The Garden & Life Album Cover (Patreon)

Here's our new album cover for "The Garden & Life"  We've changed it up a bit since our last official album cover. We really wanted to make an original cover for our next album that truly represents our "us" and life in the garden.  Sharing this cover here with our Patrons first and you all will also be the first to receive a physical copy in the mail as soon as they are finished being duplicated! 

For anyone who is new to Sweet Radish. We live on a 35 acre organic, permaculture farm animal sanctuary called "the Jack Rabbit Hollow" which we have been building from vacant land for the past 4 years. We live 100% off grid and all our animals are rescued or adopted and come here to retire in peace. We've rescued and accumulated over 100 chickens and ducks over the past 10 years.  Shortly after building our house we decided to change our farm operation to being strictly fruits, vegetables and agri-tourism.  We plan on keeping a few rescued birds at a time that we can give more of our attention to. We have not accepted any new rescue residents. Many of the chickens that came here to live out their lives have passed away of old age and our flock has shrunk to a total of 3 goats, 2 sheep and 22 chickens (5 are roosters).  We arrived with over 100 of all ages and varieties. The first few months we were here a pack of dogs came in and killed 17 chickens.  I came home in the dark with no electricity or moonlight to bodies lying everywhere and 3 injured hens who died within the next 3 days in my house, in my arms while i watched. Most vets don't take in chickens and what could they do anyways. Coyotes kill to eat. Dogs seem to kill for sport.  Over the years the elder hens have passed away in their nests or even sleeping on the roosting bars.  We watched as one hen had a stroke and died and months later another had a stroke and lived.  We helped her learn to walk all over again, it took 3 months before she could stand on her own. She made a full recovery and then passed away of old age 2 years after.  We called her Red Betty.  Her best friend and protector was Samuel.  He was an adopted rooster who was a red gentle giant.  He got bumble foot (staph infection) and nearly died. On what we thought to be his last days on this earth after unsuccessful treatment, we decided to cut the infection out as a last attempt to save his life.  It was terrifying and bloody and I shook the entire time holding the scalpel...but it worked.  He immediately showed a response to the removal of the infected tissue and ate his first meal in over a week which was yogurt, cayenne pepper, garlic, lemon juice and honey.  He lived for 4 more years. One day I came in the morning to let everyone out and he was in his bed sleeping and he didn't wake up.  There's so many personalities I could talk about, but the last one I would like to mention is Abby.   Abby came to us as an adopted hen, she never laid an egg, she never left the nest even though she had no eggs and no rooster to fertilize the eggs, still she sat on the nest hoping.  She was later involved in an unsolved murder of another hen to which she was present in her nest with the other hen lying dead in front of her.  This is when we were called to pick her up.  During her time with us she incubated and hatched 17 perfect healthy chicks that all survived to adulthood and still live with us now because she was such a diligent mother.  She had friends and lovers and was our resident queen for many years.  Other parents were not so successful. Every chick that passed in the shell or out has been carefully placed in the ground with loving care.  When these members of the family move on from this place we either cremate them and scatter their ashes in the garden or more often we bury them if the ground is not frozen. We sing "I'll fly away" as they burn or get buried. We cry and remember all the crazy hilarious things they did and the days they made us feel better. Either way they all end up in the garden. Don't we all! This is not usually the side of our lives that anyone sees on social media. Our hearts are broken on the regular. We bury them in a special part of our garden that is dedicated to flowers and perennial trees. It's a 20ft. x 20ft. space. When I think about how many chickens we had when we arrived and how many now lie in the garden, I'm reminded of how cyclical life is and how fleeting the moments we have with our pets and loved ones are.  Life in general is so similar to growth and decomposition. We're reminded of all the hard work and heartache that comes to pass in our lives shaping us to be the best version of ourselves. The decomposing of our former selves is a disgusting, messy and rancid business that is only followed by chaotic winding growth for months and finally into beautiful fruition (we're still getting there). We're reminded of all the loved ones who have left in the recent years who shaped and changed our path...and so this cover seemed to us to be the most fitting for "The Garden & Life". If you come to visit us and  you see plants thriving and growing, now you know why. Looking forward to sharing our new album with you all!