stuff.

Speaker 2:

I don't know if you've tried their?

Speaker 1:

mushroom. We just need to do like a tour. I guess Saturday I'm going to the farms, yeah.

Speaker 3:

Tell us your hours again. So I'm open Tuesday, wednesday, friday afternoons 1 to 5. Ok, and then Saturday morning 9 to 1. Ok, and then during market season we're open. You know our farmers market start in April and technically sort of run through October. We're trying to beef that up next year. We have kind of a little board assembled and we're going to work on sponsorships and bringing in food trucks consistently and activities and classes. We have about eight instructors that we can cycle through.

Speaker 3:

And that's just off the top of our head. We haven't even started digging yet. So people that can come out and do instruction on Saturday mornings, and then the coffee and chats will almost kind of mesh with that, because people will be together and there will be food and there will be activities and vendors, and so we're working on it, sweet, we're working on it, sweet, fantastic.

Speaker 1:

Well, we appreciate you being here. Thank you for having me. Thank you, and do you have anything? Any little birdie tidbit for this week?

Speaker 2:

No, not this week You've been off of little birdie having me. I have been, I've been working and doing things of substance lately.

Speaker 1:

Well, guys, thanks for listening to us, and we will catch you next week with something new that we haven't decided what we're going to talk about yet, up to my non-planning ahead. Yeah, the non-planer over here I have a list, but the non-planer.

Speaker 2:

We're going to wing it. See you next week OK.

People on this episode

Head Shot

Angela Ballard

Host
Contributor

Aundrea Rogers

Co-host