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.  It’s time to turn things around and make life more sane.  

I’m Shannon Hayes, and you’re listening to Season 6, Episode 17 of The Hearth of Sap Bush Hollow.  For a full transcript, check out The Radical Homemaker Blog at SapBushFarmStore.com. 

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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 blog at https://www.sapbushfarmstore.com. 

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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 Hayes, and you’re listening to Season 6, Episode 15 of The Hearth of Sap Bush Hollow.  Find the printed version of this story over on The Radical Homemaker Blog at SapBushFarmStore.com.

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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’m Shannon Hayes, and you’re listening to Season 6, Episode 14 of The Hearth of Sap Bush Hollow.   You can read this story on The Radical Homemaker Blog, which is now located on the Sap Bush Hollow website: SapBushFarmStore.com.

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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 Hearth of Sap Bush Hollow. If you'd like a written version of this story, find it on The Radical Homemaker blog at SapBushFarmStore.com. 

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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 know how my beliefs and research have framed my life, and how my views may have changed since writing that book. It’s taken me a while to think of how to respond. On any given day, I found that I had a different answer.  How would any of us tackle that question: Have I lived my life as someone I can believe in?

I’m Shannon Hayes, and you’re listening to Season 6, Episode 12 of The Hearth of Sap Bush Hollow.  For a text copy of this essay, visit The Radical Homemaker Blog at SapBushFarmStore.com

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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 Homemaker Blog, which can be found at SapBushFarmStore.com.

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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 story, visit The Radical Homemaker blog at SapBushFarmStore.com. 

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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.  But there’s a long tradition of dividing the labor along gender lines.  That can be a problem if you’re trying to make sure a business can continue when the entire next generation is one gender. 

I’m Shannon Hayes, and you’re listening to Season 6, Episode 9 of The Hearth of Sap Bush Hollow. If you'd like to read the full transcript of this story, find it on the Radical Homemaker blog here. 

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My mother’s callous attitude about death could come across as shocking to those who didn’t know her.  But her views were hard-won, and they’re getting me through the tough work we face here at Sap Bush Hollow.  Those of you who’ve known mom and me personally are aware that she raised me to swear like a sailor. To be true to her parenting voice, I’ve employed our natural language here.  If you’ve got tender ears within listening range, you might want to slip on some headphones for this episode. 

I’m Shannon Hayes, and you’re listening to Season 6, Episode 8 of The Hearth of Sap Bush Hollow.  Find the transcript for this story on The Radical Homemaker Blog, which is now located at SapBushFarmStore.com.

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