Poetry for Pollinators Campaign

Dear friends,

I am very excited to announce my Poetry for Pollinators campaign, combining two of my passions: Poetry and supporting pollinators.

As you may know, pollinator populations are imperiled worldwide. I am donating 100% of profits from my book to helping pollinators through creating habitat, encouraging pesticide free practices, and education.

So if you like my poetry and want to support this endeavor, you can get my book for $15:

Right here's at Shundahai Farm;

At the Willimantic Food Coop;

Or on Etsy: etsy.com/shop/shundahaishop. 

Please share this if you'd like. Thank you! 🌸🌿🐝🌻🌷🐝☀️

Peace 

Pride and Shundahai's new website

Aiyana braided Pride's mane this morning, while I milked the cows in the stall nextdoor. Pride is so gentle and good natured....

And I've updated the Shundahai Farm website. What do you think? I'd be grateful for any feedback:

https://www.shundahaifarm.com/

Peace 

Dreams come true

Aiyana got her horse, Pride, today. This has been her dream since she was 3 years old, and it's finally come true. She's worked for it and trained for it and she and Pride love each other very much. It's really great to see.

Thank you Keri at Iris Creek Farm for raising Pride and teaching Aiyana about Natural Horsemanship! Thank you Bill Kennedy for your generosity getting Pride here, driving him in your trailer when you didn't even know us, but just heard that we needed help! And thank you to Janina Pietrosky for all the equipment you gave Aiyana!

Keri with Pride, getting off the trailer.

Standing in our field

I couldn't believe how well Pride and Jasmine, our lead cow, and the rest of the herd, got along as soon as they met.

Love 


Peace 

Lesson from the cows

One of my favorite jobs on the farm is shoveling cow manure. This is not what I expected.

Manure is stinky and disgusting, and something you just have to put up with and get rid of, right? That’s what I used to think. But over the past few years, I started to see it differently. Shoveling manure taught me to appreciate my mistakes and failures; I’ll tell you why.

Manure is a waste product that can either become a big problem, or it can turn into the famed black gold you’ve heard about. It all depends on how you manage it. If not managed properly, manure accumulation can become toxic to the land, plants and animals living on it, including us, humans. On the other hand, when composted properly, and given enough time to break down, manure can generate incredible soil fertility, and soil fertility is the basis of health for plants, animals and all of us.

For me, shoveling manure is like dealing with life’s unwanted aspects: mistakes, failures, losses, things that didn’t work out the way we hoped, or anything else that brings us pain, shame or a sense of failure. All of those things can become toxic, if not handled properly. They can cause us to become sour, angry, vengeful, numb, etc, and thus continue creating more suffering in ourselves and others.

However, when handled properly, and most importantly, when given enough time to “compost”, or transform, all that stuff that we think of as unwanted, can become a wonderful source of growth. It can become the seed bed, the fertile ground for our understanding, generosity, compassion, and other things that enrich ourselves and others.

So for me, every day, as I clean up the manure in the barn, I think about this, and there’s a quiet excitement and joy in knowing that I am contributing in a small way, to this great conversion from waste to renewed life.

This is what I learned from the cows: that nothing is ever wasted. Isn't that liberating?

That's Aiyana and Jasmine a week ago.

Peace

Mansfield plastic bag ban vote: Tomorrow at 7pm

Dear Mansfield residents,

Please come tomorrow at 7pm to the Public Hearing at Mansfield Town Hall, Council Chambers, and support the single-use-plastic bag ban. Town Council will vote on the ban after the public hearing.

(Please note: our mail@shundahaifarm.com email has been having trouble receiving emails over the past couple of days due to a server change. If you'd like to get back to us, email Raluca at ralucamocanu@yahoo.com).

Additional details about tomorrow:

Mansfield Town Council will be voting on banning single use plastic bags in our town this coming Monday, January 28, 2019. To read more about the plastic bag ordinance, and see what kind of bags it does and does not include, go to http://www.mansfieldct.gov/filestorage/1914/3973/40158/51829/Chapter_132_-_Mansfield_BYO_Ordinance.pdf.

There will be a Public hearing just before the vote, at 7:05pm, in Town Council Chambers, at Mansfield Town Hall. If you would like to speak, you have 5 minutes to address the Town Council. Please come and express your support for this important change. Town Council will vote on the ban after the public hearing. 

There is so much momentum on this issue right now. Just in 2019 so far, there have been major announcements such as:

• Big Y to phase out single-use plastic bags by 2020: https://www.courant.com/business/hc-biz-big-y-plastic-bags-2020-20190108-beyfcxzeezcczkutt3vnhd6woq-story.html
• And out of UConn: Dining services ends use of plastic bags: https://today.uconn.edu/2019/01/dining-services-ends-use-plastic-bags/amp/
• And just a couple of weeks ago, Norwalk voted to ban single-use plastic bags: https://www.thehour.com/news/article/Norwalk-votes-to-ban-single-use-plastic-bags-13519023.php?fbclid=IwAR1d6Yfb2JxbYgGDF1SmYeP1Yrsst32NZgHNkNJotgOJ7LXXCai9IZaOcWM

This is all so exciting, and such a great step in the right direction. Let's make it happen right here in our town of Mansfield, stopping plastic pollution and plastic garbage at the source. Our children will thank us for it, and we will all enjoy a cleaner, safer ocean and environment.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.

Sensei

We have this little rooster. Every day, he attacks me. I'm just walking around the farm doing my work, when out of the blue he comes and launches into me with his spurs. He can be very annoying. 

I considered putting him into the soup pot. Then, one morning when I was particularly distracted and lost in thought, he came at me. Right away, I had to focus all my attention on him and on defending myself. Our little duel lasted a minute or less, but for that brief time, I was fully present and alert. I felt awake.

When the duel ended, I decided to name the rooster Sensei, and felt bad for having considered putting him in the soup pot. He is doing me a favor, as I now see it, drawing me out of my stupor, forcing me to be aware and present. I am now grateful to him for his harsh lessons. 

I think that in a way many difficulties in our lives are like Sensei: they're annoying to deal with at the time, and we'd much rather escape from them; yet, in their harsh insistence, they do force us to be present in our lives, and in that way, they're great teachers.

Kindly asking for testimonials for Shundahai and my poetry book

I've been doing some work to prepare for the year ahead, and I am looking for testimonials on two different projects that mean a lot to me. I would be very grateful for any time you could take out of your day to help with this.

1. I am revamping the Shundahai Farm webpage and possibly FB page, and I'd love to have a section where past and current customers of the farm could share their experience with someone who may be looking but is not familiar with the farm. The format is totally open, but I am imagining something short, just a few sentences, that describes your personal experience with Shundahai, what it means to you, why you come here, what you value about it, or anything that you want to share. Again, this is open to past and present customers, whether you participated in the CSA, or just came to farm sales.
2. For those of you who read my poetry book, Fertile Ground: Beauty and Brokenness, I would love to get some testimonials to share on my Etsy site and possibly other social media. Format again is totally open, but I am imagining something quite personal: What did the book mean to you that you think others may be able to relate with? Why would you recommend it to someone else? What did you find in it that was unique or different? Or anything else you may want to share.

In both cases, your testimonial can be anonymous or not. Please let me know if you want me to publish your name and town when you send it.

If you decide to write anything, please send it to the farm address mail@shundahaifarm.com or my email: ralucamocanu@yahoo.com.

Thank you so very much for considering this,
Raluca

New Farm Video

I have not made a farm video in a few months. But I got back to it this morning. Check it out here:
https://youtu.be/FV4GZM7UajU

Happy Winter Solstice

I love this time of year: time to release, let go of old patterns that are no longer needed, and dream something new into experience.

Today is Winter Solstice: longest night of the year, and also the point at which darkness begins to wane and light starts getting stronger. Allow yourself to rest and renew; let yourself dream about new beginnings, seeds that you would like to plant and nurture, literally or metaphorically.

Image is a mix of my pictures, Pixabay and art from unknown sources.

Peace 

Soar

Image source: Pixabay

Also, today was my last sale of the season. I'm grateful for all the abundance that the earth provided; for all the people that worked with me to produce crops and otherwise sustain the farm; and to all the customers who came here and appreciated our work. Thank you so very much to everyone.

And now, Onwards!

Peace 

Onwards!

Our lives may not be perfect 

The world may not be perfect

But we can still 

Stand in the light 

And help each other walk in beauty 

Onwards, my friends!

One mind 

One heart 

One love 

My poetry book is Fertile Ground: Beauty and Brokenness. Get it for $15  at my farm, or at the Willimantic Food Coop, or on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/shundahaishop

I donate 100% of the profits to organizations like Natural Resources Defense Council, Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, Marine Mammal Alliance Nantucket and Center for Whale Research, who do great work for the environment and all of us.

Peace 

What LOVE can do

See how mist rises

Off the water 

Into the morning sun,

The cold, dark night

Forgotten?

That is what love can do 

Picture is at Mansfield Hollow this morning, on my way with Aiyana to Keri's farm for horsemanship lessons. Isn't it lovely?

Peace 

$400 and still going

Dear friends,

Following yesterday's Downtown Country Fair in Willimantic, CT, I am so happy to let you know that we have raised $400 to date from the sale of my poetry book to donate to environmental work organizations. 

The next donation will be to Center for Whale Research, working to protect critically endangered Orca whales in Washington state.

I am so grateful to be able to contribute in a small way to helping these amazing creatures, and thank you so much for helping.

In case you didn't know, my poetry book is called Fertile Ground: Beauty and Brokenness, and you can get it for $15 at Shundahai Farm, or at the Willimantic Food Coop, or on Etsy, at https://www.etsy.com/shop/shundahaishop

I will continue to donate 100% of the profits to environmental organizations such as Natural Resources Defense Council, Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, and Marine Mammal Alliance Nantucket. 

Thank you for making a difference 🍄🌎🐬

Fall equinox

Cheerful wild asters bloom, as if to celebrate this beautiful fall equinox day. Enjoy this time of year, of equal light and dark, time when nature begins to draw inward, as if setting an example for us. Time for cozy things, rest, relaxation, recovery. And time also to give gratitude to the elements, earth air water fire, and to all of our relatives, plants and animals, for all their beautiful gifts and abundance that sustain all of us. 

Ometeo - All my relations

Peace 

Love in action

I saw this phrase, "Love in action" recently, and I thought, how appropriate. Like Goethe said:

"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do." I feel that the same applies to love.

One thing that's been bringing me joy and satisfaction, and that has been a small way for me to put love in action this season, is the little garden I created.

It cost me next to nothing, money wise, since everything is reused. I spent peanuts for seeds. It cost me time wise, but I can honestly say I loved every second. And the rewards have been amazing: so much beauty and peace.

One unexpected aspect that I absolutely love is all the wildlife my garden has been attracting: humming birds, all kinds of bees and bumble bees, dragon flies; there have been 4 hawks too coming really close, and just letting us know they're here every day, but I can't say that they're here for the garden, although who knows?

I feel like all I did was plant some seeds and cared for them, and it gave rise to a whole mini ecosystem, which took on its own life. 

I am so grateful, and I really encourage you to plant something and make your own little space, and watch life thrive. But please never use sprays, pesticides, etc. You don't need them and you'd be creating more harm than good, so in that case, better not to do anything at all.

I hope my sharing this was useful to you in some way. 

Peace 

Farming taught me how to live

Wait for the right season and the right conditions;

Plant your seeds;

Nurture them;

Water them- not too much and not too little - just enough;

Prune what is withered or no longer needed;

If your first try fails, as it often does,

Give life another chance-

Plant again!

Pay attention and do what is needed when it's needed;

No plant thrives in isolation,

So plant companions and encourage beneficial relationships;

Let the plant go to seed so that new life can start again;

Give thanks;

Enjoy and share the bounty.

That's how you grow and spread beautiful things,

Within, and all around you.

Peace 

Here's my exciting news

I am so happy to tell you that so far I have raised enough money through the sale of my poetry book, Fertile Ground: Beauty and Brokenness, to donate to all three organizations I said I would donate to. Thank you so much for doing this with me!!! 

All of you who have bought my book, I hope you enjoyed it, and if you didn’t really like it, then at least know that your money is supporting some amazing work. Here are some more details of the donations and the work they support:

• $100 to Province Town Center for Coastal Studies: I specified that this money is to be used specifically to support their Right Whale Emergency Initiative. Right Whales are on the brink of extinction, unless there is immediate action to prevent it, which is the goal of this initiative.
• $100 to Natural Resources Defense Council, who is always doing amazing work, and just recently had some great successes in court against the current administration's proposed rollbacks of environmental protections.
• $100 to Marine Mammal Alliance Nantucket who is literally on the ground, or on the beach, saving animals that are injured and stranded, and also doing a great job in their education efforts about ocean related issues.

If you haven’t yet, but would like to buy my book and continue to support these organizations, I still have some copies left, and here’s how you can get them:

• At the farm - Shundahai Farm, 253 Maple Rd, Mansfield CT
• At the Willimantic Food Coop.
• On Etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/shundahaishop

Please feel free to email me with any questions or comments, and thank you so much again for doing this with me!!!

Peace

Farmhouse

Enjoying a lovely day with my plants and animals and books. Wishing you peace and contentment and may you receive what you need. 

Oh, and stay tuned for some exciting news about my book!!!

Transform

Rainy day, I'm inside looking out at some of the things that make me happy. In my personal experience, nothing I ever bought at the store brought me as much happiness as the relationships I've built by giving of myself and my time. Whether those relationships be with plants, animals, people. So if you're depressed and are having a hard time, go outside, plant something, care for an animal. Creativity also helps if you're feeling down. Use whatever difficulties you're dealing with as fuel to create something beautiful and good. We can always do that. 

Real work

My mom planted these lilies at my house years ago, and since then they've grown and bloomed and brought me so much beauty and joy every year. It's the same with our actions. Sometimes, something we say or do plants a seed in someone, and it can stay with them and grow in them and really make a difference over time. We are always sowing seeds around us, whether they be seeds of understanding, joy, love, hate, confusion, discord. So be mindful of your words and actions, and choose carefully what seeds you sow. This is your real work in the world and this is what you leave behind. 

Peace