Heading to the Valley

It's not a valley ... it's a delta, but Texans call the Rio Grande Valley "The Valley" and expect it to be accepted as truth.

We've finished our work season, and although bits of paperwork, spreadsheets, and finance still need to be addressed, we can safely leave the bakery work-site in Todd Mission, TX, and head home to the orchard. As self-employed people, we never really quit working, but we've fashioned a life for ourselves that allows us a space in which to escape. Rather than take vacations over the past several years, we've sunk the money into a funky little house in a (now organic) orchard on the Mexican border in Texas. By the time we're feeling caught up with our work expansion enough to think about any traveling vacations again, the house will be paid for, and we'll have that sweet grounding spot available as we grow old together.

This year we'll make the final payment on our bakery (Queen's Pantry) at the Texas Renaissance Festival. The mixed blessing of an arrangement that allowed us to pay over 4 years was that for 4 years we haven't actually been able to take home any of the net from that show. The house in LaFeria allows us an easy and comfortable frugality of picking fresh grapefruit for breakfast, making guacamole from our own avocados, and hanging out in Sky Chairs in the orchard while listening to songbirds.

While we're making big plans for 2010, both at our NY show, and our TX show, I'm looking forward to getting away to a slower and easier pace of life.

Construction and sign making for our summer and fall shows will come soon enough ... The construction for the fall show will begin in early spring. If we don't run away now, our winter break will come and go before we can even catch our breath.