Monday, April 26, 2010

The chickens aren't in Kansas anymore

Well, they're still in Texas on the Farm - but take a look at what the 60 mph winds did to one of the coops early Saturday morning:


Indeed, your eyes do not deceive you. The coop on the left is sitting on its roof. It blew off of its axle (our coops are on wheels so that we can move them around on pasture) and landed upside-down. The axle was upside-down, too.

As far as we know, no chickens were harmed during the storm. Phew.

Well, farming goes on.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Welcome to the Planet!

I’ve already spouted off about Earth Day before. So, you know how I feel. Here’s my rousing speech for the masses celebrating the planet we live on this Thursday. (Warning: Satire ahead! Please put your tongue in your cheek before reading.)

Hello everyone! Welcome to the third planet from the sun. Some of you have traveled a long way to be here for this celebration. I understand that Mercury was experiencing some especially hot weather and Venus just doesn’t have seasons the way we do here. Some of you may have come from Mars, but we’re not really sure if there’s life there yet. From what I can tell, it seems like a rough place to raise kids at least. So, welcome to the planet we like to call Earth.

From what I can gather, many of you don’t actually live here for most of the year. So, we are especially privileged to host you for Earth Day, where we remember and honor the planet that gives us cool stuff like iPods and the Nintendo Wii. We would be very bored without the ability to exploit the resources of Earth.

Some of you come from planets like the United States where there are abundant and infinite resources. I don’t know how you do it, but I’m glad you don’t live on this planet, because we couldn’t do it. It’s wonderful to have places with infinite resources to show us what is possible. Someday, perhaps, we will be able to leave Earth and move to this paradise, but for now we can dream.

Many of you create food out of thin air in your world. Your science makes it possible to create all that you need to live in the lab. At one point in history you were confined by the limitations of the Earth. Thanks to the exploitation of this world you are now able to live however you want where you live. The Earth has sacrificed to further the progress of our people. That is why we have this day to honor and remember what Earth has given in order to make us happy and rich.

We also remember all the dinosaurs and coal miners that have given their lives for a greater purpose. Their deaths were not in vain. Whether millions of years ago or this year, dinosaurs and coal miners alike have sacrificed their lives because they believed in something bigger than themselves. Their contribution to freeing the human race from the limitations of nature and this planet will always live on in our memory.

So, this Earth Day be sure to honor our planet and those who have come before us by flushing as often as possible. Leave the lights on! Go ahead, it’s what the dinosaurs wanted. Take a long trip with the family! Celebrate Earth Day in a way that says that reminds you that the other 364 days of the year you have freed yourself from this God-forsaken rock and achieved the purpose of the human race. Thank you and God bless the United States of our solar system.earth-day.gif

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Life As Art
















Manifesto:
The Mad Farmer Liberation Front
by Wendell Berry
Love the quick profit, the annual raise, vacation with pay.
Want more of everything readymade.
Be afraid to know your neighbors and to die.

And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery any more.
Your mind will be punched in a card and shut away in a little drawer.
When they want you to buy something they will call you.
When they want you to die for profit they will let you know.

So, friends, every day do something that won't compute.
Love the Lord. Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.
Denounce the government and embrace the flag.
Hope to live in that free republic for which it stands.

Give your approval to all you cannot understand.
Praise ignorance, for what man has not encountered he has not destroyed.
Ask the questions that have no answers.
Invest in the millennium. Plant sequoias.

Say that your main crop is the forest that you did not plant, that you will not live to harvest.
Say that the leaves are harvested when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.
Put your faith in the two inches of humus that will build under the trees every thousand years.
Listen to carrion –
Put your ear close, and hear the faint chattering of the songs that are to come.
Expect the end of the world.
Laugh. Laughter is immeasurable.
Be joyful though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap for power, please women more than men.
Ask yourself: Will this satisfy a woman satisfied to bear a child?
Will this disturb the sleep of a woman near to giving birth?
Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade. Rest your head in her lap.
Swear allegiance to what is nighest your thoughts.
As soon as the generals and the politicos can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign to mark the false trail, the way you didn't go.
Be like the fox who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Bike Out Hunger

The Bike Out Hunger ride will be at the farm April 21.

The ride is a way to raise money and awareness to fight hunger in Texas and beyond. The ride will be from Ballinger to San Antonio over six days and about 445 miles. The dates are April 19-24.

There are 1.3 million Texans who are unsure of when they will get their next meal. You can help change that. The money raised supports existing feeding and empowering efforts that end the cycle of hunger and poverty.

To sponsor a specific rider and donate to the cause click here.

Let’s give Texas something to say grace over.

Specifics

Route: San Angelo area to San Antonio (approximately 450 miles) Check out a map of the route.

Dates: April 19-24. Come and go riders are welcome.

What it is: A way to raise awareness and money to fight hunger in Texas. This is in partnership with the Texas Hunger Initiative, Baylor University School of Social Work, the Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger, Texas Baptists and the USDA.

Who’s invited: Anyone who wants to ride to raise awareness and money for the cause.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Farm Day Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is our 2010 Spring Farm Day. If you don't know about Farm Day, it's an open house for the community to come check out the farm and see what we're all about. So come visit! The event goes from 9am - 4pm, so stop by any time!