Gratitude

41 deg for the rest of the town, but we freeze up on the Mesa. As I made my morning rounds (to make sure a pipe didn't freeze or break, say hi the the chickens, check for pests and whatnot) coming back to the house I see this impression in the grass. It took me a second, but then I realized it was left by our trustee 3 legged Lab/Pit/Collie named Charlotte.

She is about to turn 7 and has only ever known having 3 legs. I only know from adopting her at 4 months old that the Vets were not able to save her leg for whatever reason...nothing more. We make up stories like she saved 5 soldiers finding a land mine, or she got it stuck in a car door trying to save a all child, or we put peanut butter on it and she chewed it off. Ok the last one is a little twisted 🤪😬Let me tell you she has no problems with anything...well she's easily tired these days as life on the farm is a busy one for her and she does it well. She does her rounds on her own in the morning, she stands by the coop as I clean it or gather eggs keep a watch out for any predators, or is it squirrel hunting 🤔? When a visitor comes she can tell if they are friend or foe. When the delivery person brings a package there are about 5 places they could leave it and she always brings me straight to the package. Before we married our Jarrad she was my best adventure and cuddle buddy...still is...yes she gets kicked out of the bed, but she has it really nice people. Flipping princess and the pea with a double bed and blankets. No suffering here.

As I see her slowing down we take less long hikes and try to swim more. She has discovered she is part seal.

She knows her job here on the farm and in our lives and I can only say how blessed we are to have such a smart, loving, faithful creature to teach us and share this life with.

I know some day she will move on to her next life and it will be good. I wouldn't mind coming back as her...a bad ass 3 legged well loved pup.👍

She has made a lasting loving impression in our lives and we are thankful.🙏❤

Season 2...think of it...veggies from your neighbor.

Be a Localvore has been our slogan from the beginning, and we stand by this for so many reasons.

Do you know your farmer? Do you know how your food is grown or raised? Do you know how long it sat before it got to your table?

We have all seen our food system fail us, make us ill, and try to control our diets....but do you have a solution?

Our solution was to use and build on the land and skills we have been blessed with, muddle through some learning curves, fill out the license application with the CDFA and BAM! We're a Local Food Producer and Egg Handler.

Honestly we are just a neighborhood farm trying to grow and provide what should be honest, easy, convenient, fresh and healthy...no strings attached food to our local community.

What is your solution?

Getting into the swing of things.

When I first bought this property I remember reading a post from a city folk gone farmer type. He mentions all the do's and don'ts of farming. I remember thinking to myself what an undertaking it would be to start a farm, especially without any background or a partner. 6 years and 9 months later a home has been built, trees have been planted, and a viable and sustainable farm has started to come alive. As we get into the swing of things and not ahead of Mother Nature's intention for our dream, we have formed a lot of our own do's and don'ts on the farm. Most importantly:

*Don't have expectations as it is Mother Nature we are working with.

*Do stay the course and keep the dream alive as she will help you manifest what truly needs to be and when and how it needs to happen.

As I have mentioned in previous postings, winter has many lessons. In retrospect I don't know why I am ever so surprised or ruffled when we are given the chance to learn something new. Oh yes...possibly my ego getting in the way again. Well there is not much room for anyone's ego on the farm...well maybe Marilyn's (she's a chicken). The farm dictates what, when, where and how. Learning to submit to that has given us a chance to be more present to build integrity in this land and business. Winter is giving us a chance to build a stronger foundation for the future of this homestead and what it provides to our community.

We are really getting into the swing of things despite some changes to the flow. Covid was a blessing in disguise giving us time to make this dream come alive. Starting a farm is not cheap however, and to keep things afloat for now one of us has 2 jobs. His closet consists of business casual shirts for one job and overall for the other. So we find rhythm with this and keep pushing forward. Rows are being turned and made wider (hello broad fork), soil is being enriched with sustainable biomass (have you heard about Biochar?), our naturally raised chickens have molted and are now laying lovely eggs (send me a message if you are interested in regular egg delivery in the 5 Cities or pickup starting late January/early February), hoop houses are going up to extend our season and our inventory, seeds are routinely going in the ground and growing for a early Spring harvest (keep an eye on this page or Instagram for upcoming CSA membership opportunities), and we continue to learn more about sustainable farming and ways to make it easy for our community to have access to healthy, naturally grown food.

We have so much appreciation for all who have supported and continue to support us. We look forward to a happy and healthy 2021 and seeing your beautiful faces. In the meantime say hello to our little friends.