Nordic Farms

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I met Noreen Whitney of Nordic Farm Jams at the Casa Larga show last May and have run into her several times since. I usually buy a jar of jam and a bag of granola but at the November Casa Larga show I bought all three varieties of granola and 3 jars of jam because I wasn't sure when I'd see her again and by now my addictions are full-blown.

I used to make my own jam but I'd forgotten just how deliciously satisfying it is. Thankfully Steve and Simon aren't into jam very much so I've learned I can stop hiding it in the back of the refrigerator. You think I'm kidding?

On our way to the Casa Larga show I asked Steve what kind of jam I could buy for him. Maybe one of Noreen's hot pepper jams? Something with jalapeno? Know what he said? Smuckers Strawberry Preserves. What?? Smuckers is good but c'mon! Fine by me, all the more of the good stuff for me.

I just polished off a jar of Noreen's Christmas Jam. Check out the ingredients: strawberries, pineapples, apricots, oranges, cherries, golden raisins and pecans.

My favorite way to eat jam is on a warmed (in the microwave, not toasted) bagel. One half has peanut butter & jam and the other half has plain cream cheese and jam. I eat the PB&J half first, followed by the cream cheese & jam for "dessert".

Noreen explains that the name of their farm is her name combined with her husband's name, Dick. She says that her husband says he tried to put his name first but Dicnor Farms just didn't have the same ring to it. :-)

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The show at Gro-Moore Farms this past weekend turned out better than I first thought it was going to be when I got there. When I "vetted" the show a year or two ago, I guess I didn't pay attention to how much buy/resell stuff was there. I find I do better in shows where everything is handcrafted. Still, I reached 106% of my sales goal so I can't complain.

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I've had the last 6 days off from work (including Saturday & Sunday, I mean), which I was very much looking forward to. I can't believe it's over. I really could live life that way. As I said in a Tweet the other day, I have endless energy, enthusiasm and ideas for all things Pine Tree Designs. Good thing I like my day job and the people I work with or I'd really feel tortured today.

But there were 4 things I was sure we/I would do over these days off. (Steve had the same days off, except for last Thursday.)

• Go out to breakfast with Steve. (Gretchen & I did take Dad out for breakfast for his 79th birthday yesterday.)

• Walk Reggi on the non-show days.

• Go in the hot tub several times.

• Completely finish all the Sticky Notes I have in progress - and get a box of work ready for Pam to glue for me.

Part of the reason we didn't do some of those things is that Steve had an eye infection - in both eyes, so he was feeling pretty poorly. He's meticulous about keeping his contacts clean and all that - it's just something that happens to him from time to time. He has drops and stops wearing his contacts for a few days until it's gone.

But -

I did get caught up on paperwork and filing.

I did get my studio relatively cleaned up.

I did mail postcards to the first 213 people on my mailing list. (That's as many postcards as I had left after passing them out at 2 recent shows.)

I did ship an order to the store in Corning.

I did place a couple of orders with vendors for supplies.

I did start assembling the work for Pam to glue.

I did check out a show in Canandaigua I'd like to apply for next year.

I did map out the shows I want to do in 2009 and emailed organizers to get on their mailing lists where appropriate.

I did other stuff . . . seems like a big blur now!

And on to the next one!


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