Year: 2014

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Janet Wentworth Interview

janetwentworthMy super smart Small Business Adviser, Janet Wentworth was interviewed recently on WriterSpeak.  She is in the process of promoting her new book, “Your Unstoppable Brand”, available on Amazon.

This interview contains a lot of great information about advancing your small business by sharing your story and your image with potential customers.  I think anyone who is starting out or even those who have a medium size businesses who are still struggling finding their ideal customer or fitting brand.

She even mentions Plum Blossom Farm in her interview which is exciting! Hope you enjoy!  If you don’t have time to watch the whole session you can skip to see the portion on Plum Blossom Farm at minute 21.

WriterSpeak with Janet Wentworth on Youtube

 

 

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When it rains, it pours

ducks in puddle

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California had been waiting for rain and worrying about dry conditions.  This weekend we got a storm that took an edge off that worry.  On Saturday my house got 6″ of rain in a 24 hour period.  That’s A LOT!

I cleared all the drainage ditches in the morning and by the afternoon so much debris had washed down from the hills the ditches had overflowed and I had flooding.  It was a long day trying to get so much water to flow the ways that I wanted.

The sheep decided to stay cozy in the barn over the weekend while 8″ of much needed rain fell on the roof.  The ducks however had a ball!  Running/waddling as fast as their web feet would take them, they’d race towards the pasture and the little streams that popped up to dig their bills deep in the water and mud.  Whenever I get tired of the rain I can always watch the ducks thoroughly enjoying their playground and I feel happy about it once again.

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Lucky Sheep Get Daily Organic Salad Bar

sheep eating lettuce

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For the past year the animals of Plum Blossom Farm have been spoiled with fresh, organic fruits and veggies.  My friend Farah, who passed the ducks along to me, was very kind to share in the produce she gets from a local small grocery chain.  The produce the store sorts through and can’t sell because it’s slightly wilted or blemished gets put in a bin for us each day.  Some of the produce looks perfect and I cannot figure out why it got thrown out at all.

The sheep and ducks eat the majority of the veggies.  The ducks favorite treats are butter lettuce and tomatoes.  The sheep love celery, apples, carrots and to my surprise, oranges.  It is so fun to watch them run to see what time of goods the produce piles hold each morning.  I love to spoil them and it helps cut down on my hay bill which is always a good thing!sheep and ducks produce

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Daffodils Already

little yellow white daffodils

I couldn’t believe my eyes yesterday when I spotted my first daffodils of the season.  They always sneak up on me but they seem even earlier this year.  I am honestly surprised they could make it out of the ground with the little rain we’ve had.

Anyway they were a welcome friendly presence opposed to the dying grass in the pasture.  The forecast is calling for rain in just a few days.  It feels like all of California is holding their breath and hoping for some moisture!

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We need rain…

sheep pasture

I rely heavily on the pastures I have to feed the sheep in the Spring and Summer.  Unfortunately this year we have not had much rain yet and it is making me a little nervous.

The little rain we did have started some of my grass seed growing but since we’ve had virtually no precipitation since then it has actually started to turn yellow and brown.  I’m just hoping for some measurable rain very soon so that all of it doesn’t die before it got a chance to be even an inch tall!

The other concern of mine comes with what this potential drought means for the hay crops this year.  If we don’t get enough rain it could have a serious impact on hay yields and prices come Spring.

I’m just trying not to worry since we often do get lots of rain in February, March and April.  Plus there is not a lot I can do about it one way or another.  This situation is clearly not under my control!

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Happy New Year!

2013 was the most successful year so far for Plum Blossom Farm.  I cannot express my gratitude enough for all the support and kindness from all the customers I had exchanges with.  Thank you to each and every one of you!  I feel so blessed to be able to be a part of an ancient craft and to be able to care for my animal family at the same time.

I am planning to do many more fairs in 2014 as well as expanding my online presence.   I look forward to growing this business, meeting new faces as well as seeing familiar customers once again.  Welcome 2014!