It is another blustery, rainy day here on Chappy, a sharp turn-around from yesterday when the sunshine and warmth brought many bikers and walkers out onto the roads and trails. My daughter and I went for a short stroller walk out to the mailbox, noticing all the daffodils that nodded at us from the edges of our neighbors’ driveways and the first of the forsythia.

Once we reached the pavement, two bikers, college-aged, peddled past, reminding us how many individuals in that age-bracket have suddenly materialized on the island in the past few weeks. Vehicles pass by with license plates from Connecticut, New Jersey, New York. I often find myself waving to familiar faces that I do not usually see until June or July. Sometimes drivers and passengers are unrecognizable in face masks and gloves, a sign of the pandemic that is sweeping the country.

Thankfully the Trustees have reopened Mytoi Garden, East Beach and Wasque. My husband and daughter had a hot-chocolate picnic at the garden this weekend, returning with tales of a blooming white magnolia and several pink and purple azaleas.

As I was eating a store-bought cantaloupe this afternoon, I found myself longing for the heat of summer, when we will pull ripe melons from our field, slice them open on the tailgate of our truck and consume them there amid our crops. We will spit seeds onto the earth, smiling, as juice runs down our chins. It is coming.

Seed companies are experiencing record numbers of orders this spring, as people prepare for a summer with the presence of the virus. Many Americans are experiencing food insecurity, perhaps for the first time in their life, and the pandemic has revealed the fragility of our food system. We rely on far away places, far away farms to meet our demand. It gives me hope that many are turning to their gardens, and those who cannot grow themselves may rely more heavily on their local farmers.

With increased demand, some of the major seed companies are now only selling to commercial growers. If you were unable to find the seed you need for your garden, we are taking orders at Slip Away for seedlings in 4” pots or six-packs, depending on the vegetable. We have lots of vegetables available, including, to name a few, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, lettuce, kale, chard, melons.

You can email me at slipawayfarm@gmail.com with your order and once your seedlings are ready to go, we will organize a time for you to come pick them up on the porch of the farm stand.

The Chappy Ferry is now running on the hour until Saturday, April 25 in order to insure the health of the captains and passengers.