First hops of the season, finally

The frost last week nipped the early shoots—three rows gone, just like that. But today, the sun came through sharp and low, and I found the first green tips pushing up between the blackened stems. Took me twenty minutes to find them. They’re tiny, almost invisible. But they’re there. The kid who took over the farm this year didn’t even notice. He was checking his phone for weather updates. I let him be. Some things you can’t rush. Or explain.