Organic People.

I'm a sucker for cool places to shop. When I first started traveling to NYC I would take a day and visit all my favorite stores just to get a "fix". McKenzie-Childs, ABC Carpet & Home, The Polo Mansion on Madison and Fellisimo were all on the list of places that just....pardon the farm expression....cranked my tractor. I would often buy a $3 or $4 trinket just so I could leave with a bag. I almost teared up the first time I walked into Dean & Deluca in Soho and I've been known to whistle & skip when I walk into a Whole Foods.

Last Saturday I visited the Brattleboro, VT Farmer's Market- about 45 minutes from here. Man-oh-man- did I hit the cool factor jackpot! I've been to lots of farmer's markets before...ho hum...all the same thing....get your green beans & corn and mosey along your merry way. This place was glorious....brimming with sound and color and vibrant healthy happy people who were all acting as though there was a party going on! There were booths with organic veggies and fruits as well as artisan breads and cheeses, local wines, chutneys and jams. There were musicians and artists there displaying jewelry, pottery and other handcrafts. There were circus activities and a giant sandbox for the kids and wonderful booths of ethnic foods as well as pastries, cookies, sweet breads, coffees & teas. Everything was sourced/grown/cooked/or made by or from local vendors....within 2 counties away- it's in the rules! Oh, and it's also in the rules that there is no styrofoam allowed and food vendors must use "real" utensils instead of plastic....everything I saw used there could be recycled....and there were recycling bins handy to put it in.

This, I thought to myself while standing in line for some delicious food from 2 friendly West-African ladies, is what consumerism should look like. A cooperative effort where folks in a community support their local vendors, maintain their integrity and have a great time doing it! This is the picture of "organic" I've been looking for....forget the organic potato chips, cereal & crackers. These are organic people....and believe me, I'm standing in line to drink that Kool-Aid (organic of course.)

The church bell's gone crazy.

This is a picture of the church that is right up the street from our house. No, I'm not kidding and yes, I know it is the perfectly picturesque quintessential New England village church. When we were first here the church bell rang on the hour every hour (day & night) which, admitedly, took some getting used to. I adjusted and came to enjoy the reminder that there is life outside the quiet of our little farmhouse.

Well, since I've been back the bell has gone crazy. It rings at random times....not usually on the hour and it's never the right number of dongs. It always makes me chuckle to myself to hear it so confused. It rang 23 times the other day.....military time? (you're thinking to yourself) Good guess- except that it was 10 am. So....while still picturesque, maybe it's not quite so perfect....which is what I'm finding out about New England in general....it's got lots of little quirks amidst the traditional Americana setting that make it an interesting and endearing place to live....and good for a chuckle from time to time for a girl from the South.

Let's give this one more try.

Ok peeps. Listen up. This is a big issue- if you have had a conversation with me in the last few years you've heard me talk about this and for all of you out there that have already made the switch to organic or rBGH free milk- yippee....you're in the club. Now, for any of you that still need some "convincing" to make the switch....let's give this one more try. Click on the link and be sure to watch both videos.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/07/12/did-you-know-all-the-drugs-in-your-milk.aspx?source=nl

Could there be any questions? Any reason why you won't switch? I mean, so clean milk is like $.13 more a gallon or something but we live in a time where blue jeans now cost upwards of $150...duh. You can afford it....or perhaps just start putting the extra money you're saving not buying organic into a chemotherapy drug fund for later. All in favor of milk without genetically modified hormones, antiobiotics and lots of extra puss say, "I." Uh huh, that's what I thought you'd say.

Summer suppers

Is there anything better than fresh food in the summer? Ok, so there might be things that equal it but I can't think of anything that beats it. I've been in Dothan for a few days...the last hoorah before heading to Mass for good on Saturday. The kids and I picked up our CSA bag from Gary which was full of summer yum....fresh basil, cucumbers, zuchini, green peppers, new potatos & melon. We picked up a gallon of fresh blueberries & 6 freshly laid eggs in preparation for our final Dothan feast. We enjoyed udon noodles with tomato, basil & feta, cucumber slices, deviled eggs, lightly sauteed zuchini with onions & peppers and grilled chicken...all drizzled with a balsamic reduction for decoration & a little bit of tang. We ended with brownies topped with the sweetest blueberries you've ever tasted.....in other words....a party in our mouths. My bro Jon, his wife Jennie & their 3 boys stopped by for a quick goodbye and we strong-armed them in to staying to eat with us. It was truly a wonderful celebration- with gratitude for Gary's wonderful veggies we have enjoyed over the last couple of years, appreciation for our family and excitement about all the wonderful things to come in the next year.

Udon with Tomato, Basil & Feta

This is so easy & delicious. It can be served hot, cold or at room temp. Modify the amount of ingredients based on your taste....it's real hard to mess it up! Here's what I did:

In a large bowl combine:

approx 8 small tomatos- chopped
approx 1 cup basil- chopped
approx 1/2 to 1 cup crumbled feta
a couple of cloves of garlic- minced
approx 1/4 to 1/2 cup good quality olive oil
sea salt to taste

I let all of this sit together for about an hour then cooked a package of Udon (use whatever pasta you have on hand) and tossed in with the tomato mixture. Add more or less of anything based on what you like. Finish with a drizzle of balsamic reduction.

Balsamic Reduction

approx 1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
approx 2 T sugar
2 cloves garlic (if desired)- can leave whole

Place in saucepan and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer until liquid is reduced and slightly thick- approc 10 to 15 minutes. Take out garlic before serving. Flavor is pungent- use sparingly!

Teach your children well.

"You, who are on the road,

Must have a code that you can live by.

And so, become yourself,

because the past is just a goodbye.

Teach your children well,

their Father's hell did slowly go by.

And feed them on your dreams,

the one they picks, the one you'll know by."

Crosby, Stills & Nash

When we were young, my sister, Jeni & I used to put show tunes on the record player and dance until we could hardly stand. My parents, on a trip to Mexico, had brought 2 brightly colored skirts home as a souvenier of their trip. They were much too long for us- drug the ground by inches and inches but were just perfect for twirling! I can see us now, me-lanky & awkward with my horrifying pixie haircut & Jeni- snaggle-toothed with her "home-perm-gone-bad" hairdo, spinning & twirling in time to the music- a blurry fanfare of color and sequins. It is a picture of perfectly unbridled childhood bliss. That's a "there" that's worth going back to...unreserved, unashamed, unafraid....dancing like our lives depended on it- like no one was watching.

One of my recurring questions is where, when & how does that magic end? When do we become jaded and cynical? When do we trade in our hope for despair? When do we let fear overtake us? When do we put aside our dreams and chalk them up to "childhood foolishness"? When do we start measuring our actions by "what other people will think"? When do we stop believing that our vote counts or that we can make a difference? When do we join the paradigm and forget individualism? When do we stop dancing like no one is watching? Is it when someone makes fun of you on the playground? When your boyfriend or girlfriend cheats on you? When you flunk a test you thought you were prepared for? When you get fired from your job? When a friend betrays your trust? When your parents don't listen to you because "you're a child and you don't know anything." All of the above....none of the above? Is it a rite of passage, a coming of age...necessary in the maturation process....or can it be avoided?

This desire to know the answer is not only driven by memories of my ecstatic childhood moments but also by watching my 2 crazy pre-teens as their candles of innocence begin to flicker. I believe that in "their world" there won't be room for cynicism or despair....hope will lead the way to change. They will need to be fearless to follow their dreams and be prepared to be ridiculed along the way. They will have to think for themselves and be incredible problem solvers- and handlers. I also believe there won't be much room for nay-sayers or passivists. They will be the ones called on to clean up the mess that the previous generations have left for them....it will be unavoidable.

I guess farm school is a pretty radical thing we're doing. The hysteria that ensued after I let the news fly was a good indicator of just how big a deal it is. I get caught up in the logistics of it all and forget that I am, quite frankly my dear.......terrified. However, every day I am affirmed in big & small ways that this is a good decision for us. It's changed my despair to hope, my cynicism into activism, my fear into empowerment, my sadness into joy, my fantasies into reality. This is a lesson for all of us- hopefully with answers that will guide the way to our future....Mac & Annie's future....& their children & grandchildren.....Teach your children well.

Be the change.

How often are we presented with the same old quotations, messages, statements and cliches....we've heard & read them over and over again. They come to us in emails and we forward them on to others, we hear them in sermons and forget them before we get in our car to go to lunch, we read them on tee-shirts, bumper stickers or billboards, never stopping to ponder how significant they really are. We are great consumers of information....gathering bits here and pieces there, tucking them away for a rainy day....or for some time when we "aren't so busy" or "when the kids get older" or "when I have enough money"...."I'll get to that some day." Many of us are running on the treadmill of life- running really fast but always staying in the same place. Have you ever tried to get off of a moving treadmill? As a runner, I can tell ya', it's pretty hard and can be pretty ugly if you don't plan your escape just right. And....so, some day never comes because we're too afraid of looking foolish by hurling ourselves free of the moving machine.

Up until a couple of years ago I was an information consumer extraordinaire. I had it all down.... how to be healthy, happy and content for the rest of your life....and I wasn't DOING any of it. As I sat one day, having a grand pity party for myself (all that was missing was the cocktail dress), playing the blame game about what everybody else had done to make me so unhappy, one of those nice little familiar quotes came to me: "Be the change you want to see in the world." Gandhi was a smart dude.

For once, I listened....I pondered....I put it in my pipe and smoked it....I simmered on it....I chewed it....I swallowed and digested it- those silly little words became my mantra for life. Don't change the world around you....change yourself! Don't blame the world around you....blame yourself! Don't save the world around you.....save yourself!

Our world is in dire need of radical change. I believe that organic & sustainable farming is one of the ways we can save the planet. I buy as much local food as possible. I support Gary, my USDA certified organic farmer, and work to help promote and increase his business. I rarely eat factory farmed meat- including fish. I never buy food (or anything else as much as possible) from Wal-mart or other chains that regulary import tainted food from China. I reject food that has been genetically modified or irradiated. I no longer use a microwave. I have dramatically reduced the amount of plastic we use in our house. I have almost eliminated chemically based cleaning supplies & personal care products. I am mindful of the choices I make in all aspects of my life- what I eat, what I wear, what I read, whom I support with my dollars, what I think, who I am friends with, what I speak. It is my desire to educate others so I continue to educate myself. Be the change.

How exactly did I get from there to here?

I've shared a bit about my past and the chaos that created the need for me to head out on this adventure. It's been a long process getting from there to here....and where "here" is, I'm not exactly sure... but, in looking back over the last few years, I know that "there" is not a place that I want to go back to. "There" is me sitting with Thelma on my left, Louise on my right, revving the Thunderbird getting ready for the flight into the great unknown. "Here" is looking at the changes I've made as I've inched back from the edge and realizing there are still many miles to go....and being ok with that. "There" is me tap dancing as fast as I could to keep up "the perfect life facade" while the steam was running out. "Here" is my ability to be gentle with myself in all of my imperfectness....and to even let others in on the secret that I haven't really got it all together. "There" is me playing the blame game about who's fault it was that my life was a trainwreck. "Here" is my realization that I am in charge of my life, my happiness, my peace....it's no one else's responsibility to create that for me. "There" is a study in how high your pendulum can swing before it flies over the top...too much of the worthless stuff- over-working, spending, consuming, partying, noise. "Here" is a study in balance- keeping the pendulum from swinging too high either way...more of the important stuff- relaxing, saving, recycling, reusing, sleeping, quiet. "There" is me being relentlessly sick & tired, plagued by chronic sinus infections, allergies, insomnia, constipation. "Here" is me reclaiming my health through healthy eating and lifestyle choices. "There" is being driven by fear. "Here" is feeling the fear, and doing it anyway. "There" is me standing still- waiting for changes to happen in my life. "Here" is me being proactive about creating the life I want to live.......and.....the list goes on....I'm sure you get the picture by now.

"There" to "here" doesn't happen overnight. Recognition of the need for change is the first step. Many of us desire to make changes but don't know how or where to start. It's ok to ask for help...I stubbornly did alot of this on my own. Real, lasting changes take commitment, intention, perseverance, patience, faith and time time time time time. I, like most people, struggle with my socialized/ culturized nature to need instant gratification. Patience is NOT one of my best virtues....in fact, it probably wasn't even on my list of virtues until a couple of years ago. Looking back to "there" from "here", though, I see that lots of small changes over time add up to big changes in the end. It's a never-ending process- today's "here" will be tomorrow's "there".

Stay tuned for another exciting episode about changing your life tomorrow on: Our Year on the Farm.