This past spring, our life took an unexpected turn. In April 2025, Brian’s fellow construction peer of over 20+ years, Paul, passed away unexpectantly on a Wednesday morning. Their friendship had been forged through decades of daily hard work, shared construction jokes, pranks on each other and countless building projects.
But grief has a way of searching for an outlet, and Brian found his in our garden. Brian is not a gardener. He is an avid outdoorsman, fisherman and amazing bow/gun hunter. I am the garden girl and gatherer. He does meat, I do veggies, and sourdough. He builds all my garden structures and mows the garden. Yet, year after year, I decide all the vegetable plants, the variety of vegetables and the harvesting method. I base my decisions from what is left in the pantry from the previous year.
Night after night, after the toil of his business was done, he walked to the garden and worked; tilling, preparing, and walking the rows alone with his thoughts. He was processing, remembering, and finding his footing again. One evening, he told me he wanted to plant sunflowers. Not just a row or two — the entire back of our garden. I just watched him day after day. Gave little input since I was not really a flower farmer, I was a vegetable grower for food preservation.
So he went out and purchased hundreds of dollars’ worth of seed. And then he planted. He weeded. He watered. He watched as the first green shoots pushed through, as the stalks grew tall and sturdy, and as the yellow heads began to turn toward the sun. We planted more and more.
When they finally bloomed, we did not know what to do with the flowers. Not knowingly, he planted field flowers, not cut flowers. I made a few arrangements knowing they would not last in a vase as long as they did in the ground. We made some arrangements and gave them away. We donated for a fundraiser. But really we just let them bloom in the garden and watched the bees and butterflies and hummingbirds feast day after day.
In time, the process began to take on a new purpose. So, we transformed the field, knocked many trees down, studied seed varieties, studied blooms and planned our 2026 UPick Flower Farme for the community. We want others to experience the simple joy of walking between rows of blooms, picking stems for their own homes, and feeling connected to something growing and alive.
To shape this dream, we visited so many UPick flower farms across Missouri and Arkansas, learning from their owners, gathering inspiration, and finding ways to make our own field both beautiful and welcoming. Every conversation, every tour, every shared story led us to today.
Today, our sunflower field stands as more than just a patch of flowers. It’s a living memorial. A place where hard work and healing came together. A reminder that even in the deepest grief, there can still be growth, beauty, and community. The field is also now planned and prepared for 2026, a new season, so many flower varieties, so much color of blooms, a new opportunity, and new joint adventure for Brian and me together.
Our goal is to open The Farme in Spring 2026 with an experience for our community to walk the field, pick so many varieties of flowers, take pictures, make memories with loved ones and new generations. We are already sewing the seed, hope and vision.
The Farme LLC 
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