The Hearth of Sap Bush Hollow
Episodes
152 episodes
Thwarting Abigail
AI is creeping closer and closer to my world. Like any technology, we must learn to find the balance - to maximize the benefits and minimize the harms. And to do that, it’s important to know our own thoughts, before a computer start...
Vacationing with Axe Murderers
“DEAD FARMERS CAN’T TAKE VACATIONS.” The ad for temporary farm relief workers appeared in my Dad’s weekly Country Folks paper. Just a kid, I clipped the lead and pasted it to the bathroom mirror at Sap Bush. I thought it wa...
The To-Do List
How many times have you heard a farmer tell you they’ll rest when they’re dead? Truth be told, I think they fear that if they do rest, they might die. I’m Shannon Hayes, and you’re listening to Season 7, Episode 12 ...
Choosing Children
Have your kids ever asked you what led you to decide to start a family? Were you able to give them an honest answer?I’m Shannon Hayes, and you’re listening to Season 7, Episode 11 of The Hearth of Sap Bush Hollow. Find the text ver...
Redundant (Not Useless)!
Mom and I once took a class in farm transition planning, where the instructor taught us an important lesson: family farms are ALWAYS in transition. And that’s definitely true. But some days, I feel that more keenly than oth...
Four Batches of Caramel
Ula is not the only one graduating with her associates degree this spring. Saoirse earned her degree as well. But she wasn’t sure if she even wanted it. It took four batches of caramel to come to a decision. I’m Sh...
Irresponsible, or Not Responsible?
I was raised on this farm to view shirking responsibility as a failure of character. But there’s a difference between being irresponsible, and not being responsible. I struggle with that distinction.I’m Shannon Hayes...
Croissants & Copulating Toads
If we could, Bob and I would continue operating our cafe together forever. But we’re realizing, much as we love the work, that if we don’t start transitioning our skills, the cafe will only last as long as our knees and feet will hold up....
Fearless
Did you ever think about the adjectives we choose to describe a good female student, vs a good male student? Ula graduated this weekend, and we heard a lot of adjectives being thrown about for the scholars. But what word should be c...
The Beautiful B+
The school year is coming to an end for our daughters. Finishing projects and finals is not just about escaping classes….It’s about weighing the demands of the classes up against the siren call of spring. Apparently this is a recurr...
Unwise Decisions
Last summer, Bob and I moved down to the farm at the start of lambing season to help pull things together in the wake of Mom’s death. All in all, it was a bad idea. I’d do it again. I’m Shannon Hayes, and you’re listening to ...
Sound Investing
Farming’s a tricky business, and managing for cash flow is hard. Managing for profit is even harder. So we farmers learn to be careful with our money. Those management skills mean we get pretty good at living within our means....
Someone Like You
Did you ever notice what makes a community feel inviting? It’s not the big box stores. It’s not the chain restaurants. It’s the small businesses that create a true sense of place, that let a traveler know that a given corner o...
Grosbeak Winter, Grosbeak Spring
Healing isn’t really possible unless we’re willing to look at the wounds we’ve been hiding. For most of my life, I haven’t been willing to look. That’s changing. I’m Shannon Hayes, and you’re listening to Season 7, Episode 1 of The ...
The Importance of Lazy & Soul
I was always an A student. Actually, I couldn’t NOT be an A student. After writing this week’s post, I think I could fairly say I was TRAPPED into being an A student. I’m beginning to see how that has been working against me.&...
How doable is doing less?
If your doctor advised you to cut back and do less, could you do it?I’m Shannon Hayes, and you’re listening to Season 6, Episode 16 of The Hearth of Sap Bush Hollow. For the transcript of this story, visit The Radical Homemaker blo...
Prepping
It never occurred to me that cleaning my mother’s house would shed light on her fears. But as we continue to work to revitalize the Sap Bush Farm House, more mysteries about her are solved…and revealed… I’m Shannon...
The $500K Book Advance
We got a day off this week! Bob and I took off for a paddling trip to the Adirondacks, where I used to dream of buying a cabin with a fantasy $500,000 book advance. On this day off, I got a chance to reflect on where that dream got us. I’...
Slow Learners
I’m 51 years old. I’ve spent nearly all those years living and working at Sap Bush Hollow Farm. How is it that I still don’t know how to be a farmer?I’m Shannon Hayes, and you’re listening to Season 6, Episode 13 of The ...
I'm No Garrison Keillor
I received a letter a few weeks back from a woman who found an old copy of one of my most popular books, Radical Homemakers, in her public library. “I want to become someone I believe in,” she wrote to me. And she wanted to...
The Well-(S)Oiled Machine
What will it take to get this farm to run smoothly and efficiently?I’m Shannon Hayes, and you’re listening to Season 6, Episode 11 of The Hearth of Sap Bush Hollow. For a written version of this story, check out The Radical Homemak...
What the dust stirs up...
s it possible to lose a beloved parent without an existential life crisis? Oh if only…I’m Shannon Hayes, and you’re listening to Season 6, Episode 10 of The Hearth of Sap Bush Hollow. For the written transcript of this s...
The All Girls Tractor School
https://www.sapbushfarmstore.com/s/stories/the-all-girls-tractor-schoolFarming requires everyone to work hard, and to take pride and joy in doing so. Bu...
