Headin' down to the farm...

Yup. Goin' down there, and raise me some crops. Gonna sit on the porch, eatin' cukes and watchin' the hay grow....

Yea right.

Actually though, Bur Oak Acres is a community farm here on Whidbey Island that I stopped in at with Jody. A co-worker of hers runs it. Turns out to be cooler than I thought.

Interestingly, I've been sort of looking into permaculture lately. And lo and behold, here comes an opportunity to work on a farm. And I have no doubt it's work. been there. Done that. On a real dairy operation.

Anyway, this will be raising the crops of which we get a share, and the rest is sold at the Tilth market here on the South End of our Island. Tilth is the market where you have to grow it to sell it. Which is what Bill, the owner of Bur Oak Acres believes. And you see that symbol right there to the right? That's the group that certifies that the produce Bur Oak grows is natural. It means the soil is natural, because it's tested as so. The standards are much higher than the federal standards which are only designed to benefit large food corporations. The CNG certification deals only with farmers that supply local markets utilizing sustainable agricultural practices.

So Jody thought I'd be interested, and I at first was hesitant. When the scope of it, and how it fit into some of the stuff rattling around inside my head, I shifted gears. The input is only a couple hours a week, and frankly, I'm not sure they want my black thumb anywhere near the plants. A lot of the work involved deals with transplanting starters to the field, and I honestly question my abilities to do that. What the hell am I saying?! No I don't. I just need to learn. I can however contribute to the maintenance of buildings and the like. I do however, want to learn the growing process. So how cool will that be to be involved in a great learning environment that results in food on my table? For a couple hours a week? Seems like a no brainer. Jody was right as usual.

It brought back memories of the days when we thought it would be cool to drop out of the plastic society we rebelled against with our pot smoking and music, and live on and off the land. Once we went up to Wisconsin with two friends who had two friends who lived on the farm, and when we visited we sat on the porch and ate fresh cucumbers. Ah, that was the life, eating fresh food, talking about the issues of life, all on the front porch in the quiet Wisconsin rural land.

Then I worked on a farm. In other words, I had to remove the rocks, disc, chop, bale, and stack hay, milk the cows, clean the barn, and all the rest of it to be able to sit on the porch and enjoy that cool glass of fresh milk. And my boss had no porch. So I learned first hand that a lot of hard work goes into small return, at least on certain scales.

Bu the times they are a changin'. I know a couple local restaraunteers who are looking for local produce to use on their menus. The local grocery store buys from local farmers. The local community web site has a forum that is getting more attention with this issue of people wanting locally grown natural (can't say organic, the feds might sue) produce on their tables.

The idea of permaculture is looking at how we can do that on an individual basis. In other words, here at my house, developing not only gardens but food production that works with the local environment and uses no pesticides or herbicides, but depends on natural systems for that as well as capturing rainwater for the irrigation of it all. At least, that's my nutshell grasping of it.

So it seems that the universe has offered me an opportunity which I won't say no to.

Headin' down to the farm with the missus. Shall we bring you back a tomato?

Meanderings...

Are we not having unusual weather here on the Island?! According to the Yard manager, whom we lovingly refer to as Yard Boy, especially if imitating a rich. pretentious woman, states it's the weirdest weather year he's seen in decades. Unfortunately, it's wreaking havoc on their sales.

Life is a hive around here lately. Both boys are back at home, and getting on their feet. Taylor is working with another lawn service, and he's moving toward operating it while the owner goes overseas, which to us Islanders, or South Islanders, means Mukilteo as well as anywhere else. But this guy is headed to Indonesia. And their season is getting into high gear now.

Miles wanted to get out of Seattle again, and is working for one local establishment to learn the kitchen management aspect of cooking, and he will later this summer try for another local kitchen that leans toward French style so he can learn a bit of that.

Eventually, both will want to move out so as to live their own life style. In the meantime though, it's quite busy when they are around. Which seems to come in bursts.

Jody is working the yard now at the nursery, and doing the best she can. Her mom died last November, and her sister has cancer that isn't surrendering to antidotes. She also found out this week that a co-workers wife was given two weeks to live, and a former co-worker's five year old son may have to undergo chemo again. So it's been hard on her.

Her and I have been watching the Oprah event on Monday nights with Eckhart Tolle. It's based on his new book, A New Earth. I'm on my second time through, which is to say that if I recommended any book for people to read this year, A New Earth would be it. That followed by Wayne Dyers The Power Of Intention. Both books have been quite important to us, and we think would do wonders for any who read them.

Speaking of reading, I just finished On The Road by Jack Kerouac. I loved it! At times it seemed a bit sophomoric, but that's just me. His style was very different, as were the experiences on which he based the story. By the time I was done, I was quite impressed. Now I'm onto The Dharma Bums.

Which comes slowly, like the other story did. Why? Well, I keep the book in the work vehicle, so the only time I read it is during ferry trips or work lunch breaks. Otherwise I have been reading Tolle's new book, and Jay Feldman's The Day The Mississippi Ran Backwards. That was a good book. I had known for years that part of the bluff my in-laws had built their home on in Wisconsin had been busted up by those quakes. So I decided to put it into context, and Feldman's book does a good job of doing so.

Otherwise my reading these days is limited by my attendance at Fire Officer Academy. I'm aiming at the Lieutenant test in December, and this class is the prep for it. Besides the text (thankfully small) there are several other items to read up on for the test: Haz Mat Operations, Principles of Foam Fire Fighting, that sort of stuff. Enough to dominate my reading time though.

And in all this activity, we continue to rise every morning and breathe. We are grateful for the health we have, for life in general actually. That we are learning, working, laughing. Some good meals, and good wine, times of silence, and some of loud music.

Our lives remind me of canoeing Canadian wilderness rivers when we were in high school. They were narrow, meandered, and you never knew what was around the corner. Sometimes it meant getting out and carrying everything. Or pitching tents on 10 degree embankments in the rain. Eating dried sausage while soaking wet. Sometimes it was a beautiful vista. Once it was a moose. A real close moose.

We are learning to flow.