Last Day

I came here in April to live and work on a CSA/farm for a couple months this summer. It was another example in my life of me picking up and moving to a strange place with a bunch of people I didn't know (besides my brother who was here for a time). Will and I had road tripped it up from Texas with a car-full of my things, and as we drove into town for the first time, I remember distinctly thinking. "This is not my home. I don't belong here. What in the world am I doing??"

I would again have to begin the uncomfortable process of starting a new life from scratch.

And yet, seven short months later, Ft. Collins, Colorado doesn't seem so foreign anymore.
I know my way around.
I have people I care about.
This feels like home.

With my departure imminent and looming, the sudden realization that I am actually quite attached to this place and some of its people has hit me hard. There is a lot that I am going to miss….

…running with Pippin through the hay fields
…admiring the mountain-filled sunsets
…early mornings in the garden with Pam picking beautiful vegetables.
…mixing compost with Kathy
...counting how many eggs our hens laid
…enjoying good beer and a book on the Equniox or Odells patio by myself
…hanging out with Paul, Matt, Micah, Scott, and Sam-E in their house.
…playing countless games of cards with Pam, Jim, and Aleda
…coming back to the LoCo Foods office after a long day of driving to find Gideon, Josh, Sam, and Elizabeth's smiling faces.

and more.

It has been a good seven months.
I leave sad and yet so, so grateful.
Thank you.

Sunrise Summer

I think it's pretty common knowledge that I am generally not a morning person. I'm the type that sets 3 alarms, each 15 minutes apart—the type that wakes up as late as possible before leaving the house—and the type (as basically anyone I've ever lived with can attest to) that always looks bewildered and confused by everything for at least the first 30 minutes of the day.

I'm a sunset, not sunrise kind of human being.

And yet—this summer I have come to love, love, love this beautiful and sacred time of day.

Between working on the farm and making my LoCo deliveries, I wake up before or with the sun five days a week. Each time, I'm never disappointed.

There's the coolness of the air,
the stillness of the land,
the beauty of the Sun's rays peeking over the Eastern horizon.

This "Great Eastern Sun," as I learned about at a Shambhala Buddhist meditation, represents wisdom and discipline. Like the steadfast, rising sun, it is about continuing forward and "waking up to your life." It is about embracing the new day and illuminating it with our awareness.

So beautiful.

And while I haven't forgotten about sunsets— each one here made even more astonishing by the not-so-distant Rockies that they silhouette—there really is just something magically special about all the sunrises that I've had the privilege to be a part of this summer.

Of course…all that stuff I said at the beginning still continues to be true… I still set 3 alarms; I still wake up as late as possible before leaving the house, and yes, I'm still a confused, bewildered mess for the first 30 minutes of the day.

But once I'm finally out there…hmmm. What a sunrise! What a morning!

Definitely the best way to start a day.

The Gardener

A poem by Mary Oliver.

Have I lived enough?
Have I loved enough?
Have I considered Right Action enough, have I come to any conclusion?
Have I experienced happiness with sufficient gratitude?
Have I endured loneliness with grace?

I say this, or perhaps I'm just thinking it.
Actually, I probably think too much.


Then I step out into the garden,
where the gardener, who is said to be a simple man,
is tending his children, the roses.

50 Shades of Green

Hey everyone!

Here's another little update about life here in Fort Collins for those of you that have been wondering what's been going on!

Pam and I have still been working away in the garden, and everything is really starting to pop with the rising temperatures. All but two of our beds are planted now, and those that we planted in my first few weeks here are now brimming with life (see following photos). I recently left for five days to go to Omaha for a graduation and wedding and came back to find that everything had grown seemingly five inches or so! Of course all of the weeds are taking advantage of the beautiful weather as well, and I've been pulling them left and right like a mad woman. (Actually, the only thing that keeps me sane in this task is the thought that if one day we humans completely destroy the planet, at least we can count on weeds to grow and provide some sort of green ecosystem. There's no doubt in my mind that the prized plant Eva found in the movie WallE was assuredly what we would now consider a weed.) :P

But going back to the happy stuff—we currently have all of the following planted: Arugula, Spinach, Bok Choy, Swiss Chard, Radishes, Lettuce, Chives, Red and Yukon Gold Potatoes, a variety of Tomatoes, Broccoli, Broccoli Rabb, 3 types of Onions, Bunching Onions, Leeks, Kohlrabi, Cucumbers, a few types of Peppers, Red and Green Cabbage, Sweet Corn, Popcorn, Kale, Red and Golden Beets, a variety of Winter and Summer Squash, Pumpkins, 2 types of Melons, 3 types of Carrots, Parsnips, Red and White Turnips, Eggplant, 3 types of Beans, Peas, and a variety of Herbs (Basil, Parsley, Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary, Cilantro, Sage).

Yikes! I think that's it… All of that on less than a fourth of an acre! We start delivering to the 25 families signed up for Pam's CSA tomorrow, and it looks like the first 7 items on the list I just mentioned will be in their boxes, fresh and ready to eat.

It really is exciting to see it all grow, and despite the early wake up time for picking (5 AM), I'm excited for that, too! I'll let you know more about how that goes later.

--

I've also been fortunate to experience another side of the struggle to make the environment and human population a healthier one! Pam's friend Julie recently started a small program called The Food School in Fort Collins. Basically every other Thursday, Julie and two other women accompany a second grade class from Olander Elementary to a local CSA called Spring Kite Farms. There they have activities for the kids in which they learn more about where food comes from, how it grows, and who grows it. They are hoping that over time, they can build a stronger connection between the children and the sources of their food while also educating them on better nutrition and better ways to care for the environment. Such a cool, wonderful idea! I was able to attend the last 2 sessions before school got out for the summer, and I could already see the kids learning. For example, last time I was helping at a station where the students learned how to make hummus. At the beginning, a few different children stated that they would not be eating the final product because they assumed it to be gross. But by the end, every one of them changed their mind, and the majority went up for seconds and thirds! It was really exciting to see these kids expanding their food bubble to include more than just ice cream and chicken nuggets.

--

One more thing—I got a part time job! I start on Tuesday, and I'm actually really excited, as its mission is right up my alley. It's called LoCo Food Distribution. Basically they take locally grown and produced foods and bring them to businesses like grocery stores, coffee shops, and restaurants in the immediate area. This way they can distribute local foods to local institutions in a way that is more convenient and efficient for both parties. Such an interesting idea! I am starting out with only 10-20 hours a week, and my job would just be to deliver the food to the customers, but I think it will bring me some new experience, and I'm interested to see how local foods can be provided to people on a little bit larger of a scale than Pam's operation.

I suppose that's about it in my food world up here in FoCo.
Hope all is well with you all! Feel free to send me a message with what you've been up to also!
Thanks for reading.
-Jana

  

New Adventures

A few people wanted an update, so here it is!

I wake up to the sound of a robin throwing itself against my window. Either this bird wakes up suicidal every morning and decides that blunt-force trauma is the best way to kill itself or it just sees its reflection and decides to fight off the unwanted male in his territory. Either way, I must say that this bird doesn't give up! My new alarm clock has become the banging and fluttering of this silly red-breasted bird against the glass. (By the way, you can hit snooze by throwing a pillow towards it.)

But my interaction with the world outside only begins here.

After my morning wake up call, I put on the same pair of jeans and possibly the same shirt I wore the previous day and head upstairs for a bowl of granola (or on Saturdays homemade poppy seed waffles topped with honey and frozen raspberries and peaches from last year's harvest…YUM!).

Then Pam and I head outside to the garden…(for despite my deep love of good beer, the garden is actually the REAL reason I am living here in Ft. Collins for the next few months)... I came here to work with Pam and learn everything there is to know about soil, plants, organic gardening, and selling to people locally. I wanted some hands-on experience with an alternative to the large, mono-crop growing, pesticide-filling, long-distance shipping methods of traditional US agriculture today. Little did I know that I would also be learning how to burn tumble weeds, take care of egg-laying hens, horse-sit, and even deliciously cook! There are so many opportunities for learning and growing here, and everywhere I look, something else is fascinating me.

But anyway…Pam and I go out to the garden. We dig, we plant, we water. We talk, and I learn so many new little bits of things! And then there are also times when we don't talk. We silently listen to the beautiful calls of meadowlarks. We watch an earthworm wriggling in the compost. Every once in awhile I look up at the towering mountains in the distance. Everything is beautiful. Often I feel like I'm on a retreat. I don't have to worry about what I should say or what I look like. There are things to do, but we aren't necessarily in any hurry. I can just be happy, little me and go along at my slow, steady, Thich Nhat Hanh pace. I truly enjoy spending my days here connected with myself and with nature.

And yet, let me just clarify that it isn't all perfect and glamorous. The work can be strenuous, I tend to be dirty more than I am clean, my hands and lips are continually chapped (as nature can also be ruthlessly dry, cold, and windy), and I pull so many weeds that boldly just come back tomorrow.

It's not all easy, but I really think that I need all this. I need to be here and I need to learn these things...for not just myself but for the world (or at least the U.S.). Yes, it is all very different from my previous life in Managua, and yes, I do miss it and everyone there still so much, but I am also so thankful for this new opportunity to grow and change the world in a little different way.

I'm including a few pictures too! : )

The beginning bed prep

compost area

Planted peas and turnips

Planted carrots and radishes

The Cold Frame (opened)

Arugula and Lettuce!

Broccoli (under milk jugs for protection ha)

Green and Red Cabbage

Bok Choy

Purple Asparagus!

Tomatos and Peppers growing inside still

the Hen House

clear view from the house

Beautiful!

Easter tulips