In the Truest Sense of the Word

I love words.

I spend a lot of time thinking about words, searching for just the right one, and stringing words together.

Words are amazing.

They grant expression, release, insight, and are our best way to communicate...well, everything we feel it necessary to communicate.

Think about it…

…there are words that just sound like what they mean…like 

                    angst 

or 

                     
                                               languish 

or

                                             exhilaration.

                  …there are funny sounding words like fungus that can be paired up randomly…

                                         ...like “the fungus among us”

          …there are silly words

                                        …sad words

                                                          …tender, tragic words.

Words are used to communicate our most basic needs to our most lofty dreams and all points in between.

You can have words with someone…one’s word can be his bond…you can find some sort of therapeutic release with a well-placed swear word…there is wordplay…the sarcastic usage…special intonation...

There is the double entendre…you say one thing that can possibly mean something else…oh, I love that!

That is why the first time I saw the bumpersticker at the beginning of this post I knew I just had to have it. Check out I Love Farmers.org.

I also realized the Boss would never agree to put it on any of our vehicles.

So I hung it on the bulletin board over my desk, where it makes me chuckle on those days when everything seems to have gone wrong.

Because while there are those who think hot and dirty mean…

well, you know…hot and dirty…wink, wink…

maybe something like this?

But, when you farm…

It simply means…that you are indeed…

HOT

And...

DIRTY

                            In the very  TRUEST sense of the word!

Have a great day!

An Odd Place for an Epiphany

You just never know when a moment of enlightenment might happen….or where.

I must admit, it sounds more than a little strange to say that “I had an epiphany at the veterinarian’s office. Oh, and it had nothing to do with animals!” 

But, I did! ...and yes...I DO know the definition of the word.

For the record: “An epiphany (from the ancient Greek ἐπιφάνεια, epiphaneia, "manifestation, striking appearance") is an experience of sudden and striking realization. Generally the term is used to describe scientific breakthrough, religious or philosophical discoveries, but it can apply in any situation in which an enlightening realization allows a problem or situation to be understood from a new and deeper perspective.” (wikipedia)

I guess I should begin at the beginning…

Well-puppy vet visits are not unlike well-baby pediatrician visits.  They tend to involve a lot of bored waiting, a whiny baby and a cursory exam by the doctor.  During the bored waiting period of one of Jed’s puppy visits years ago, I happened on a magazine that completely captured my attention. I nearly missed the doctor visit. I even took notes and had the Boss check it out online when I got back home!

The premise of the article was that Organic was not the “gold standard” that it had once seemed to be and that maybe something else was in order.  Maybe there was some other way to point consumers to produce and other products. Surely there should be other considerations...carbon footprint, time in transit, and post-harvest handling, among other things.  Food purists everywhere were having lively debates over the benefits local versus organic.  (change comes late to our corner of the world, so this was news to me)  hmmmmmm…..

Back in 2002, the USDA began the Organic Certification program.  Before that, each state had its own standards and inspectors.  When the USDA took over, regulations were put in place to keep folks from using the “O” word without USDA certification. Anyone doing so would be subject to a civil penalty up to $10,000. Tiny producers (under $5,000 in sales) would be exempt.  This left medium to large producers (we fit in this category) scrambling for words that would describe their products and growing practices.

After much discussion, both among ourselves and with our customers, we decided to let our Organic Certification expire when the USDA took over.  Our customers didn’t care…they knew us…knew our practices…in short, they trusted us.  We felt that the whole Organic certification could prove limiting to the farmer and some of the rulings were often arbitrary.  We did need a easily understandable way to describe our products.

I read the article with great interest, thinking the whole time….THIS is the marketing word of the future for farms like us. This concept could change everything.

This is the next BIG thing.

Here is the article in its entirety. (I warn you...it's fairly long)

It seems I was right. 

Since the article’s publication in 2007, “the whole world has gone LOCAL”. Yes, I am being facetious. You might want to read  this... Some folks think the whole world is going "organic" and I really don't see that, either.

LOCAL food is hot. Just try googling it.  Last time I checked, there were over 2.5 BILLION entries.

LOCAL food is trendy.  Just check out a few restaurant menus.

LOCAL food is growing exponentially.  Seems everybody is talking about it, looking for it, wanting to get it, grow it, and eat it.

LOCAL food has gained a huge following.  Many assume that because it's LOCAL, it's greener, more sustainable, more environmentally friendly, better for you and free of any sort of "bad stuff".

But…

LOCAL food has absolutely NO real definition. Presently, it's a vague, cool, uber-trendy marketing word with  NO guarantees or standards...

No one seems to be able to identify exactly what makes something local.
A two-hour drive, 100 miles, the same time zone, zip code,…what?  Wait...someone says 185 miles.  ?

As a shameless plug for the Staunton/Augusta Farmers' Market  …when you shop with any of the vendors…you are getting LOCAL…by a specific definition.  While it seems that a lot of folks may not know this…anything sold at our Market must have been produced within 50 miles of the Market.  The committee agreed to this limitation as a guarantee to the consumers that the produce they buy is indeed local. This was put into the rules back in the early 2000's, long before LOCAL became the desirable definition for everything.

While I instinctively knew that LOCAL was going to be a big deal, I had no idea that it would become SUCH a big deal.  There are cities discussing getting LOCAL food for all the residents, universities and school systems wanting to serve only LOCAL food in their dining facilities, and food hubs popping up in hopes of distributing all this LOCAL food.

LOCAL food is being heralded as some sort of savior for the economy, social justice and health and well-being of citizens everywhere. It is hoped that by going LOCAL, our food system will become safer and more  nutritious. It is thought that communities will be more vibrant and interactive as small gardens spring up everywhere. Proponents dream that childhood obesity and hunger could become things of the past with the abundance of fresh, LOCAL food.

The only limiting factor to this phenomenal growth and interest is going to be… well…LOCAL food.

But, that’s a topic for another day.

Maybe I need to plan another trip to the vet for another bit of enlightenment.

Sunday Walkabout 5-5

from our front porch...
this is the MOST popular picture I ever posted to Facebook

This week was one of extremes...

It was either dark and dreary and WET...really wet!

Or dazzlingly bright and "breezy".

Here on the hill, we just laugh whenever the forecasters call for breezy conditions.  That just means the wind is going to blow even more than usual!

We moved chickens this week...as a matter of fact...we moved chickens almost every day...and, not just in their portable field pen.

Broiler batch #2 had to move from the brooder to the field pen.  I got the fun job of catching them inside the brooder.  The Boss got the even “funner” job of cleaning the brooder. (sorry, no pics of that!)

Batch # 3 arrived at the Post Office and was tucked into the brooder to eat and grow for a couple of weeks.

We weren’t done with chickens yet!  The oldest of the hens needed to be re-homed. 

Josh and Betsy were heading to a big poultry sale outside of Richmond, and were going to act as our sales agents.  So in true farm family fashion…we had a chicken catchin’ and the old hens headed out on a roadtrip.

Hey, guys, I just remembered.  The chicken catching job is supposed to include dessert! (sorry…next time)

The first of May is always weaning day here on the hill.  The sheep were all herded into the barn and sorted out.  After a dose of de-wormer, the ewes headed out back and the lambs headed out front for the summer season.

  *A word about de-wormer…with the incredibly damp conditions, internal parasites can become a real problem; living on the lambs’ blood and sucking the nutrition that the lambs need to grow. The de-wormer gets rid of the parasites, and keeps the lambs from certain death. It is in no way harmful to humans.*

The amazing snail population is indicative of the moisture level

The overwhelming noise and general mayhem of weaning quickly subsided and all went back to grazing on the lush spring grass.

With all the moisture, you could almost watch the plants growing. 

The potatoes are looking great, despite the fact that we have had patchy frost for the past three nights. 

great onion plants
(and great weeds)

Look at this onion…this year's crop is doing very well.  They say that the perfect onion has 13 leaves. Each leaf represents a ring.  Most of the onion plants have between 5 and 7 leaves right now and more are coming. The onion crop will not be ready to harvest until late June.  Maybe they’ll all be PERFECT!

Since it was too wet to work outside, the Boss got hoophouse #1 all tidy and weed-free.  This week’s job…plant all the seedling that are ready for the newly cleared spaces….and on to hoophouse #2.

Checking on the lambs, I found that the autumn olive trees are blooming profusely.

Even though they are scrub trees (no good for anything) they smell delightful! 

As evidence that the season is getting a very late start, look at the oak leaves…they’re still very tiny and furry.  But the peaches, pears, apples and plum trees are all showing little fruits.

Proof positive that Spring is here…I watched them haying on the other side of Mbrook.  This is one of my favorite sights!

The first week of May is also Mbrook days, complete with Fireman's Parade and chicken barb-b-que.  Every year I have been asked to make a cake…this is the sixteenth homemade chocolate cake I have baked for them.  I plan on always doing this….because…well, read I Love Mbrook.

Chore time Saturday morning before Market
The lights are from the brooder and barn

It was very dark and very cold heading to the Market.  It seems like I have been saying that for a LONG time this season.  But, the sun did shine.  It was a good day.

I keep hoping to get Market pictures
...maybe next week

That was our week.  Hope you had a good one.  Thanks for visiting!

Happy Sunday!

Sunrise, Sunset

I have a friend who posts a picture of the sunrise every day.

                                       Every.Single.Day.    

Sometimes she posts a number of pictures of the sunrise.

                                   …and occasionally, she even posts a picture of the sunset.

It may be that she is working on a project, it may be a challenge set forth by a family member or another friend, or maybe…she just finds the beauty of the early morning so wondrous she has to share it. Perhaps it's the Bible verse:  "This is the day that the Lord hath made, we shall rejoice and be glad in it."  (Psalm 118:24)  I suppose I should probably ask.

But, in the meantime…

I got to thinking how each beautiful sunrise is a promise of a new day…filled with possibilities and challenges. 

…and all those gorgeous sunsets mark the end of another productive day and grant us the coming nighttime to rest and re-charge.

Here on the hill, the sights at both ends of the day are often nothing less than spectacular. The photos in this post are just a few of the many amazingly beautiful sunrises and sunsets we have been privy to over the years.

While I am deeply appreciative of the beauty, I am even more thankful for the promise of each sunrise and the closure of each sunset.

I would hope that I would never take the sunrise/sunset for granted.

I am so thankful for the beauty…the promise…the passage of time…the continuing cycle of life…it makes me mindful of the refrain from Fiddler on the Roof…

Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days.
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers,
Blossoming even as we gaze.

Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years,
One season following another,
Laden with happiness and tears.

                                                                       From “Fiddler on the Roof”

It all flies by SO fast.  It’s good to be reminded once in a while to pay attention!

I am thankful…both for the promise of things yet to come---and the end/closure represented by the sunrise

…and sunset of every day.

                                                                          
















...and THANK YOU, Carole, for the inspiration! J

Weaning Wednesday

It's THAT time of year again...




We are in the midst of weaning the lambs.

The amount of noise and mayhem is truly astounding.

It's always the same...every year...

I hope you will read last year's entry...NO Silence of These Lambs, which has a video link AND a link to the entry from 2011. Those entries also explain why we put ourselves through this ordeal every year.


In order to truly understand and appreciate the din, turn the volume UP as far as it will go...and that's not even loud enough.                    Honest.

However, all this noise will abate in a day or two and life will return to normal.   That is, if WE don't lose our sanity first.  Which, of course, is always a possibility.

In the meantime, I'm looking for our supply of earplugs. As a community service, we should have provided them to all the neighbors in a five-mile radius.

This is definitely NOT the quiet life in the country!