Merry
Meadows

I am Merry. Really! My parents set me up in life by naming me, Merry. I love life and all the little things that make it joyful. In my younger years, I was so busy working and raising a family that I rarely even gave retirement a thought. But, seven years ago retirement became a reality. Now whoever said that retirement was easy was mistaken! I had to learn to pack in twice as much activity into each day, LOL! But with maturity comes even more responsibility. 

My parents were aging and the time came that they needed more help. So, I found myself newly divorced and remarried, retired, and moved to a new state with a new home. I, then, moved my parents closer to me so I could care for them. Fast forward to 2021 and here I am in that “new” home without anyone, but me. My mother passed in February 2018, my husband in April 2019, and my daddy in June 2020. I found myself asking, “what is my purpose in life?”

Here I was, a busy, hardworking woman who had always been a caregiver of sort, now all alone. “Be careful what you ask for,” they say. Here I was, surrounded by God’s wonder and beauty in a big house on more than seventeen acres of wooded land. Sounds like a scene from a Laura Engles Wilder book; and, I felt that way too! The more I contemplated on my purpose, the closer a vision of sharing my joy with others came to fruition. My four children came together to help me make Merry Meadows a real live farm; a place of constant growth and change. A place I could eventually share with others.

First came the desire to share, then came my youngest son, Jonathan, to help. We started this little farm with three goats and a few chickens. This quickly grew as we added dairy goats and guinea fowl and a livestock guardian puppy, Libby, to help protect us. We are all growing and learning together.

Then came my eldest son, Gabriel, and his wife, Kelly. Both of these boys had been in Northern California on various farms working and learning through the WWOOF program. Jonathan’s love for animals and Gabriel’s desire to farm and grow crops along with his wife, Kelly who has a passion for flowers all came together to make Merry Meadows a real farm!

Now I have two wonderful daughters as well as the boys. Abby, my firstborn, has a drive to “get things done.” Rebecca, my third child, and second daughter is a busy wife and mother of four. She has an engineering background and is very creative as well as a hard worker. She is working remotely with her sister to design and create the events. Although both girls live in different states, their presence is felt here on the farm. They have the creativity we need to add the “fun” to the mix.

So, here is where the sharing becomes real. Just a few days in the future will be our very first event. We are calling it, “Flea to the Market.” I envision my small community coming together to share our wares, food, and fun in this beautiful place that I call home. Together, we envision not only the flea market, but also farmers’ markets, festivals, and eventually a mercantile and farm stand. 

Alone? Not anymore. Retired? Hmmm, not so much! Happy? You bet! 

What more could I ask for?

Welcome home to Merry Meadows Farm!