To live, we must daily break the body and shed the blood of creation. When we do it knowingly, lovingly, skillfully, reverently, it is a sacrament. When we do it ignorantly, greedily, destructively, it is a desecration.

- Wendell Berry
The Gift of Good Land

finally

driving on my way back to the farm after a lovely evening with new friends--friends I feel deeply connected because of shared experiences--and i finally felt a release of pressure as my breaths became deeper and my shoulders more relaxed. . .i can be fulfilled/content in doing life how i'm yearning to live it right now--right now. this is big for me. thank you Spirit for this revelation.

Why?

I’ve had several people ask me why I came out to work at the farm. Here are my reasons . . . I believe in what they do and wanted to do what I can to support that—educating people to go out and teach others about sustainable farming/agriculture. When I ask myself—what do I hold dear/spend time doing right now—I answer with growing produce in a way that is kind to the earth. I came to the farm to learn more about how to grow good things for my friends and neighbors. I also hope this to be a time in a different, more bucolic place, where I can meditate on what/if anything career-wise is next—I’m not even sure I know what this means. I’m meeting with a few people I know here in Waco to talk through some possibilities. I think that’s it for now. Thank you all for your interest/support of me.

good read

I finished reading this book a few days back . . . I think it might be my favorite book of all time. There were moments sitting in the laundromat or on our bed looking outside our windows as I read that I just broke down in tears and balled my eyes out--there were sections of passages that spoke so deeply to my soul; I felt like she talked through ideas that really resonated with me--I rarely find that depth of camaraderie. Good times.

goodbye denton

It looks like I'm going to be spending 2 weeks here starting next Monday. I'm really excited about what this time might bring.

gardening with my grandad

Back in the middle of March my grandad and mom came out for a couple of days to show me how to put in a garden. Not only did we spend time gardening, I got a chance to get to know new levels of my grandad--like he's been a lifelong democrat--who knew? My grandad was a farmer for a good portion of his life, and it was such a distinct pleasure getting to interact with him in his element. There's a beautiful art to how he works the soil, adds nutrients, and treats the seeds/plants. It was such a soul warming time and has reinvigurated my passion for the earth and its goodness. Here's what the garden looked like 1 1/2 months ago . . .

and here's what it looks like now . . .

In the garden we've got tomatoes, beans, onions, squash, zuccini, peppers, carrots, beets, spinach, arugula, herbs, cantelope, and watermelon.





The arugula and spinach are ready for harvesting and we've been able to share our produce with friends and neighbors. We met Carl and his wife Jane (our neighbors 2 houses down who are in a band and have 2 grammys! crazy, huh?) yesterday and loaded them up with spinach and arugula. It's a nice feeling getting to provide our family and friends with fresh, organically grown produce. Thank you earth for your bounty and thank you Grandad for your wisdom.

Beet greens

We had to thin out our carrots and beets, so they would grow big and strong. We got to eat these for dinner tonight. Yummy!