Things to do before winter...

Wish list:

Dinner with the Amish

Dinner out.


I am going to let this blog sleep for a bit. At this point, it seems irrelevant. Our farm will remain a personal endeavor, and if people would like to come and visit or participate, they are still more than welcome to. The church is just not morphing into anything physical at this point. Although I'd love to have some labyrinth ceremonies, if anyone is interested.

Goat free/ milk free farm

Our herd of dairy goats were re-homed yesterday to some folks not too far away. I hope they will enjoy them as much as we have.

This is a step towards becoming a farm based on plant consumption...a vegetarian farmstead. The kids still can't have casein, and most dairy products do more harm than good to the human body, so we are, once again, going milk free in our farming practices.

It is time now to focus on healing practices for ourselves, both physically and mentally, and also to explore healing paths for the planet and all people.

Labyrinth

Walking a labyrinth is a meditative experience. It can be used for cleansing oneself spiritually. As you travel inward, you release the past and clear your mind of any negativity. As you reach the center, you mind clears and you spend a few moment in quiet contemplation. The walk out of the labyrinth allows you to be filled again with good energy and good feelings.

The labyrinth is a sacred space, grounded and connected to the Earth. Walking through the paths of the labyrinth is a walk into the center of oneself and into the center of sacredness. It can be a very healing journey as you release all that does not serve you. The energy from the Earth and the energy from the labyrinth work with each person's own energy to bring about exactly what they need in that moment.

Ceremonies can be held in the sacred center of the labyrinth, including blessings, name ceremonies, weddings, or anything else that would be enhanced by the sacred circle of the center.

This week we are building a labyrinth on our land. It is something that I have wanted to do for a very long time, and now we have the space to do it. We chose a simple spiral, which can represent the path of time in and out. Time is circular, not straight. The spiral is a simple and direct path into the center.

Richard, raking out the labyrinth path

Richard measured out the outlying circle and then he raked out paths for the inner circles of the labyrinth, leaving a central circle that is relatively large. In the center we will plant a tree and place a bench for meditation. We were trying to figure out what to line our paths with...something that would not vanish into the sand. My first idea was to used lumber scraps that I could paint in beautiful colors, but then, as I was relocating some old beer bottles we found on our land, I thought, we should use bottles! What better way to re-purpose all of the bottles we have been collecting and saving for building projects. And so the labyrinth was born!

The beginning of the labyrinth

It went pretty fast. We tried to dig the bottles into the sand a bit so they would not fall over. We got most of the outline of the labyrinth done--enough to be able to walk the labyrinth. I cleansed and blessed the space with sage and prepared it to be used.

I envision the finished labyrinth with paths lined with a kaleidoscope of colored bottles. In between the paths we will plant herbs (and other plants), so that the spiral of the labyrinth will become our herb spiral as well. It will be a beautiful place to walk and heal (and harvest herbs).

New Facebook group

I've started a Facebook group for people in the San Luis Valley of Colorado. If you are interested, join us.

SLV Natural and Organic Living

Progress and a bit of Local Flora and Fauna

We finally got the pad done for the tiny house/shed.

cleared land for pad site

the gravel arrives

spreading gravel

And the gravel is laid, spread and leveled

We also had Brett, the landscape guy, clear and level a pad for the camper up near the tiny house site. We are now a ways away form the animals, and the bugs are not as bad. It may also be a condition of having the land cleared up in this area.

Camper moved next to office

While we haven't been working much on the office as we shuffle animal pens and campers around, we have gotten most of the back straw bale wall done. Richard put wire fence along the back wall to hold the bales in and we will also put 2 x 4 (or whatever we can find cheap) on the inside walls. Then the two fences are "sewn" together through the straw bales with wire. This creates a stable and secure wall.

We also got a few more Earth bags done and leveled in the front wall.

The Industrial Hemp continues to grow. It loves the daily rain. It is budding now.

Hemp - male

Hemp - female

Hemp...glorious hemp

And while on our daily walks, we have discovered some of the critters and plants around us:

Red velvet ant

The Red velvet Ant is really a female wasp. They run frantically along the ground, looking for places to dig underground.

beetle with a tail

Not sure what the beetle with a tail is. They look like stink bugs, which we also have a lot of, except these guys have this weird tail.

salt brush

The little salt brush plants look almost like ferns. Except they're prickly and live in the desert.

desert plant

The desert plants are starting to change. I'm guessing the end of summer is getting near.  This plant almost looks like some kind of succulent. I have yet to identify it. No flowers on it.