Probably the most important project Cameron has been working on is creating a comprehensive spread sheet with all the seeds and plants we order.  Sounds simple, but it is anything but.  He has been going through past year’s bills, entering everything in with dates, quantities, varieties, vendors etc.  But there is so much more to it.  For instance, when does each item go into the boxes and for how long?  Which seeds need to be packed up and sent to Headstart, or do we direct sow?  How often do we plant?  How far in advance do we have to place orders? Some seeds and plants need to be ordered months in advance; strawberries and potatoes are great examples. 

When I looked back through Quickbooks, I saw that Nigel would order strawberry starts anytime between end of March through May. We’ve picked up those starts in August to plant them for the following Spring. I remembered the strawberries sometime late in July, realizing there was a good chance Nigel hadn’t placed this year’s order.  We finally placed our order for plants, but not soon enough to get the exact varieties we wanted. Nigel is missed in real and challenging ways. Besides all the normal reasons, we miss our best friend and life partner.