Life can be like that

You start out like a new shoot in spring: fresh, full of vigor and possibility

 And the road is wide open ahead of you

But at some point, you may feel pulled to veer off the set path, and as you wonder off you may find a lovely place. Here, you must decide whether to take the plunge into the deep waters or watch from the shore.

You take the plunge, and it can be joyful and carefree for a while.

And everything seems clear.

But the skies are bound to cloud over.

The storm will come, the rain will pour, and thunder will strike. If you're lucky, you may find shelter in your soul connection.

Eventually, the rain will stop and the sky will be patches of dark and bright, and you will know that this is also how it is within you, patches of dark and light, and it is all right.

That has been my experience, and those pictures, which I took last night, fit it just right.
Peace

Take Just Enough

A Wendell Berry quote, from Home Economics:

Ignorance of when to stop is  a modern epidemic; it is the basis of "industrial progress" and "economic growth". The most obvious practical result of this ignorance is a critical disproportion of scale between the scale of human enterprises and their sources in nature.

So true. In capitalist society, we almost never question the idea of "economic growth". Instead we expect it and if it doesn't happen to the extent we desire, economists and politicians tell us we should be worried and do something to make it happen. To what end, and for how long? And what supports this "growth"?

We are taught to be good consumers: consume and dispose, consume and dispose, not because we need to, but because somehow we're supposed to keep up the pace with the industry and provide a market for their products. We are trash generators. Where does all the trash go? Where do all the raw materials come from? Why is it that we can buy such cheap trinkets at the dollar store, if not because some company figured out yet another way to exploit the earth and some underprivileged people to make that trinket for far less than what it's worth?

There is a solution for this destructive cycle of consumption and trash generation. Cut down your own consumption. Don't get a new plastic bag each time you go to the store, bring your own instead. Instead of single-use plastic, paper or styrofoam food containers, use something that you can re-use. Buy things second hand, giving them another round.

Don't go along with what the advertising industry tells you you "need". Figure it out on your own. What do you really need? And when you think of the price you pay for a product, don't just look at the numbers on the price tag. Think about what where the raw materials came from; what it took to get them out; where they will go when you throw it away; what kind of labor was used to produce it. If it's food, think about what it will mean for your long term health and medical bills; include all of that in the price, the real price, and then figure out if it's still worth it for you to buy this product.

We are the consumers; we are what drives the rape of the earth, not the industries that sell us the stuff. I don't use the word rape lightly. When you drill countless holes into the ocean floor, I think that's rape. When you clear cut and mine deep into the earth's crust, I call that rape. Fracking, that's rape.

But we can help slow this down with the simple act of reducing our consumption. This can have huge ramifications, and those who profit from the current state of unchecked consumption will not like it. But future generations will thank us for it. And out soul will thank us.

I will end with one of my favorite bumper sticker quotes: "Take Just Enough".

Peace

A walk in the woods

This place looks magical to me

Where will the path take you?

 Hey there, little guy!

Little hands, littler toad.

Aiyana found a tortoise shell in the woods. Not only is it beautiful, but I was also glad for another reason. Aiyana's been having a hard time falling asleep at night, and been afraid of various things at that time. When she found the shell I told her that this was a gift from the forest and that it will help her. We looked it up on the internet, and it turns out that in Native American tradition, tortoise shell medicine is health and longevity. When I told this to Aiyana she asked me whether it was true, and I honestly said I don't know. But I told her that often what you believe ends up being true, at least for you. So I left it up to her, but she hasn't come to me with any more questions, and I think she does take comfort from having the shell. She likes it and thinks it's beautiful, and also seems to be less afraid.

Peace

Aiyana's dog sitting business

Aiyana started her own dog-sitting business recently. She's always been the most perceptive of all of us with animals, and she's been saying for a few years now that she wants to be a vet (and go to Tufts!), so this business idea was not a surprise.
Her first official customer was Duke, my sister's dog. He stayed over for 3 nights and everything went very well. Duke is very gentle and kind, but also very nervous, because before my sister got him, he had been through some pretty significant trauma with his previous owners, although we don't know exactly what. Even though he was only about 1 year old when she got him, and he's now been with my sister's family over 5 years, he is still so afraid, especially when encountering new situations or people. Someone must've really hurt him and it is so sad to think of what might've happened to this gentle soul, and the fact that he can't even say anyting about it. But we all give him lots of love and affection, and he's really lucky to have my sister's family now, and so his situation is as good as it can be at this point in his life.

In the past, Aiyana also dogsat for our good friend Yo-Yo who passed away this last winter. He was very special too, and he loved to eat, which is what ended up killing him. He ate a squirrel and some bones got impacted in his intestines and he did not survive the operation. Because he was a little overweight, Yo was on a diet, and the little guy always begged for food. Now I wish I had given him more treats when he was at our house, because that's what made him happy... Everyone who met Yo (short for Yoda) fell in love with him, and he truly fit his name: wise, playful and quite silly at times.
This is one of my favorite pictures of Aiyana and Yo back in 2014.

Peace

Sisters

Strawberries are starting to come in. As usual, the girls are very eager to harvest them at this time. After a few weeks, not so eager anymore, even though they still need to be harvested...

I said to Sena and Aiyana, "Let's take some nice pictures of you two". But none of us are very good at posing. I said "Try to look natural", which never works...But I like the pictures anyway.

 Finally, relieved to get away from me and my camera.

The rhubarb is the right size to harvest, so Sena made a delicious strawberry-rhubarb crisp. But before that, she and Aiyana had some fun with the rhubarb leaves.

Peace

A message from Sena (time sensitive)

This is a message from Sena, 12-year-old Shundahai daughter:
 

Yesterday my parents and I went to the Real Art Ways theater in Hartford to watch the movie Sonic Sea. This movie is a little depressing, but more than anything else it made me want to do something to help.
 

The movie is about what the sound of cargo ships, navy sonar, and off shore drilling in the ocean is doing to the whales. Whales are beaching themselves to get away from the sound.
 

I am writing to you to ask you to go to Real Art Ways in Hartford to see this movie that I found so inspiring. It will be playing at 6:00pm today and tomorrow. You can find more information at  http://www.realartways.org/event/sonic-sea/2016-05-23/
 

 

I hope you can make it, and please let me know what you think.

Sena

Farm newsletter and Sena special guest at movie

We just published our latest Farm Newsletter with lots of details of what's been going on at the farm.

On the topic of whales: on Tuesday, we are headed to Hartford to see Sonic Sea, a movie about sonic disturbance in the ocean and its impact on whales and dolphins.  CSI (Cetacean Society International) invited Sena to attend the movie as a special guest. Sena is super excited, as she will be meeting people that are involved with helping the whales on different levels: educators, scientists, and activists. The movie will play at Real Art Ways Monday through Thursday and is open to the public. We'd love to see you there!

Here is CSI's latest newsletter, which Sena was invited to write for. Her article is on page 11.

I already know I'm going to cry at the movie. The trailer is disturbing enough, so I'm bracing myself. The harder part is how is Sena going to deal with it? She really cares, and so is deeply affected by what she sees. But hopefully, meeting people that are actually doing something to help the whales and the oceans will compensate, give her hope, and inspire her to keep on with her work.

Peace

Sunny days, and everything is the brightest shade of green

Tomatoes are in the ground

Cows are happy in the orchard (it's a little far, but Jasmine, the black cow is giving mama Opal a kiss in this picture)

 Strawberries are turning red after having escaped multiple threats of frost

 Many, many strawberries

Cilantro bunched for Fiddleheads food coop in New London and Oyster Club in Mystic

Sena leading a farm tour for pre-school children. We all loved having the kids here, they're adorable and so eager to learn.

 Checking out the cows

And the vegetables

 Harvesting greens for sale yesterday morning

Sena and Aiyana fixing their chicken coop. They both know how to use a screw gun, something I didn't know until I was in my 30s. It's part of their homeschooled education.

 Fixing the chicken coop in a beautiful green setting

Peace

Bo Staff on the farm

I have an old crappy camera, so the quality of the videos is poor, but if you don't enlarge them you can see decent.
Sena

Aiyana (with rooster crowing in the background)

Peace

Incredible speech from a 12 year old addressing the UN

It made me cry. Check out this video. What do you say to this girl?
She's right, as a parent, can I honestly tell my kids that everything's going to be allright, knowing what I know, seeing what I see? The best hope I can give them and myself is that some of us, maybe enough of us, will wake up and care enough to act.

Peace

Do what you can. YOU have the power.

One simple, powerful way to help ourselves and our world:

https://www.facebook.com/AwarenessAct/videos/1302962993051568/

-1:51

Spring rains, wild mushrooms

Jaron, who's been farming with us this year, is a mushroom forager, and knows quite a bit on the subject. This is great because I do want to learn more about mushrooms myself. He collected these King Stropharia, or wine cap mushrooms, on our property.

One of my conchs.

Oshi

Jetty with his mama Jasmine. They're still together a lot, but mama will have another calf in June and we'll see how that changes things.

Jetty

Mushroom growing in woodchip mulch in the orchard

Dandelion in the orchard (cows love them)

A beautiful mushroom passed its prime

Peace

Leave them alone

A good friend brought over this recent article from the NYT "A conversation with whales", for Sena to read. I ended up reading it today during my lunch break. It's an article about scientists using a daring method (free diving) to conduct research on whale communication. I am torn: one part of me is fascinated, and loves reading this interesting information about these amazing creatures. Another part of me, however, cringes, and all I can think is "Leave them alone".

Call me jaded, but I fear that the research we are doing on whales is going to cause them more harm than good. It will open our awareness about them, yes, and that can be good because it may make more of us care about them. But it will also allow us to invade their space, interfere with their lives, and most likely someone will figure out a way to profit from this research, and that cannot be good for the whales. Just leave them alone.

Why can't we just be OK knowing that there are things out there that we don't know, that we should not know? Why can't we just appreciate the mystery of life, but always try to control it and interfere? We've caused too much suffering already with our scientific research. There are so many examples of research being used to make a profit, causing terrible suffering for animals: just look at the meat industry; or animal testing.

But going back to the whale article: if, as is suggested in the article, someday we find a way of communicating with whales, what do you think they would tell us? Do you think it's anything we don't know already? Anything we can't figure out by having an honest look at the world and inside ourselves?

Peace

Working with the girls

It's spring and everything is growing

The cows are happy eating grass

And there is plenty of work to do.
The girls and I transplanted hundreds of tomatoes and peppers yesterday. It took us a few hours, but we took a break halfway. Aiyana made her special strawberry lemonade, with strawberries from last year's crop. It was delicious.

Sena's got farmer hands, and is proud of them (although she says she does not want to be a farmer when she grows up).

LT the cat loves to be around us when we work. She comes to say hello first, then curls up in a warm spot nearby and dozes.

We had our GMO event yesterday

Yesterday at our farm, Tara Cook Littman from GMO Free CT came to speak, and about 18 people came to hear her. I must admit that after sending out an email announcing the event to over 450 people, having posted it on Facebook, my blog, and at the Willimantic Food Coop, I was pretty disappointed when only 12 people responded and said they would be coming. But after thinking about it, I realized that even if this event reaches only a handful of people, that's to be grateful for. And in the end more than 12 came.

We had a beautiful day, and held the talk out in our orchard, on green grass studded with bright yellow dandelions, among fruit trees coming into bloom. Tara, the speaker, was great. She spoke spontaneously, and easily, sharing her personal story, how she came to create and devote her time and energy to GMO Free CT from formerly being a prosecutor in NYC. Having been a prosecutor, her public speech skills are outstanding, and it's really inspiring to hear her talk. Besides telling us how she got to where she is now, and sharing anecdotes from her meetings with high profile political figures at the state and federal levels, she spoke about Genetically Engineered Organisms, or GMOs, what they are, where they're found, and why GMO Free CT is fighting to get GMOs labeled on all of our food products (like they are in Europe and many other countries around the globe, including China and Japan). She talked about the current status of GMO labeling legislation in CT (which is that mandatory labeling is currently on hold until a trigger clause is met), in other states, and at the national level. VT is the first state that will start labeling GMOs as of this coming July. I love VT; setting a great precedent.

For me personally, one thing that Tara said that moved me the most, is that when you're trying to tackle on an issue like labeling GM food, or anything else that you want to change, it's not a one time effort. You don't just send a petition and be done with it. She said that it's a continuous effort, over and over, and sometimes you just have to be a pain in the ass to your representatives, the people that are supposed to work for us in government, and let them know what issues are important to you and how you want to be represented by them. On the topic of GM food in particular, Tara said that poll after poll shows that the vast majority of Americans want to know what's in their food, they want GMOs labeled, yet industry interests have so far swayed the decisions of most (not all) of those in power, to make labeling laws.
 
If you'd like to know more about GM labeling, which by the way, is also an issue in Canada, check out GMO Free CT.

I am happy that we were able to bring Tara to our farm, so she could speak to members of our community who want to know more about the issues she is working on. As I said at the beginning of yesterday's event, our farm grows food, but as Sena put it when she was 8, maybe as important or more importantly, "The purpose of our farm is to teach people about the Earth so that they can help the Earth". Having Tara here was a small step towards Sena's goal, and I hope there will be many more.

Peace