Tomorrow's the day.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, October 1....the beginning of my year at Maggie's Farm as a student farmer. I'm excited and terrified but mostly focused and ready for the blessings that are waiting.

"Go out into the world where your heart calls you. The blessings will come, I promise you that. I wish for you the insight to recognize the blessings as such, and sometimes it's hard. But you'll know it's a blessing if you are enriched and transformed by the experience. So be ready. There are great souls and teachers everywhere. It's your job to recognize them." -- Sy Montgomery

The Shift

Can you feel it? Are you part of it? Are you tuned in? Paying attention? Joining the movement? Soaking in the energy? Breathing in the love? Dancing to the rhythm?

Forget Obama. Forget McCain. Forget Wall Street.

The Shift

It's real. It's happening.

Get it. Find it. Feel it. Groove it. Work it. Shout it. Need it. Live it. Do it. Love it.

Shift it baby.

Our world. Our choice. Our peace. Our freedom.

Do better tomorrow than you did today.

Every day.

Harvest Day

Each spring the students at Annie's school plant a garden. Each fall they have a Harvest Day where they pick what has grown during the warm months. They begin the celebration by circling up, singing songs of thankfulness and talking about being grateful for the Earth's bounty. Each older child has a younger pre-school buddy that they lead into the garden and help them find all the treasures from the ground. It's an amazing sight to see: the delight in their eyes as they pull bunches of carrots out of the dirt...or find an inchworm on the potato they just dug....or struggle to lift a giant pumpkin off the ground...or get lost inside the teepees the beans are growing on. Although I'm not in grade school anymore, I can certainly relate to their glee. I am no less awe-inspired than they are each time another gift from the land emerges....every seed is full of a miracle waiting to happen...and endless possibilities and connections to the world around it....just like the precious children at Annie's school.

Picking Apples

Last weekend we drove into New Hampshire to Alyson's Orchard and picked apples. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and we had a great time selecting the perfect Galas, Cortland, McIntosh & Honey Crisp apples- right off the trees. We drove home with 2 bushels in the back of the car and have eaten apples (in one form or another) just about every meal since returning home. This weekend I am going to attempt to preserve some apple butter....I'll have the fire department on stand-by just in case.

Rainy Reflection

It's a rainy New England day here. Signs of fall are everywhere! The leaves are changing into bright shades of yellow, orange, red & purple, the weather is cooler and pumpkins abound. As I sit at my desk and watch the leaves fall & rain pour, it's a perfect time to reflect on the last year and update everyone on what's happening here.

It was about this time last year that I started thinking seriously about farm school. For the six months prior I had been fantasizing about the possibility but after selling my biz then turning 40 shortly there-after, I realized there was a "now or never" choice that lay before me. As obstacles slowly fell away and I gradually surrendered my control of the situation, it became apparent to me that the Universe meant for us to make this journey. I, myself, could have never orchestrated the amazing events that led to this moment- it was only through blind faith, unbridled trust and Divine Intervention that we were able to move 1300 miles away from home to embark on this crazy idea that I couldn't seem to rid myself of.

And so here we are...one year later....living a life that looks very different from where we were. We've been here about 3 months....give or take. We are settled in our little farmhouse and adjusting to a much slower pace of life. The kids are thriving in their new schools and each day excitedly report what they learned that day. We are preparing for our first real winter....learning about snow boots, cross-country skis, insulating pipes and oil burning furnaces (a mythical machine in my life up until now.) We've been up-close and personal with lots of wildlife in our yard: coyotes, deer, wild turkeys, garden snakes and a groundhog that has taken up residence under our barn. We have eaten veggies from our garden and local farms all summer long.

Admitedly, while having a wonderful time here, we are all a bit homesick. I miss the beach, the lake, ABC coffee & having a tan. The kids miss their friends terribly and are keeping in touch through letters, email & many many Verizon minutes. We all miss Stokes and are looking forward to his October visit. Pierre & Lulu, our crazy poodles, are at the top of the "wish you were here" list- especially Annie's.

As the seasons begin to change so will our experience here. My school starts next Wednesday, October 1, which will no doubt spin our casual attitudes in a different direction. I have no idea how my schedule will work out to deposit each one of us to our designated location at the correct time....I just know that it will work out....for some reason the how doesn't seem that important to me- a positive indication of my recovery from control addiction.

Life is different, slower, happier, healthier, richer, funnier, dirtier, quieter and more fulfilled than one year ago. It's been a nice 40th year, if I do say so myself. I'm eagerly looking forward to the 41st!

First Day of School

My kids have never been "the new kids at school" before. Other than, of course, 3 year old preschool where everybody else was a new kid too. I knew that letting them experience something new and unknown was a good decision for us and I was fully confident that the schools we chose would be a good fit for them...but admitedly there has been that nagging voice in my head.... "What if they are not accepted....What if no one plays with them on the playground.... What if they are miserable and blame me..." You know that voice that seems relentless even though you know it's irrational. It's that voice that keeps many of us living in fear instead of living the best lives we can...what if, what if, what if? I've gotten better through the years at ignoring the voice- sort of like a mom driving a station wagon swatting back children that keep hanging over the front seat. Often now I watch them throught the rear-view mirror before they pop up...."I see you....I know what you are up to...Don't even try it." This was a big one though...some days I felt like all of the kids were hanging over the seat and some of them were even in the front seat with me trying to drive! Our minds are really funny that way- especially when our sense of normalcy and security is threatened....or when there's a chance that your child might feel awkward or left out....that's a doozie.



A couple of weeks ago Annie made a friend (her name is Ruby) that is in her class at school. They played together a couple of days and had a blast doing all the things that 9 year old girls do. On the way to school Wednesday Annie said, "But Mama, what if Ruby only plays with all of her old friends- what if she doesn't want to play with me." From her tone she had obviously been thinking about it for a while. The voices of doubt start young! I reassured her that Ruby would include her and she had nothing to worry about....gulp....crossing my fingers and saying a prayer as I said it. As I walked Annie to her classroom, Ruby came running up to us, gave Annie a big hug and said, "Annie put your backpack by mine." I knew in that instant it was all going to be ok.



When I picked her up from school that day, I could tell by her bright smile and posture that she had a fantastic day. She filled me in on every detail- including the part about her deciding to play soccer on the playground so she could meet some girls that she didn't know yet. That's my girl! "Math is awesome!", she said yesterday when I picked her up. They went to the Post Office (which happens to be right across the street from the school), divided up into groups and looked for as many arrays as they could find. As she gave me the blow by blow you would never know that she was talking about the subject she called the most boring thing on Earth 6 months ago. Yesterday during dinner she said, "You know Mama, it's like I've known the kids at my school all of my life." And there you have it....I needn't say more!



Mac's experience has been wonderful as well. He told me yesterday that he, Perry & Grady (his 2 school buds) had discussed politics over their lunch. He said they had figured out why McCain chose Palin as his running mate. Ummm...ok....I didn't even know Mac knew who McCain was... He said that they had decided that since McCain is very rich and powerful and had lots of houses and things that he chose Palin to be more on the People's level because, you know, she's like a hockey Mom. Well...alrighty then. He was thrilled with the science class he had yesterday which was in a group "problem solving" format. They discussed "conflict" during class discussion time- the causes and solutions- and he could report every single students' answers and the conversation that ensued...voluntarily, I might add....no blood from turnips this year apparently.



So, once again, I get to put those silly voices to rest. Mac & Annie are fine....as I knew they would be. Yet another lesson for me on listening to and trusting my intuition and not paying attention to those crazy kids in the station wagon....In fact, I'm banning them to the way back for the rest of the trip!

More information.

Wow! I have had an overwhelming amount of responses to my GMO comment rebuttal....cool. I've had a few people ask for suggestions of where to turn for more info. I know how confusing and overwhelming the subject of "what to eat" can be....who do you listen to? who do you trust? why is this so complicated?

My first suggestion would be.....relax....my posts are meant to be informational only and not create fear, panic or hysteria. Use the information as you can- trying to implement better choices slowly into your daily diet if possible. If it feels overwhelming- step back.....breathe.

Second suggestion....simplify....we've made eating far too hard. Stop listening to diet gurus and the latest food trends. Listen instead to your body...it will tell you everything you need to know. Think about food that your great-grandmother would have eaten- chose those over modern foods that make grand exclamations about what they can do for your health. Ever read a box of Triscuits or Smart Start? With all those claims you would think we could solve all the world's health problems just from eating them! Use your common sense and intuition...we've forgotten how to do that because everywhere we turn there's someone else telling us about "good vs. bad" foods. Keep it simple. In the words of Michael Pollan: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

Third suggestion....ask for help if you need it...my sister and I have put together an affordable 6 week phone program to help you add more whole foods into your diet step by step. We will focus on understanding, preparing, eating & enjoying food as it was created in nature. Click here for more info: Greenlight.... ok...it's a shameless plug but I believe that the info we share is the key to creating your best life...isn't that what we all want? It starts this Tuesday, September 9, so don't dilly dally if you're interested in joining us.


Want to continue to educate yourself?

Here are some great books that have excellent information about our industrialized food system:

Fast Food Nation
The Omnivore's Dilemma
In Defense of Food
Real Food

These books are written by people....not nutritionists, health food or supplement distributors. They are all easy reads, full of humor and contain easy to understand information about our food.

My favorite cook book:

How to Cook Everything

This is the only cookbook you ever need to learn how to prepare food in a simple and delicious way. It's not a "health food" cookbook but most of his recipes call for whole foods and fresh ingredients- that's all you need!

DVD's worth watching:
The Future of Food
Sicko
The Secret
The Moses Code
Two Angry Moms
An Inconvenient Truth
Broken Limbs
Peaceable Kingdom
You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay

I own copies of all these with the exception of Peaceable Kingdom....come on up and visit & we'll have a movie party! These are all informative, inspirational and motivating. Enjoy!

Please feel free to comment or email me with questions or if you need further info about any of the above information!

Wishing you all peace & health.

Farm Aid 2008

I love Willie Nelson. I really do. In fact I really love people who just are what they are....and they don't apologize for it or change to fit someone else's view of who they should be. I also love people that fight for the underdog or to change something they think is wrong. I also just think he's very darn cool. Willie- along with John Mellencamp & Neil Young started Farm Aid back in 1985. I always sort of chalked it up to a fluffy all hype non-profit org. that threw a fantastic concert with alot of great press but probably didn't do a whole lot of good. I think....that I was wrong. I have just checked out their website and it is impressive. They are doing alot to not only help family farms financially but also spread the word about how important it is for us to support small farmers. Their website has a wealth of information about food and farming- it's really fun to look at. They move their concert around to different parts of the country each year so that it promotes farmers everywhere- not just in one location. They source 100% of the food sold at the concert from local, organic family farms....get out! They are putting their money where there mouths are....literally! Mansfield, MA is the site venue this year...which, of course, delights me to no end! Anyway, check out their site if you're interested- you can click on their logo above which should take you there.