There is kind of a funny (odd funny, not ha ha funny) thing about inappropriate warm weather.  It breeds anticipation and, for some people, apprehension about what might be coming our way.  It has been fairly warm here this fall, but today it is almost 60, which sometimes is our average temperature in June!  Now, this might not seem like such a big deal, but with an elevation of nearly 3000’ at the base of Snowshoe Mountain, we are used to seeing temperatures in the negatives during the winter, and certainly it should be much colder than this by now.  Ordinarily, I would be celebrating the warm weather, but the only way this area will see an influx of money is if the resort is open for (good) skiing.  With rare exception, the people of Linwood rely on tourists to be able to survive, so the prospect of a warm winter is unnerving.  On the other hand, it’s reminiscent of being an employee at an empty restaurant on a Friday evening.  Once the first table arrives the floodgates are triggered and the next thing you know you are running around like a chicken with its head cut off until it’s over.   I have a sneaking suspicion that when winter does arrive, it will do so with fury and vengeance, and we will all look like Teletubbies running around in our cold weather gear!

As for the Linwood Community Garden, we apparently were WAY ahead of the weather curve.  We got our garlic into the ground well before our first frost, and winter rye has been sown and raked in and is already growing beautifully.  We have had several new people express interest in taking part in Grow Appalachia next year, and are excited to see how the program unfolds now that we have a season’s experience under our belts.

In other news, some of our community members and Grow supporters attended the Our Children Our Future (The Campaign to End Child Poverty) community forum in Marlinton, WV a few weeks ago.  There were also several folks from the High Rocks site in attendance.  Forging a connection with them gives us another level of community cooperation, and we are all looking forward to learning from one another and sharing our successes.  One of the issues in the 2016 Legislative Platform is deeply related to Grow Appalachia: Increasing Local Food Access and Profitability.  We are so excited to be a part of the positive progress in our state and anticipate really being able to take advantage of the new policies should they pass – they have the potential to really help us expand and become self-sufficient, and most importantly to increase the health and well-being of the most disadvantaged people in our state.

There are amazing things on the horizon for both Grow Appalachia and our local community, and I for one am thrilled to be a part of both.

In peace and gratitude,

Kelley