Easter weekend

Egg hunting in the morning

Then Easter lunch at grandma's, golfing lessons and some karate action too.

 Bo Staff

 Sparring with Ed, two on one (he can still kick their butt, but not for long...)

Peace

outside

this morning as i stepped outside, i found myself enveloped in warm, moist air. there was a faint smell of wood smoke, and all around, i heard birds singing. it was overcast, and with all the moisture in the air and diverse birdsong, it felt almost tropical out there. i consider myself lucky. my lifestyle allows me intimate contact with the natural world on a regular basis. i have to spend time outside every day, and over time, that contact nourishes something inside me, something that gives me strength and perspective and makes me feel at peace.

i worry about our kids. not just my kids, but our kids. many, too many of them, grow up in buildings. they are more connected to their electronic devices than other people or the natural world. they barely get to go outside; and even if they want to, often there's simply no time in their hurried day, as they get shuffled between school, different activities, and home. i worry for their physical and mental health, because i do believe that regular contact with the natural world is critical to their wellbeing. spending time outside, for many kids these days, is unusual rather than the norm. no other animal is as disconnected from their environment as we are raising our kids to be.

i hope that somehow, we, adults, turn this around, and give our kids the gift of being connected, less to electronic devices, and more to the natural environments they find themselves in. not asking to get rid of the electronics, i know that's unrealistic - just hoping for more balance.

this morning, i noticed tiny leaves starting to unfurl. the grass in noticeably greener too. before long, there will be an undeniable explosion of green all around.

peace

Fog, then snow, and sun again

Foggy morning a few days ago

 Yesterday morning, snow almost covered the crocuses

Now it's sunny again and the garlic is standing proud

Peace

More crocuses and Farm Newsletter

Some pictures of the girls with their crocuses and Midnight the cat. And a link to our latest farm newsletter.

Peace

Spring Peepers and Crocuses - The Earth is waking up!

The peepers started chorusing in the swamp near our house on Wednesday. The girls and I heard them, and were instantly happy - such a cheerful sound, and, peepers mean spring!

We went to the swamp to see if we could see them, but they were hard to spot.

Our field, currently in rye / pea / vetch cover crop, is starting to green up. In a few weeks we'll be moving the cows on it to mow it down. I'm sure they're looking forward to being on lush pasture again, after eating hay all winter.

The lettuce and spinach seedlings in the greenhouse are coming up and getting ready to go in the ground.

The cows at their winter residence - mama Jasmine with Jet and Oshi in the foreground.

Opal and Olive in the milking stanchion.

Aiyana got crocus bulbs last October for her birthday, and she and Sena planted them in the ground in late fall. This morning, they ran excitedly to the house to tell me that the crocuses were blooming, and the three of us ran outside to see,  smell and welcome them.

Peace

A sunny spring day

The sun is high up in the sky now, which means longer, warmer days. Today feels truly blissful - the temperature is warm and comfortable in the 70's, and the birds are singing merrily.

This past weekend I found out that the 20 year-old son of a woman I know committed suicide by hanging himself at home. He was on antidepressants, and I can't help but think about him, and about his mother and their whole family. It makes me so sad. I wish he had waited for this beautiful day, maybe it would've lifted his heart. But in today's toxic, competitive world, we made it hard for people to be happy with simple things, like a sunny day and bird song. We teach our kids to always be looking for more, for something new, something more exciting; we teach them to seek happiness in material things, social status and superficial relationships which will never make them happy. We raise them to have short attention spans and no connection with the natural world. I can't help but think of the mother of this young man and how she must suffer right now. I wish her peace.

Homeschooling

 Peace

This is what real eggs look like

It's not Easter yet, but our hens don't care about that. They give us a pretty assortment of eggs anyway - different colors, different sizes. The hens who laid these eggs live in the same coop, which means they generally live under the same conditions. But, as you can see by their eggs, their individuality is clearly asserted.

Peace

A little story I heard

The grandfather said: "Inside us, we each have two wolves. One wolf is full of anger, jealousy, greed, envy. The other one, is full of love and compassion, kindness and understanding."
The little grandson asked: "Which one wins, grandpa?".
"The one you feed the most", said the grandfather.

Peace

A woman that inspires me

Joann Grohman inspires me and I'd like to share this excerpt from her blog, heifer diary. I love how she writes and in particular how her experience, hands-on know-how, and love of her farm come through in these lines.
Joann is in her 80's now, and I first learned about her through her popular book "Keeping a Family Cow", which I read when we first got our cows. I've been following her blog on and off for the past few years, and I am always inspired by her energy, her outlook, and her love of life.

Enjoy this excerpt from her blog:

Friday, October 4, 2015
Apple Tree Recovery
This is how I saved my Wolf River Apple tree. I planted this Fedco tree about 1980 and failed to remove the wire tag. I then neglected it dismally for the next twenty years during which it grew up and nearly died of strangulation. I was struck by guilt for the poor thing about 2013. It had managed to put out a couple of wizened little apples much afflicted by codling moth. I looked up on the internet how to bring such a tree back to health with organic methods. All authorities agreed that without using pesticides it was going to be a slow process taking several years. I decided to invent my own method.
Here are the things that Sally and I employed. The first thing I did was train my free range chickens to come down to the tree and work over the ground so they would eat the codling moth larva. I did this by dribbling a trail of chicken feed about 150’ long which trail they followed, where they found additional grain scattered around the base of the tree out to the drip line. They came every day and scratched around. This was in the summer of 2013. I also tied scented drier papers in the tree to deter the moths. I also sprinkled generous amounts of diatomaceous earth all around on the branches and around on the ground and on the trunk. I also carried down whatever whey I could spare. I also tied little mesh bags of Irish Spring soap into the branches to deter deer. Later when snow was on the ground Sally took several cargo sled loads of composted sheep manure and put that around it, this was repeated in 2014. She also worked on pruning. No poisons were used at any time. The following summer of 2014 the tree rewarded me with a few clean apples. This year, 2015, the tree was loaded with hundreds of large perfect apples. Admittedly this was a big year for apples in Maine but the production of this tree was dramatic. I am thrilled with my crop of exceptionally large well-flavored fruit. We don’t know which of these strategies was most important to success- we think they all worked together

Action for labeling Genetically Modified Foods this coming Thursday in Hartford

There's a group called GMO Free CT that's been doing some excellent work towards labeling Genetically Modified (GMO) foods in CT. Our farm is on their distribution list, and I just saw that there's an important meeting coming up in Hartford this Thursday, regarding GMO labeling in childrens' food. So, if you'd like to know what goes in your food, consider attending Thursday's meeting to show that GMO labeling is important to you, and see below for more details:

PLEASE STAND WITH US!!  LABEL GMOS NOW.  YOUR PRESENCE IS NEEDED. Hi Edward! Please join us in Hartford this Thursday, March 3rd, as the Children's Committee hears testimony about implementing GMO labeling in CT now!!  We cannot stress how important YOUR presence is.  It has been almost three years since CT passed the 2013 GMO labeling law.  Since then, our movement's presence in Hartford has been limited.  We need to show them we are still here and we still want GMOs labeled.  The time to get loud and stand together is NOW. We have a full and exciting day planned. 11:00   Room 1B Press Conference 11:30   Room 2B Hearing begins 11:30   2nd Floor Atrium  Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Party Here is a link to HB 5300   https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB-5300.  The intent behind this bill is to implement the 2013 GMO labeling law.  Vermont's GMO labeling law implements this July. Why should CT citizens continue to shop blind while VT citizens will have the right to know?  Please submit testimony to kidtestimony@cga.ct.gov.   All testimony is due by Thursday morning March 3rd and should be submitted in Word or PDF format. We will be gathering near room 1B by 10:30 with stickers for everyone to wear.  Please consider making attendance on March 3rd a priority.  We succeeded in 2013 by standing together, we can do it again.  If you have any questions please contact Christine O'Day at connfact@gmail.com.  See you Thursday! We hope to see you there. Tara Cook-Littman, Christine O'Day and the ConnFACT/GMO Free CT Team

CSA, wind and fairy rings

Last night we had strong winds with lightining flashing accross the sky. Snuggled up safe and comfortable under heavy blankets, I fell asleep listening to the awsome power of the raging wind. I woke up during the night and looked outside to see the massive pine tree near our house, some 60ft tall, sway and bend as if it were just a slender sapling. In the morning, Ed said that nothing on the farm had been damaged during the night, although in the neighborhood, some roads and schools were closed due to fallen branches and other damage.

The snowdrops are up! And this year, I was excited to discover that there are quite a few more of them than in the past. They multiplied and came up in a fairy ring.

We opened up CSA registration earlier this month, and we're about 83% full now. If you're interested in a share, or just want to pass along the information, here's our Registration Form, and here is more information about the CSA.

Following is something we recently wrote, that you may want to read before signing up for any CSA:

The use of pesticides in CSAs, organic foods and local foods: how to know what you’re eating.

Part of the mission of our farm is to educate people about food related issues. Years of farming experience has taught us a lot about food production methods, such as conventional, organic, no spray, etc., and their impact on our health and the environment. We want to share some of what we’ve learned with you.

At this time of the year, people are thinking about joining a CSA, looking forward to the beginning of the farmers’ markets and the days when grocery store aisles will once again be stocked with local produce. Thus, this is a good time to talk about some things that you may want to know before joining a CSA, shopping at the market, etc. These may come as a surprise, but hold on and keep reading.

1.      Organic does not mean unsprayed. Pesticides are routinely sprayed on organic fruits and vegetables.

2.      CSA does not equal unsprayed food or organic food. Many CSAs use conventional pesticides and conventional farming practices; many use organic pesticides; a few do not spray any pesticides at all.

3.      Local does not mean unsprayed, and it does not mean organic.

The points above, especially the first two come as a surprise to many food conscious people. We tend to assume that CSA implies organic, which we believe implies no pesticides. This is simply not true. Most CSAs spray pesticides and fungicides, some conventional, some organic. The ones who don’t spray anything, like us, are a minority, and there’s no official label for them. Unless a CSA specifically mentions in their information materials that they do not spray any kinds of pesticides or fungicides, it is prudent to assume that they do (ask!).

So what are organic pesticides?  Most people consider that an oxymoron. Well, organic certification allows farmers to spray certain pesticides and fungicides. Approved organic pesticides and fungicides serve the same purpose as conventional ones: to kill insects, weeds and fungi. Many people assume that because they are organic and derived from natural sources, these pesticides and fungicides are not harmful to humans or the environment. Unfortunately, this is not true. If you’d like to learn more on the topic of organic pesticides, here is an article from Scientific American and another article from NPR. This link from UConn lists some organic pesticides on pg.23, and organic fungicides on pg.30, with an interesting comment from Cornell University on pg.39.

So what is one to do?

CSAs that spray their crops do not usually advertise the fact, because it is not in their interest. Many people join a CSA in part because they want “clean”, healthy food, without pesticides. Well, now you know that just because your food comes from a CSA it does not mean that it was not sprayed. So what can you do? The best thing is to speak directly to farmers and ask specific questions before joining their CSA. Engage the farmer who grows your food, ask about their practices, whether they use pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, or anything else you want to know about. Let them know what is important to you, and what you are concerned about. Most farmers will openly engage with you. This is the only way to really know what goes in your food. So don’t assume anything; talk to the farmer. After all, this is one of the great benefits of eating local.

Peace

It was cold in the woods today, but sunny

On my way back home, I found coyote scat. I picked it up so that the girls and I can dissect it for homeschooling. We'll see what the coyote's been eating.
Peace

SDG = Sustainable Development Goals

SDG stands for Sustainable Development Goals, a set of 17 goals (listed below) adopted last year by the UN. Although I can't say that I've studied each of these goals in detail, and I'm pretty sure that if I did there would be things I do not agree with, nevertheless, I think these goals are worth looking at if only to inspire us to take action in a positive direction for the world.


Based on a quick look at the SDG, they can help us work towards things like justice, equality, environmental responsibility, basically things that pretty much everyone agrees are in the direction we'd like the world to move in. I want to share them because I think that there's something for everyone in there, especially if you feel moved to do something positive but don't really know where to start, or just need a little inspiration.


Like many people, I tend to wait for things to somehow get better on their own, and expect others to change or take action. In contrast to that, the SDG give direction and pretty specific steps that I and you and anyone else can take right now, in whichever direction we feel most drawn to, or in whatever direction we feel most comfortable contributing.

I turned 44 this week and one thing that's become abundantly clear is that there's no more time for waiting, no time for excuses and delays. I may be half way through my life, or more, or less, who knows? But the point is that I want to contribute in some way to this world, and I feel very strongly that the time to do so it is now. Blaming others and bemoaning the situation we're in is not going to help my children and the natural world I love so much. But direct action, small steps I take in my daily life, will help.

So here are the 17 SDG (personally I am most drawn to numbers 12 to 15, which have to do with environmental health, as this is where I feel I can contribute the most at the moment). I hope you can find something in there that will inspire you as well. Check out the UN site for more details.

1) End poverty in all its forms everywhere

2) End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture

3) Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages

4) Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

5) Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

6) Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

7) Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

8) Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all

9) Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation

10) Reduce inequality within and among countries

11) Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

12) Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

13) Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (taking note of agreements made by the UNFCCC forum)

14) Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

15) Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss

16) Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

17) Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development


For further inspiration, check out the Lazy Person's Guide to Saving the World, also from the UN site (maybe they should've called it the Busy Person's Guide).

Peace

Over the last two weeks

Our cheese "cave". Well, not quite a cave, but good enough for aging cheese on the scale we're doing it.  The mesh on the sides is there to keep out unwelcome visitors like rodents.

Me in a favorite spot on a warm day, last week.

I am so grateful for having access to such beautiful surroundings any time I want. I realize that there are people around the world who are sick, or in prison, or too poor to be able to go for a walk in the woods, undisturbed and unharassed, any time they wish.

 This week winter finally came. It is good to have some cold and snow.

 Big maple in front of the house

 Tall spindle apple trees (after they got pruned)

 The orchard is hard to see in the driving snow.

 Sena and Aiyana were very helpful with shoveling the greenhouses.

With the shoveling done, they headed to their cousins' house for some play in the snow and a sleepover.

The farm under snow

 Little cow in the snow

 Old barn, bright sun, fresh snow

Sky clearing over the orchard

High tunnel all shoveled (for now)

Ed got some 55 gallon drums to store row covers and other farm supplies in.

My milking cart was too hard to pull in the snow, so I abandoned it in favor of a sled on which I now carry my milking pails, bottles and other things I need for the cows.

 Aiyana with Candy, the pony she's been riding lately.

Peace