Kelsey: Mourning

I went to a funeral today. It was the second this week. Both of the deceased were a part of my large family. I couldn't help but stop and think as I sat in the back of the nearly silent church today... I thought of just how many funerals I've been to in the last year. It seems all too common for me because of my work with the elderly. Nursing homes and funerals kind of go hand-in-hand. But when two funerals are in one week... it takes a tole on you mentally, emotionally and physically.

The first funeral I went to on Saturday was my elderly Great Aunt, sister to my Paternal Grandmother. She was a shining personality full of life and laughter. Often she would be found singing with a beautiful soprano voice. She was the life of the party and we spent many Christmases at her house where every corner hosted a christmas tree loaded with shining trinkets; each one had its own theme. The food would practically be spilling from the counter and table while family was crammed shoulder to shoulder sipping wine and telling stories and laughing. It's the colorful side of the family.

The second funeral I went to this morning was for a cousin, she was too young by many standards but cancer isn't a respecter of age. She was a much quieter personality. Every bit as fun loving and smiley but calmer. A graceful presence that was always busy helping someone or working on something. I don't know that I ever saw her hands still. It was brought out in the funeral service that she was the definition of a Proverbs 31 woman, and I have to agree.

Now as I love both of these family members I couldn't help but notice the stark differences in how the two branches of this same family tree approached the funeral service itself. For that fact every service I've been to has been similar and vastly different. From some of my residents I've been through full catholic mass, celebrations of life where the reception line was more of a meet and greet and there was roaring laughter, to my classmates' untimely death when I was a teenager where I along with our classmates stood grave side and tried to sing soprano through the lump in my throat. I've been to funerals where God is front and center, and some where he's not mentioned at all in favor for a comical story about a drawer full of losing scratch offs. There is no right way or wrong way... every one, every family is different.

The feeling at these last two funerals I went to were drastic in their difference. The first funeral was bright with color, a request of the deceased. I myself wore a cornflower blue dress with a bright orange floral belt, bright rainbow colored necklace and earrings along with brown leather boots and jacket for the cold rain of the day. The music was happy and up tempo. In the end everyone sang "It is well with my soul" and the gusto made it believable and encouraging.

The second funeral was somber. I wore all black head to toe. Black dress. Black leather coat. Black heels. Black and gold earrings. The air seemed physically heavy. Everyones hearts were broken over the loss of such a sweet woman taken too early. The whole church sat in aching silence while the choir sang soft and slow. Over all it was a level of depressed melancholy that would even have Mark Twain waxing poetic.

So what was I thinking about in the back of church? What about my funeral? When I die what will it be like? Well I thought I'd take a page from Great Aunt Dorothy's book and lay down some guidelines.

Here they are.

No black. Only I get to wear black, you all'd better be dressed colorfully, it's a celebration.

Don't cry for me, I'm simply off to my next great adventure... you all know I love a good adventure. (Who am I kidding, the Stoller family will cry regardless of sadness or happiness.)

Music. There must be music, bonus points if you catch one of my quirky-er family members dancing in the pew.

Flowers... YES but NO LILIES. They smell like dead people. Ew.

Funny stories are encouraged someone try to make the preacher man believe anything he has to say about me.

That's about it. Probably one of the stranger posts I've written in awhile but it's just my current reality. The preacher put it well today, "death is a big part of life." Dad's preferred saying is "Death is so inconvenient." No matter how you look at death, if you think it's the end of the line or the next great adventure. If you think it's the bridge between this life and heaven or hell... of if you think you'll be reincarnated... whatever your belief do it your own way.

Love you All.

Kelsey: An overdue update

Hello all, I'm sorry for the silence. I have been in a place where I didn't really have the words or the heart to share with you what's happened. Honestly I still am struggling, but here goes nothing.

Lets back track to December, Christmas. Well the day after to be specific. I went out with some friends from work and met their precocious cheerful 'kid brother' that over the last 3 months has become my boyfriend, my rock, and my confidant. I jokingly call him a kid for the simple reason that I'm 5 years older than he is. In reality he's probably much more adult than I am. Currently we're separated by thousands of miles and 8 time zones as he's serving as an active duty Marine. 

Michael and myself at the Ice Races :)

When we met I told him all about California, I was so excited to move and while he often would tease me I was saying "Northern California" when I meant "North Carolina" (where he was based out of). He understood my excitement and we made plans of how to stay together living on opposite coasts. During his second block of leave when he was up here visiting his sister, brother in law, and me, I went to the endocrinologist for my routine 3 month labs. Yes I knew I was tired. Yes I knew I was losing weight, but I just blamed it on the stress of moving all the way across the country. 

Sadly my hopes and dreams got dashed with the words "It's back." Those are the words my endocrinologist's nurse used in telling me my Graves' Disease had flared back up and I was no longer in remission. So what does that mean, and why is that keeping me in Illinois?

Well... Graves' Disease is a thyroid disease. In my case it's Hyperthyroidism. For me personally it manifests as exhaustion, anxiety, grumpiness, forgetfulness, I struggle thinking clearly, hand tremors, heart palpitations, hair loss, muscle weakness, hot flashes and heat intolerance, as well as insomnia. YES I can take meds for it, and I am. That's why I'm stuck in Illinois. You see one other *fun* side effect of Graves' Disease is that it tanks your immune system. It's often referred to as an Autoimmune Disorder which in simple terms means my body mistakes healthy tissue for sick tissue and attacks it. By that same glitch sometimes it misses unhealthy tissue and ignores it which basically means I get sick, really easy, no matter how many apples and oranges I eat.

So. I'm stuck in Illinois. This is where my doctor is.

This is where my meds are.

This is where my income and health insurance are secure.

This is where I have to be patient and see what God has in store for me.

So the labs came back in early February. Now it's mid-March. How am I doing?

Well. I've maintained my weight give or take a few pounds... ok it's yo-yoing by 5 pounds... and my muscle weakness... has an excuse... (now I know why I keep dropping stuff). My heart palpitations I'm keeping track of with a fit bit, my hair... my hair is falling out most noticeably at the temples and the cowlick at back of my head, so I shaved my hair off. Well most of it anyway, in the hopes that less weight, product, damage, and ability to pull it would keep the rest of my hair on my head. 

Lovely glamor shot of my hair falling out.

My anxiety fluctuates... it's easily calmed by an email, letter or phone call from half way around the world, and if it flares and I can't get ahold of my Michael, I just go back through our emails, messages and photos and know that I have a rock holding me tight in spirit. My exhaustion is rampant, my dreams have gotten wild, and the rest of the symptoms just happen. I'm taking my meds religiously thanks to a reminder on my phone, and I'm fighting this fight the best way I know how... by completely ignoring it. 

I'm trying to live normally, I'm trying to keep my smile on my face, and I'm trying to get to California before I die. Hehe!

Love you all,

Kelsey

To everything there is a season.

Ecclesiastes 3 puts it well:

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

For me the season for casting away has come. I'm currently in the process of selling or donating everything I own that will not be going with me in my car to California. To clarify I have a Ford Fiesta, which is a pretty small car. A good portion of the space in my car will be dedicated to my two dogs, Nellie and Jasper.

In the process of deciding to move forward on California I've gotten many reactions from friends and family: 

You're insane! (All the best people are!)
That's way too far! (2,082 miles shortest route)
Do you know what you're doing? (I'm moving to California to start the next chapter of my life.)
Do you know someone out there? (My cousin Grant and his lovely lady Paige)

What will you do if ___ happens? (Cross that bridge when I get there.)

Do you have a job? (Yup)

Do you know the cost of living in California? (Yup)

Are you just moving there because weed is legal? (Nope, but it doesn't deter me either.)
You should just stay here. (I don't want to be stuck in the same 3 counties my whole life)

Be content. (Why? Never settle.)

You can't leave us. (Watch me.)

What will your residents do without you? (They'll adjust, they always do, I'll miss them though.)

There's no one to take your place at work! (That's what they said about the person I replaced.)

What about your nephew? (My younger sister is expecting a baby boy in April) (Skype.)

Grandma's going to die when you leave! (Nope. I'll call her. Mark made it to Indiana and she's fine.)

Do you know how much you're hurting Mom and Dad? (It's been said before. It'll be said again. I'm not perfect. Never have pretended to be.)

So and so told me I should talk you out of California! (I've heard it before.)

Etc. Etc.

But the Good Lord made me with a heart for the mountains, for nature, for growing things. I want to be able to help people, help myself, help grow a community. I'm excited for a new adventure, new opportunities.

This photo is from one of my many trips to the Colorado Rockies.

This is MY time. All prayers, good thoughts, good vibes and good advice welcomed and encouraged. If you're going to just tell me to stay where I am please keep that thought to yourself. I've heard it. I've thought about it. I've dismissed it. 

Love you all! (Even if you're nagging me to stay in Illinois.)

Kelsey

Grant and Paige: the month of August

It is now September 18th, 2016. August went by so incredibly quick.

 Look at how time flies, yet time is non-existent.

(A turkey vulture basking in the sun, with its wings spread wide. This one sat there for a while in that posture. I learned that they do this to kill parasitic microbes it picks up eating dead bodies.)

I apologize for the sudden absence of my online presence. Paige and I had a very busy month. We had a lot of field trips to several different farms/businesses. We enjoy being busy even though we had little time to ourselves. I am glad the weekend has came so we can rest and collect our thoughts on everything.

There is something I would like to tell the world.. Paragon Sustainability is growing! I am announcing that we have a new member, Reid Rheinsmith. This 5th member of Paragon is a dear childhood friend of mine who happens to be deaf too. He plans to end up in North California soon to attend the Grange School of Adaptive Agriculture when the next term opens up in April 2017.

I have learned so much the past month and it would be impossible for me to type everything into one blog post. But, most of what I have learned and am learning is contributing to my big picture of the reality of farming and Life. I am taking everything I know and cramming it into my subconscious for the purpose of the development of Paragon!

We shall now go to the beginning days of August! Lets travel back into time!

Monday, August 1st, 2016, started with the usual field work for about 2-3 hours and then part of the group voluntarily went to the community kitchen to process the meat of the cow we had killed and butchered 2 weeks ago. It took about 3 hours and 7 people for the whole process. When we finished, we enjoyed the filet mignon for lunch. And it was SO deliciously good. The afternoon went on and then we had our first class on vegetable plant families. We learned specifically about Brassicaceae. Members of the Brassi family prefer to grow in cool weather(fall-winter). These plants are broccoli, kale, collards, cabbage, brussel sprouts, and cauliflowers. There are a few more but I don't exactly remember them because we don't eat them, haha.

Let me explain a little more about Crop Rotation and why its important to know about along with knowing vegetable plant families. Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of different families in the same area in different seasons. It is done so that the soil of farms are healthier and higher quality and used to only one nutrient. It also gives that certain area time for family-specific diseases to die out. Rotating crops basically recharges the soil. When a season ends, the next season starts and you need to plant certain vegetables from another family that grows well in the next season. 

Life is beautiful. It teaches that you have to work with Mother Nature.

After class, Paige had her first ram slaughter experience and it was pretty intense. Reikivik, the ram, was a wild child who had three different homes, each of which he rammed the hell out of and escaped numerous times. He was brought to the school to be put down so we could experience our first ram slaughtering process. After 45 minutes of fighting and letting the blood drain from the neck of his, he finally passed.

and Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016, did not start with the usual field work. We started with our first poultry processing experience and killed 20 chicken, scalded them, plucked their feathers, then eviscerated them. Learning about processing poultry was incredibly easy. You can disembowel them with a few precision cuts and with one pull of the hand you can take out all of their innards. After taking out their guts, we chilled them and then froze them. It is required to chill then freeze them to make their meat good. After the processing and death, we then had a simple lunch and the usual afternoon class on record keeping, which was interesting. 

Record keeping is essential for maintaining a successful farm. The class pretty much outlined necessary record keeping for tracking income and expenses, assessing the profitability of crops, livestock and enterprises, assessing varieties and breeds, meeting certification and food safety requirements, doing taxes and financial planning. We also learned about a few templates and charts we could use, etc. I enjoyed the class because I liked seeing the way multiple different record keeping systems work. 

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2016, was an awesome day. We love field trips. We visited one of the leadership team member's farm called, Green Uprising. Michael is an admirable person with so much knowledge. He runs the farm along with his wife, Sara, who is very sweet lady and is a master with herbal knowledge/medicine.

The Green Uprising farm grows a lot of produce and is a beautiful farmstead. I believe they host a few long term interns every now and then to teach them aspects of farming. Michael also taught a little about the history of Agriculture later that afternoon. It was pretty interesting hearing it from him because he went through it all.

(A picture of Michael's hoophouse.)

We had a tour of the farm and learned a lot about why he had his structures and crops here and there. It was a very beautiful farm but I unfortunately do not have a bunch of pictures. 

(A small house on the property. There were a few cute and cozy living spaces which the interns stayed in. Some bigger structures were for the permanent members of the Green Uprising farm.)

The farm was very spacious and had a good amount of acreage. There were cute goats and trees everywhere. In the late afternoon or so the group headed back to the farm to wrap up the day with a good dinner and our usual pre-market day harvest which is every Wednesday.

So, Thursday, August 4th, 2016, was a normal easy day. We had typical field work in the morning with harvesting and processing food for the farmers market later in the afternoon. But what was different is that Paige and I were assigned to the duty of handling the booth at the farmers market for the first time that day along with the market manager/field teacher, Joshua. Every week students rotate and take up some responsibilities for the market. We did very well financially that day. It was a good experience for us. 

Friday, August 5th, 2016, we woke up to a pretty cool foggy sky. We were more excited that the weekend finally came by for us and we had our much needed rest after the weekly group check in that morning. The previous two weeks of that day on August 5th, were packed with lessons and classes and lectures and the Not so Simple Living fair. We were very very busy so when the weekend came by we took the time for ourselves and this is why I ended up not writing the blog post for the first week of August.

I will include a few random pictures below of the cozy weekend we had.

(Fog has descended into our area of the farm and valley but in the background you can see the blue hue of the sky showing that there is no fog in that area which is not very far from us. It played tricks on our eyes and was very cool, heh.)

(A member of our group, James, made some delicious bread along with a great dinner)

(A very beautiful light show presented by the one and only great Sol)

The coziness we had went by quickly and then we met week two of August. Before I get into week two and week three, I would like to note I did not exactly take too many pictures of the activities I did during those two weeks because my hands were quite busy and the lessons have gotten more complicated and deeper. My binder is accumulating a good amount of notes and printouts from every class/fieldtrip which is a very satisfying feeling for me because someday Paige and I can look back at all of these papers filled with good information.

Monday, August 8, 2016, In the morning we had our normal breakfast then did a little bit of fieldwork for like 2 hours then headed to our workshop for class. Our master craftsman, Takashi, introduced us to Carpentry for farmers. We learned about the nature of wood, tools and their strengths/weaknesses, and building structures.It was an interesting and inspiring class. Takashi has a bunch of information in that noggin of his, he truly can fix and build anything. Later on that day, we had our 2nd class on livelihoods and farm economics. Most farmers are not profit driven investors in land and labor. They are mostly craftsmen and women who ply their craft expecting to get a livelihood out of it. The class helped us understand what we want to become(weekend farmer or rancher or commodity crop producer or market gardner). There are different models of income producing lifestyles in agriculture. 

Tuesday, August 9, 2016, we had a morning class/field trip to the Grange Commercial kitchen and had our first taste of canning goods and value added processing(turning something into something else by adding something, for instance.. applesauce, lol). We learned how to can a few stuff in a step by step manner which was pretty easy to understand. These steps are required to be followed in commercial kitchen environments. Staying clean is important, guys. Later on the day, we had our Holistic Management: Whole Farm planning class, we were mostly shown of different ways to map a farm and different templates. Zoning and categorizing stuff to be easily understood is critical to maintaining a good farming operation.

Wednesday, August 10, 2016, the day was started with field work for 2 hours then we headed to the workshop for another class led by our master craftsman, Takashi Yogi! We were introduced to the nature of electricity and as usual, we love learning from him. He also taught us a little about solar power and other tools/batteries etc. I look forward to deepening my knowledge in the field of electricity and solar energy. After the class, we had lunch then headed to the community center because it was our group's turn to cook dinner for the community.That pretty much consumed our afternoon and evening so it was a good day.

Thursday, August 11, 2016, we met the day with our 2 hour field work ops then had our 10 am class on seed saving, plant breeding and genetics for 2 hours. We talked about strategies and management for optimal seed health and plant breeding. Seed saving is a very fascinating topic to talk about. I love the science in the field of botany. It makes Life beautiful. After this class we had a fieldtrip to Bountiful Gardens a local seed business in the town of Willits. They ship seeds of all kinds around the world to customers. They collaborate with local farmers and even farmers out of the state and ask them to grow certain seeds so they can save them. It was a fun learning from an old and established business. Later on that evening, we went to the farmers market and sold a good amount of produce. We collected a good amount of money for the school and made a new record topping the previous record from the week before.

Friday, August 12, 2016, the school had a field trip to the Mendocino Grain Project. A grain collecting/cleaning/storage operation in Ukiah, CA. It is run by a lovely old guy who works very hard. The project is basically provides Mendocino and other local regions with sustainably grown grains / legumes. They also support local grain growers by helping them harvest, clean, and mill their grain. We visited the granary in town where they clean and store their stuff. Took a look at all the big machines they used to keep the Grain Project going. We came out very itchy because of all the fine grain dust that was being blown around when the machines were on. We headed back to the farm when the cleaning process was over then we met the weekend. 

Kelsey: "We Travel because we need to,"

There is a quote I saw on the internet the other day, and it seemed to speak what I've had circling in my brain for months.

"We travel because we need to, because distance and difference are the secret tonic to creativity. When we got home, home is still the same, but something in our minds has changed, and that changes everything!" - Jonah Leher

I just recently traveled to Colorado with my sisters, brother in law, and niece. We went out to see my Dad's family and to celebrate (early) my Grandpa's 80th birthday.

The mountains that feel like a happier version of home.

When people ask me how my trip was my reply is always the same, "It was too short." How do you tell people you feel like 'home' is no longer where you belong?  How do you tell people that walking back into work and seeing the same faces, hearing the same complaints, knowing the same agony... day after day... is wearing you out to the point of depression? I keep telling my coworkers I'm running away in February to California. I get mixed reviews on that idea. Everything from "Do it while you're young and free!" to "That's dumb, do you know the cost of living." and "The grass isn't greener on that side!" I know they all mean well, but sometimes I just wish people would mind their own.

The fact of the matter is I will be moving as soon as my debts are paid off. I sit down every day and stare at numbers... do math... (which was always my least favorite class in school) and I count down...
Only x number of payments until I'm free. If I skip lunch today I can put that $8 to my credit card debt. Would this $12 movie ticket make a dent in my car loan? Life would be so much easier if I'd never gotten a credit card. WHY did I think I needed such and expensive car? Why did I spend money on ____?! I get frustrated because all the things I thought I needed along the way.... have added up to one giant monetary speed bump.

Little "Lenard" learning how to climb rocks and love the mountains! 

Already the money I spent on my Colorado trip has me frustrated. I loved the get away, but was it worth it for such a short trip? Should I have driven out, stayed longer, spent less money? Should I have toughed it out at home, cashed in the hours to pay down my car loan?

I eat "healthy" mostly vegan/vegetarian foods. Organic if the option is there. Every time I go grocery shopping I see the carts loaded with Ramen noodles and other 'cheap' junk foods. IF I comprimised my morals and my health I could quarter my grocery budget and put that money to my debts. But at what cost?

My mental health when depression creeps in?
My physical health when my Graves' Disease goes out of remission because of a poor diet?
My moral health when I'm ok with poor working conditions, shipping food from around the world, and allowing for child labor, slaughter houses, etc... all things that weigh heavily on my heart?

I guess I'll compromise... I'll pay off my debts slower because of eating healthy local food. I'll pay them off with little chunks of money I find by skipping that latest movie, turning off Netflix, doing any and all art projects I can squeeze in, picking up extra shifts on top of the 68 hours a week I currently work... or maybe...

I'll just run away.

 

Kelsey: The Minimalists Wardrobe

When I first heard of minimalism many of the articles I read were about people who'd assigned themselves a set number of personal belongings they were allowed to have, some as low as 50!

For me that's a little extreme, I live a fairly eclectic life and as such it requires a decent amount of "stuff". One area I am able to pare down is my wardrobe. Thankfully, and with great effort, I've recently lost about 25 pounds and went from a size 17 to a size 10. As such, many of my clothes no longer fit properly and thanks to second hand shops I have smaller clothes that fit better. So today when work was agonizingly slow I thought about what clothes I love, which ones I wear often and which ones fit me; I did something I do all the time, I wrote a list.

When I finally got home from the second job (14 hour work day anyone?) I decided to jump in and sort through my clothes to fill out my checklist, some of which are still in the laundry. I'm trying to see if I can get my wardrobe to fit entirely into my luggage set that was my christmas present from my parents a few years ago.

As it stands here's my list:

1 pair jeans
1 pair kahki slacks
1 pair grey slacks
1 pair black yoga pants
1 pair jean shorts
1 pair white shorts
1 pair exercise capris
1 pair biking/running shorts

1 swim suit

7 pairs underwear
7 pairs socks
2 "nice" bras
2 sports bras
1 strapless backless bra
1 pair spanks
1 pair tights


1 pair black flip flops
1 pair white flip flops
1 pair black boots
1 pair black work shoes
1 pair running shoes
1 pair snow boots

1 baseball cap
1 fedora

1 hot pink colombia rain coat
1 "leather" coat
1 carhardt coat
1 ski coat

1 ski pants
1 duff
1 pair ski socks

1 little black dress
1 blue sundress

1 heart sweater
1 warm grey sweater
1 huge camo hoodie

1 black tshirt
1 red tshirt
1 grey namaste in bed shirt
1 black and white striped shirt
1 black yin-yang shirt
1 roses tank top with shrug

"Maybe" Items

Cowboy Boots
Mud Boots
Red Dress with Black Belt
Black Spandex Shorts
1950s Style Black Skirt
Grey and Lace Zip Hoodie
Light Heather Grey Hoodie

Running total: 69 items? I dunno. It's too late to count.

(Next Morning Now)

Already this morning I've gone through 4 boxes of clothes to donate which has come out to two full black garbage bags, one of which I'm questioning if I'll be able to carry to my car, I may have to split it between two bags.

The two bags of clothes to donate along with the box of "maybe" items.

Next on my agenda is to go through blankets and kitchen stuff! Yikes!

Wish me luck! Love Kelsey, Nellie and Jasper

P.S. Jasper came home to us on Thursday Night, he's a scrappy little fluff ball and walks pretty awesome for only having three legs!

Grant and Paige: the "final week of July" and the transition into August

Can you believe it? July has come and gone. We are going into our 4th week being at the Grange School of Adaptive Agriculture!

I had an amazing, busy and long weekend. I couldn't make a post on Saturday because I was out camping in the middle of nowhere with hundreds of loving people who came together with great intentions. So, here I am doing this on a Sunday. I will get to explaining what I have done over the weekend later into my post.

Love is grand. It really is.. man. Sometimes I get so lost in love around here and I forget that a society exists out there and how there are billions of humans who aren't aware to some extent of what Love is and how much nature can provide for them in abundance. It is both a beautiful and heartbreaking feeling. This is why I believe we are in a very weird time in our humanity. This is because there is "no one way to farm" and there is only ONE reality and ONE Mother. Our All-Mother is an organic being, so that means there is definitely one way to farm, since she is "a singular system". The one way to farm is through Love. The fact that this is being thought of shows how divided we humans are as a race.

"The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings." - Masanobu Fukuoka

LONG LIVE PARAGON!

So, my third week shall be recapped. I feel as if it went by fairly quick and most of the lessons 

Monday, July 25, 2016 was an easy and normal day. We went from breakfast to fieldwork for a few hours then lunch to a class on how ruminants are different from monogastric animals such as dogs, cats and us humans. As well as, the business aspects of these ruminants. Ruminants are animals that have a complex, compartmentalized stomach characterized by one large compartment in which microbial fermentation of ingested feed occurs. The ruminants comprise the cattle, goat, sheep, antelopes, deer, giraffes, and their relatives. We also learned that having the right breed matters for business in breeding, dairy, meat, fiber, and land management. It was a fun class. I was mostly interested in the meat and fiber aspects. This class opened some doors in my head on the road to Paragon. Because I am definitely going to collect wool for its multipurpose use and I am slowly learning about the meat industry and would like to do my part to feed people healthier unprocessed meat.

Take a look at this good link below about a Harvard research study on processed meat VS unprocessed meat. This post is 6 years old but still relevant.

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/processed-meats-unprocessed-heart-disease-diabetes/ 

On Tuesday, July 26, 2016, we learned about "cereal grains" ALL DAY long while at a field trip to a local farm/garden called the Biointensive garden which is situated on the Golden Rule Ranch. The word "grain" was ingrained into our minds that day, hah. It was a very informative day though. We learned about the main whole grains such as, barley, wheat, rye, corn, rice, oats, and quinoa. There are a lot of varieties but we were only introduced to a few, which are the "cereal grains" and their methods of growing and harvesting. The Biointensive garden teaches techniques to individuals from third world countries, on how to break down grains without technology. They also have programs that teach individuals how to farm biointensively. Other than that field trip, the heat was very brutal throughout the day and everyone was sweating their grains off. I remember the eve coming by and the coolness of the air made a huge change. We all relaxed well that evening.

Wednesday, July 27, 2016 was another typical day of breakfast to field work for a few hours and lunch then some R&R before a class on holistic planning/mapping/diagramming a farm. 

 

(A picture of the field being worked on by our group on a Wednesday morning.)

We mostly learned that planning and mapping any farm effectively helps a lot of people down the road with operations when their farm becomes more established. We were taught to view the landscape in terms of boundaries, zones, and common features in a way that simplifies and clarifies the relationships on the land. We also learned about different open source software available to keep maps/plans of the land. There are main overlays such as, boundaries, zones, future human development space, cultivation, livestock living areas, pipelines, environmental variables, and flow diagrams where most human traffic goes. It was an interesting class. I also remember how incredibly hard it was to stay awake because I was exhausted that day from field work and had to get up in the middle of the lesson to get some raw cashews so I could gobble on them in an attempt to stay awake for the remainder of the class. It worked well, hah.

After the mapping class, I excitedly hurried over at full speed, on a bike, to the ranch community center, with Sky, for our weekly Wednesday night dinner. I think if I remember correctly, the bible mentioned that we should always build bigger and longer tables so more people can be fed and that everyone can get together. I have seriously lost track of how many potlucks we have gone to while being here. I realized communal living is necessary for a thriving community.

Thursday, July 28, 2016, was consisted of little field work in the morning and a class in the early afternoon then a trip to town for the farmers market. Every Thursday morning, we harvest and prep the fresh food for consumers for the market that afternoon. Before the farmers market, we had a local individual who is a powerhouse in strategical social media/marketing come lecture on what we could do to get ourselves out there. His name is Ian, and he works for a local organization that connects new farmers to the community and he does a great job at it. The internet is an awesome tool because it is kind of a level playing field that connects all of us together. While learning in class, I was slowly realizing I was a little ahead of the curve because I had already thought of these strategies that were mentioned in class that day. But it was definitely a good refresher to learn these things again from a professional. Basically, to brand something.. CONTEXT IS EVERYTHING.

 (Lynz washing some red/white onions for the farmers market. With Garlic cloves sitting to the left. and a beautiful mountain scenery is sitting in the background.)

Later that evening, a group of us went to get some ice cream at a local place around the corner from the farmers market. Scoops is a local favorite, and was a good way to wrap up a hot day.

Friday, July 29, 2016 to Sunday, July 31, 2016 was a good weekend. On Friday morning we did our weekly group check in to emotionally recap on the week and on what we could do better for the next week as well as acknowledging other members in our groups for what good they have done during the week. We did a little carpooling and livestock management planning so we could all attend the "Not So Simple Living" Fair throughout the weekend in Boonville, California which is a little drive south of the farm in the middle of Anderson valley. We promised the event organizers to do volunteer work so we could get in the fair for free the entire weekend. Most of us were assigned to different shifts on the fairgrounds. 

On Saturday, we went to the fair to attend workshops/demonstrations all day from 10am to 5pm. After the workshops, Sky, Paige and I chose to work in the kitchen with a wonderful old lady named Barbara who was incredibly loving, talkative and loved our dreadlocks. We were the SWAT team for the flies in the kitchen, did some cleaning, ate some good juicy watermelon and cantaloupes while helping fair guests cut their fruits/melons and breads that were brought in for the potluck dinner that night. We did so much in the kitchen and worked longer than planned. Barbara loved how hard working we were and excused us from our volunteer shift the following morning. She said if anyone says differently, just tell them the kitchen Nazi says so! The lil old lady had some power around there, haha.

We set up our tent in the late evening and then when the darkness came, the stars were so extremely bright you could see the milky way's spiral arm, the dark rift and the meteor shower. We left the tent shield off so we could see the stars through the mesh while laying down in our sleeping bags. It was so beautiful and peaceful.

Sunday morning came by and we had a big pancake breakfast then one workshop demo, which was the hunting demo and then we headed back to the farm to take care of our livestock and I started working on our blog post.

I could write pages about the event I attended but I don't know where to start. It was too informative and exposed me to many awesome methods of living. I learned about blacksmithing and forging, a little about medicinal herbs and tinctures, a little about rocket stoves and hobo cans, and hunting. there were about 15-20 workshops going on at once during each hour, so you could choose to stay for the entire workshop/demo or just attend 5 minutes of each workshop and see all of them. But we chose to stay for most of the time to make sure we absorbed good amounts of information.

http://notsosimple.info/

Check out the link for information on the fair. It was very cool and I look forward to next year's fair.

Here are a few random pictures I have took over the week.
 

(Our camping circle at the camp area in the fairgrounds. There were hundreds of people there. I did not have time to take good pictures of my time at the fair over the weekend because we were very busy meeting people and learning stuff. I considered the event very unique because there were old people and young people all learning from each other. And everyone was there to learn so the vibe was amazing.)

"There is no such thing as away" (Everyone at the Not so Simple Living Fair does their best to either recycle or compost everything to create as little waste as possible so they started a crafty little mandala with all the items that couldn't be recycled or composted.)

(Trash monster on the Art of Waste Mandala)

(Next to the fair is Pennyroyal farms where we took a short tour before returning home. They produce goat milk products and wine which we were able to taste at the end. VERY delicious!)

(The beauty of this picture sings with me. You are looking outside of our kitchen into the mountains.)

(Mom Cat looking very fancy and relaxed. She likes joining us at the dining table under the gazebo when we are all together)

(One heck of a meal, beef with beans and rice and quinoa and some pepper with garlic cloves on top of a big cabbage leaf)

Kelsey: "The Minimalists" Inspired Packing Party

Good Mornin everyone! I'm sorry I've been a bit quiet lately, life gets so busy if we don't pay attention to taking time for ourselves doesn't it! The other day... maybe a week ago? I decided to do a small youtube video about minimizing my personal belongings and how I'm going about it. Now I know some people won't understand, some people will think I'm nuts... but that's ok... I am! 

I'm not entirely done with my packing party and I'm hoping to get more work done on it today as I have half a day off of work, but we shall see! Anyway without further ado, my face, on youtube. 

Much Love!

"Simplicity involves unburdening your life, and living more lightly with fewer distractions that interfere with a high quality life, as defined uniquely by each individual."

                  Linda Breen Pierce - 1947 

Grant and Paige: the Week of July 17 to July 23

Friends and Family,

The second week has passed!

I shall open my heart and set free of all the light I have from within. and I will not falter! Our roots in the present moment are becoming deeper and stronger. We are becoming even more conscious of the Now by dwelling in the All-Mother's infinite love and eating what She provides us. Our growth is Paragon's growth and the growth of Paragon Sustainability will result in the upliftment of humanity!

The group here is amazing. We are becoming a tightly knitted group with great vibes. We respect and care for one another. I do think this 2016 Fall term could go down into the Grange's history as one of the best terms. I will credit this to the cohesion we have been developing over the past 2 weeks. Also, I have been teaching us ASL for the past week. I definitely think this has contributed greatly to our ability to be cohesive. They are picking up very quickly and I believe they could know the language well by the next 2 months and we have 3 months to go!

Ah.. It is time for me to do a recap of WEEK TWO! I shall now reminisce.

(A beautiful picture of a Tree and a Chair basking in the love of our Sun. This was taken next to the gazebo on a lovely Sunday evening.)







Sunday, July 17,  2016, was one of our days off. I believe I mentioned before in one of my previous posts that sometimes we will have 2 or 3 days off through Friday to Sunday. This will vary depending on local events, festivals, and sometimes one class will fall on a Friday.

One of the highlights on this day of relaxation was receiving a cute little bundle of 40 yellow fluff balls. Yes, the yellow fluff balls are baby chickens. Actually, now I remember that all 40 aren't yellow fluff balls. There are two baby fluff balls that happened to be black/white and brown/white. Those two babes are as cute as the yellow fluff balls though.

(A baby yellow fluff ball being held by Sky)

(A baby Paige looking very happy and cute while holding a baby chicken with a part of Grant's creepy eye looking down at the camera. We are attempting a "welfie" which is a group selfie.)

 Our Sunday was composed mostly of relaxation and the excitement of the arrival of these little chicks.

On Monday, July 18, 2016, we woke up to a foggy and cloudy sky for the first time while being here, surprisingly it wasn't a terribly cold morning as most mornings around here are. On our way up to breakfast we noticed an "ant crossing" sign which gave us a good belly laugh.

(The first cloudy morning we had here. This is the view from our tents on the way to the gazebo which we go to every morning)

(Aforementioned ant crossing sign)

For some reason every morning/night the ants cross this specific area. It has something to do with the the grass on the left on this picture. They like to bring seeds back to their homes which are giant ant hills to the right of this picture. I don't know who made the sign but it was really random and funny.

Later on that morning, we did some field work for a few hours. The first few hours was mostly spent weeding and then for the last hour I used a hoe to create a dirt path next to a block of cabbage growth so it would be easier to weed that certain side. Because it was full of dense vegetation and wheat grass and tall thistles.

(Dead on cabbage on the far left and Savoy cabbage in the middle and Kale on the far right)

To the far left you can see dense vegetation of tall grasses and whatnot. That is the area I cleared and made a good dirt path. 

After field work, Paige and I took a well deserved nap before our Poultry/Swine classes. We learned so much about Poultry/Swine. It was kind of fascinating to know that there are more than 21 billion chickens alive at any given time. We learned about the history of poultry/swine as well as their lifespan. Pigs are easy to get but it can cost alot of money to feed and raise them for meat. It takes a while to raise them to the right condition people want when eating pork meat. Whereas raising chicken is pretty cheap and takes a shorter amount of time to raise them. It was a fun introduction to the business of Poultry/Swine and livestock in general.

On the morning of Tuesday, July 19, 2016, we witnessed our first cow butchering on the ranch and learned about how a cow should be slaughtered humanely. It was a very real and fascinating experience to see a cow go from life to food as well as learning a little about the anatomy of a cow. As much as I want to post these step by step pictures I took of it being skinned to being butchered into 4 quarters, I won't because I respect that some people do not want to see too much blood and guts. But if you are that interested and would like to see some of the pictures and 2 videos I took then you are more than WELCOME to message me on facebook or comment below and I will get ahold of you and send them to you for the sake of your curiosity. :) After this butchering, we put the 4 quarters into a commercial meat freezer and then headed back to our farm for lunch then had a class on Plant/Crop Botany! We mostly learned about their growth and how it is critical to make sure they are growing healthily to ensure a productive agricultural system as well as vocabulary for describing parts of a plant, identifying male/female plants(male parts being the Stamen and female parts being the Stigma, a "Perfect Flower" is known as having both male/female parts) and so on.

Feel free to check out this link below to see a "perfect flower" and the parts of it. It is a pretty cool slide-show kind of link so its informative and short.

http://www.slideshare.net/iqbal1313/flower-morphology-25998589

Wednesday, July 20, 2016, was a normal day of field work in the morning then we had lunch. In the afternoon, we had Food Safety and GAP's(Good Agricultural Practices) class. We were mostly introduced to current "food safety" regulations and requirements while looking inside the politics of these regulations and whatnot. Such as why GMO's, glyphosate, high fructose corn syrup are not food safety issues when in reality they are very serious issues and contribute to food bourne illnesses.. We also learned of a few places to go to for legal certification and how there are SOP's(Standard Operating Procedures) for farmers to follow if they want to market their fresh produce. This is kind of similar to writing up a business plan, as a farmer getting into business, you must develop a system to ensure that the food you are selling is healthy and does not make people sick. To make sense of this, you must basically have a site on your farm that prepares and cleans the food when it is harvested, etc etc. Honestly, GAP's pretty much require people to have common sense. One just needs to be aware that someone is going to be eating your food and you don't want to make them sick, right?

Wednesdays are one of my favorite days of the week. Because in the evening of every Wednesday, we go to the local community center where people of the ranch and the Church of the Golden Rule come together for a big dinner. Good food and a full stomach makes a happy and content heart.

On Thursday, July 21, 2016, we had our first fieldtrip to a local farm and a local nursery. These fieldtrips were probably the highlight of this week. In the morning we went to Tequoia farm which is ran by a beautiful couple and they host international folks that come to stay for a while. 

(Tequoia Farm, Hunter is the owner of this farm is on the FAR left and then James, Lyndsey, Paige, Caroline and Grant. One student is missing but this is the group that we are living with! The picture was taken in their strawberry patch)

Over the next 4 months, we will have about 35-40 field trips to different farms around the county. This was our first farm we visited. This farm is proof of how two normal people can get into farming from scratch and make a very decent income! ($2,000 a week!) Although, we are aware it takes alot of work, blood, sweat, and tears. I think they have about 1,500 strawberry plants or something. I am not too sure of the exact number they are growing but it is A LOT. They are so red and DAMN JUICY, I tell ya. We also talked about how he left his job as a banker and married his wife who moved from Mexico to where they started small then became big. We also helped weed a couple patches a little. I was amazed at how fast we are able to clear giant patches full of weed with a good group of people. It made me realize more that farming should always be approached by a community/group. Abundance is everywhere. It was a very beautiful farm packed with good and healthy growing food. He uses multiple methods of growing in his farm. Such as the no-tillage method for his tomatoes in one area and dry farming(no watering) quinoa etc etc. He also uses irrigation systems.

Later that day, we went to the San Hedrin Nursery in the town of Willits, CA. 

(Starting from the far left stands, Caroline, Eva, Grant, Paige, Lyndsey, Dave and Jenny Watts, James, and Ruthie.... then Pomona the farm dog)

This nursery has been running for about 35 years by the same loving couple. This is not a farm but a form of business(a nursery). We are learning about the different varieties of businesses. Dave built the nursery-business house right next to their original house 35 years ago. It takes a lot of dedication to keep up with the size of the nursery they operate. They grow pretty much EVERYTHING including 30 different varieties of tomatoes! Even for that one customer who only wants that one specific plant that no one else wants or isn't trending in the market. They are willing to help propagate anything and GROW only for the community! Such kind hearted people they are.

Jenny collects seeds of all kinds, plants them, and takes care of the baby stage. once they are mature enough they sell the plants to local farmers and homesteaders. It was a very cute nursery run by a loving old and smart couple. 

Friday, July 22, 2016, was a day off for us. We had a group check in to recap the week which we do every Friday at breakfast in the Gazebo. I also had a meeting with Ruthie, our director of operations of the school. It was a very enlightening meeting and pretty much changed the course of my direction here. I was introduced to a certain project which will take about 3 months to develop and finish. I don't want to exactly announce everything yet until I get more information and confidence together because this is something I have never done before and I hope my project will be a good contribution to this school. Because I love this school and I love everyone. Be in love, Always.

Saturday, July 23, 2016, is a day off for me and I am using the day to write this blog post and prepare for the upcoming week. Lessons and classes will get more deeper, science-y, and business-y. I would also like to mention Paige is managing herself so well with her interpreting. She has never interpreted in her whole life but for the past 2 weeks she has pretty much acted like a "professional interpreter" and has been by my side since the beginning. I want the world to recognize that because her muscles ache and she continues to interpret as hard as she can with those little cute fingers.

Kelsey: Less is More

Hey World,

Sunrise on Wednesday July 20, 2016 - Central IL

I never really know how to start these posts; so I'll just dive on in and hope you'll forgive my plain speech. In reading the posts by Grant and Chris you'll notice a vastly different vocabulary used. Here's the reason: I write like I talk, simple... plain-spoken midwestern English. Grant and Chris write in a much more elaborate, descriptive way as English to them is NOT a simple language, it's their second language and as such they have delved into the nuances of vocabulary and use expressive words much more than those of us who say things in the least number of spoken words necessary. I think it's almost like a written version of ASL. When you're signing with ASL you don't simply move your fingers and hands. It becomes a dance of your whole body, your face contorts to extreme expression and your hands and fingers simply form more of a punctuation than anything. I could sign sad, but if my face doesn't also read sad... it seems meaningless. Anyway, just a difference I've noticed. I love their posts though, Grant's photos make me LONNNNG to get out to CA... as if I wasn't already chomping at the bit! Chris' thirst for learning and how he has jumped into Braille as a third language truly impresses me.

As for me... whew. A much more... boring... segment of life! Haha! I don't know if that's accurate but yeah. Here's what's been going on:

I've sold almost all of my furniture. I"m keeping a few key pieces, My hammock, table and chairs (for my family dinners), two bar stools (I use one for sitting at my bar height counter for meals and one acts as a night stand next to my hammock. And buried in my room of requirement is a love seat that doesn't really belong to me, and my recliner which I keep for when my adorable tiny grandma comes to hang out with me.

I have also finished most of my house's packing party but I still need to do one for the garage, but that's going to wait for cooler weather, this 98 degrees with 90 percent humidity is just a load of... well. yeah. Along with that heat my garden has grown like a jungle and the tomatoes are just starting to turn red. The beans have produced more than I can hope to eat so I've been canning them as I pick them. (That tiny grandmother of mine taught me that!)

Some more exciting news is that I officially have decided I'll be adding a new member to my family (of the furry three-legged variety.) Once he's weened from his mother in a few weeks little Jasper will be joining Nellie and I on our road to Paragon. Now Jasper was born a bit unique but don't you dare tell him he's only got three legs and can only see out of one eye; he doesn't know any different and he think's he's perfect. For that fact, so do I! My heart melted when I first saw his photo pop up on my facebook feed and I immediately messaged the breeder. She told me that she was so excited that I messaged her because she'd felt like I'd be the perfect fit. But I was apprehensive because Nellie is my baby. Nellie generally doesn't get along well with other dogs. Soooo I told the breeder only if Nellie and the Pup got along well would I take him. So this afternoon I took Nellie with me to meet the Pup. Not only did her tail not stop wagging, she licked him all over and when he stumbled and cried out she ran over and nudged him until he was happy again. My heart is at peace knowing that this was the right decision.

Jasper in all his sweet fluffy glory!

So tonight I rest with a smile knowing that while not everything is right with the world, tonight my world is right. Buenas noches mis amigos!