A happy year

So much has happened here on the farm the last two weeks I am having a hard time compressing it into a blog post. Let me say first off, it feels great to be home. My trip to Seattle was good and I caught up on much needed sleep and rest. Spend a week with my family in Seattle and on the Sunday before I left to come home we took my sister’s ashes and gave them to Puget Sound. This is what my people do. We want to go back into the Ocean in which we were born, its pre arranged. My grandparents, my mother and other members of my family who have passed into ashes have asked to be given back.

As I watched the grey ashes touch the cold water and disperse in such a soft way I knew this is where I would also be given back. All of us there seemed to know in our time when our bodies become ash we will be with the tide. What we did was illegal as hell but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen it done. On the beach, in a boat, anyone who has done it or been a part of it knows when you see the lacquered box and the solemn faces of the folk carrying it, them ashes are gonna fly! Pray for light winds or you'll get a mouth full of that stuff.

Seeing my sister fly was good because I know this was her final journey or rather our final journey through her death. It was a type of closure and also it felt good to follow through on her wishes. Surprisingly no tears were shed and it was very peaceful.

Anyway…. back at the farm trying to clean up after the blizzard. Trying to put things back in order and trying to make up for not being prepared for it in the first place. The frozen snow still on the ground makes it difficult to get things done and it makes me blatantly aware that things need to change around here. Mostly to do with organization and prioritizing.

The good thing that happened was Linda, Kasey and I had a Living Kitchen retreat of sorts and spent a day last week discussing our dreams goals and vision for Living Kitchen for 2010. It was great to get it all down on paper and to make plans. It’s really exciting. First off Living Kitchen had an amazing 2009 one of the best years ever. The ¼ acre garden we had at the old place had never been more productive, we made every market except for one when we sold plants at the Sand Springs Herbal affair. The farm table diners were the best ever with a totally sold out season, our summer CSA went great and we met some incredible folks. We increased our Sheep flock, had a great kidding season and made a huge leap and moved to a farm that offers us an unlimited supply of possibilities. 2009 had its challenges too of course so I can also say we’ve learned a great deal and have grown in ways we can’t see just from the outside.

As I run into 2010 I know I have a lot to look forward to. I hope I can do it all with grace. I hope I can be mindful of my chores and tasks and I hope I can be gentle on myself during hard times and mostly I hope I can grow into a deeper relationship with this land and forge a lasting sustainable partnership with its resources and Great Spirit. And I really hope the Camembert cheese I made turns out!