why I want to farm

I went to a CRAFT field day today. I was invited by the afore mentioned farmer, Bill, who I plan to work with. He is extremely generous with information; I can learn a lot from him. Per his suggestion, I'm considering starting a very small CSA for next year. Maybe 5 families. I feel very at home with the other eco-ag farmers. They're an appealing balance of 'laid-back' and 'not messin around.' There is no putting on airs. Maybe that would be obvious? So, an easy sense of belonging to the community is one reason I would want to farm. The biggest reason is I feel like it's the right thing to do. People need nutritious, local food. I want to know how to provide that and to teach others how to grow their own. If the food system falls apart, I don't want my family to be affected. I want my family to have the best health I can provide them, within our means, and growing our own food assures me of that. ...I have an adolescent need to be independent. I like to be outside. I like to live with the seasons. I like to create. I like creative problem solving. I like the infinite possibilities in farming. I want to be an entrepreneur and there is a growing demand for local, organic food. There are many parallels between the artist and the small eco-farmer - the planning, creating, and sharing of a product. The 'hands on, get dirty, and not work for the man' of it. The independence of it.

I like to watch things grow.

I never got over wanting to be Little House on the Prairie.
...

The house we're trying to buy has nothing to with being a farmer, but that's OK. With the 8000 tax credit and appraising for 7000 more than we're contracted for, I figure we're already 15,000 ahead. Considering we have 0 savings and lots of student loans, this is a good first investment for us. In a few years (you have to live in the house 3 years to keep the 8000) maybe we'll be ready to have our own farm. Or maybe not. But our small backyard will not be a bad thing. If anything, it will keep me from getting too gung-ho on side projects.

you know what else inspired me? in 2001, the first time I got out of the house without my first and tiny baby Eleanor, I went to Ladyfest Midwest with my sister at the empty bottle and saw Tracy and the Plastics.


She was awesome. I bought a Tshirt for 6 dollars that she printed on a thrift store shirt. It was pink. Five years later I saw her again and she sucked. She didn't care at all. I threw out my Tshirt.

You know what else I like? Did I already put this up?


Especially because in grad school I loved William Kentridge.


(Chris is home! Where has the time gone?)

a horsewoman is born.

week of the unfinished quilt
Gracie wants to ride horses, too.
If there's one thing we do around here, it's dance.
Eleanor asked me to make several poses while she photographed me washing kale.

Sometimes I look at her and think, oh my god, she's beautiful.



Charlotte made herself a swing.
Hot chocolate party.
Dusting off artifacts...
from our archeological dig project.
Fire safety field trip
First Friday - for better or worse, I am an amazonian.
Personal timeline project to start off our new history text.

And for the record, today was a very productive Math Monday. It may not be unschooling to tell them they can play on the DS five minutes for every worksheet they complete, but it's really fun to hear how much they love math after they get past the initial barrier of fearing it/not feeling like doing it. (We have just started Math-U-See, which uses colorful blocks to help explain arithmetic.) Also, work was really fun today. I gave my students the choice of building life-size paper mache skeletons or small shadow boxes with little skeletons for Day of the Dead.

we took the girls to their first indoor concert, at the Vic, to see They Might Be Giants. Chris was furious that we were late, but it was awesome - they kept shooting off ticker tape and I finally had someone to dance with, we were up close, the band was cool, and they closed the set with DR WORM! So exciting!

Original inspiration:

very nervous. might not get financing for house. need better letters of explanation as to why we are financial losers. I don't know and cannot explain this. my universe is just parallel to one in which I am hyperventilating. Instead, I am soothing myself, gorging on pretty images online. Hidden in France is my favorite right now.

(Posie gets Cozy)

Visually self-soothe till my eyes burn.

The house is clean.

The landlord came over at 8 tonight to show the house and now it is rented. Pressure off. I called my next door neighbor as soon as they left to tell her I thought the new lady seemed nice. I will miss my neighbor.

So far nothing has gone wrong with the house purchase. I was very pleased that the house appraised for more than the accepted offer. We are still bumbling the deferring of our student loans, but it will be OK either way.

Gracie and I went shopping today while we waited for the girls' history club. I forget how fun shopping is. I bought MAC eyebrow wax and a scented candle for my mom's birthday - which got me my own "free" scented candle and a free lotion. I picked "warm vanilla sugar" and my house does smell much nicer than usual. So did Gracie and I, after killing time with lotions and perfumes. All this is only worth mentioning (if that) because I NEVER go to a mall and I'm always surprised and a little confused at how much I like the experience. Apparently I think Bath and Body Works are for the regular, unthinking variety of housewives, whereas I hold my self to a more deeply researched standard. Bath and Body Works uses a lot of parabens. But... sometimes I don't have the time or the money or the desire to seek out just exactly the perfect choice. Sometimes I just want convenience and for my house to smell like warm vanilla sugar.

Top three minimum make-up bits: MAC eyebrow wax, Estee Lauder powder bronzer, and Burt's Bees pomegranate lip balm.

Highlights of my birthday weekend: time spent with my husband, time spent with a few friends over great Thai food, and seeing Whip It. Naturally, I decided I should do roller derby. Turns out I don't have time. I can't even go to a bout because of work.

Work's fun, though. I like those kids, them crying about drawing drapery, me mocking them, all having a fun time. I mean, I'm not a paramedic; it's pretty fun. And if I get fired, I think I've got a farm job. All the more reason that I need these: