I absolutely LOVE this picture!
Here is Rose, volunteer extrordinaire, milking “Girly” Friday. I wasn’t out there while she did it, but looking at these pictures, I enjoy seeing her confidence. I’ve milked that goat once, and let me tell you, you get hand cramps…it’s not easy, atleast not for me.
She's a pro!
Let’s also pay a visit to the American Red Cross website, and see how you can help those affected by the storms this week.
Last week a series of thunderstorms rolled through these parts of Arkansas and beyond. Tornadoes touched down further south across several states, the hardest hit being Mississippi and Alabama. Up here, it rained 10″ in 24 hours. The next day more rain fell, causing flash floods in NWA. On the farm, the rain washed down our footpath to our house, which is its natural draining pattern, and washed over my bed which was planted with carrots. It washed over it so much, that eventually cut channels through the bed, washing the soil into the onion bed. We tried to alleviate some of the damage by putting straw bales into the path of the water, but when thousands of gallons are running off of a large roof over a matter of hours, you just can’t compete. We tried, but it did no good. It was interesting talking to some of the farmer’s at the Fayetteville Farmer’s Market today, listening to their stories of what the rain washed away. One farmer said it washed his topsoil away. Another mentioned, how his topsoil didn’t leave his property, but that it had washed to the bottom of the hill. That’s something to think about, right. Your dirt. And how important it is. Treat it well.
Paul and I were standing at the windows watching the lightning
Lightning just struck and lit up the sky. You can kind of see how hard it's raining, or maybe it's just blurry
A result of the rain, 2"+ of water inside
This is the rain, day 1
The rain creating a little creek
Flooding the onions
Here is a link to the American Red Cross, to see ways you can help those who were affected by the tornadoes in the south this week.
NWA has had an unbelievable amount of rain over the past few days which has caused severe damage to infrastructure as well as personal property. Here is a link to KNWA which has a few albums of photos showing flooding all across the region.
Jason and Eric sailed off into the wild blue yonder today upon the wings of a graceful, black Skylark. It was interesting dinning alone tonight. We’ve had house guests since February, it’s lonesome, one gets used to having all that company. The last set of WWOOF’ers, Courtney and Grace headed west, Eric and Jason be headed east. Jason wants to see more “southern” farms. Around the campfire last night he mentioned how he hasn’t heard a single southern accent since he started his trip. He had been in St. Louis, Springfield, to Patrice’s farm and here. I respect that he’s trying to find a black owned farm and get the stories of those who stayed opposed to those who escaped to the cities. I hope you find what you’re looking for. You were a good worker Jason and Paul’s a little misty you took off, but life goes on and you’re always welcome.
On one of their last days here, Jason and Eric stuccoed the inside of the greenhouse, and it’s almost complete!
Adios Gentlemen!
Yesterday, Sunday April 17th, the family and WWOOF’ers joined in the fun at the World Peace Wetland prairie on the south side of town. It was an OMNI sponsored event and we were asked to put up a little information at a table, which Paul manned and talked to people who wanted to talk about the CSA. It was a lot of fun! There was free food and folk music, the kids went on a wild animal parade walk with Mother Nature. Mother Nature also had story telling in her tent where there were shrines to endangered species. It was very kid friendly and enjoyable
Paul doing a tai chi move along with Eric holding up the display.
Isaac hula hooping
Eric chatting with farm friend Bob Campbell
Jason exploring the World Peace Wetland prairie.
Folks reading some posters outside of Mother Natures tent.
Photo Credit: Isaac Chapracki
Bicycle powered PA system
Dr. Dick Bennett and Mother Nature
Isaac enjoyed all of the sweets offered, again and again!
Folk Fun!
The wilder side of the wetlands. Photo Credit: Eric Geiken
Photo Credit: Eric Geiken
Photo Credit: Eric Geiken
Photo Credit: Eric Geiken
E. Geiken
E. Geiken
E. Geiken
"Owliver"
Mother Nature
Kiddos getting masks for the wild animal parade.
Isaac was an arctic fox
Paul listening to Joanna reading a poem about nature.
Wild animal parade.
Me, trying to convince Mother Nature to buy a CSA share, when actually she already has.
This is just one of many fun events coming for Fayetteville over the next two weeks as a part of “Earth Week”. Here is a link to the Eco Passport if you did not pick one up, it has all of the events listed. Hope to see you locals out at some of them!
We welcomed another WWOOF’er into the fray on Saturday, his name is Jason, he’s from Brooklyn. He has WWOOF’ed abroad, but this is his first tour in the US and we are glad to have him.
This is Eric, he’s from Chicago. He’s been here for a few weeks already. You’re a hard worker Eric! We like you!
The rows still left to dig.
Raspberries!!!
The man, the myth, the legend.
Onions and leeks.
Basil.
Tomatoes.
Hoop at large.
Jason. New WWOOF’er. Brooklyn represent!
Eric’s Skylark. It’s not blue, if fact some might call that color black. I have a special place in my heart for Buick Skylarks.
So, we have been busy the last month with house guests and currently, today received one more. Courtney and Grace came to us from the “Garden State”, Bruce Springstein bandanas and all. They were hard workers on and off the field. They stayed in the luxurious RV for four weeks total before they high-tailed it down to the great state of Texas for some goat farm action. They’re lucky that they did, because right after they left the temperatures dropped, freezing! Inside our house we have had a fire going for the last couple of days. Nuts, it’s March what? During their stay Alyssa from Chicago also joined us. She was on spring break from the College of Wooster in Ohio…yeah, I’m not sure where that is either. Alyssa only stayed a week, and for future WWOOF’ers, that’s not long enough. It’s amazing how quickly seven days flies by on the farm. Nonetheless she was a great help while she was around. Speaking of Chicago, we have a new WWOOF’er who just showed up about an hour ago. I don’t know much about him, except his name is Eric, he has a red beard, he drives a Buick Skylark (it’s dark blue), he was wearing glasses when I first saw him and the next time I saw him the glasses had dissapeared…and…..yeah, that’s all I know about the guy as it stands. I will have more deets after I grill him over dinner. OOOOOHHHH, he’s from Chicago…remember, I said “speaking of Chicago”, I almost lost my point there. He also has a nice tone to his voice, like he should be on the radio or something. I know what you’re thinking, “great Amanda, this tells us NOTHING”. And you may be right. I was all jazzed up to sit here and vent, but my vent is turning into nonsense, and sometimes, nonsense is the best sense.
There has been so much tat has happened, so, I’m posting pictures…Come visit! I need more volunteers!
January-ish, possibly early February, greenhouse and gorilla(s).
Snow and freezing temps outside, almost 70 inside AND it’s not even insulated yet!
Inside Hoop house, snow on the ground outside.
See.
Lettuce on the inside.
A team of tree cutters came through and cut down a bunch of trees lining the driveway because they interfered with the power lines. This is a group of neighbors helping to clean up the mess that the tree guys left.
Back side of the greenhouse.
Paul and intern Johnathon putting up a gutter on the hen house to catch water for them to drink.
Rose, the first place volunteer in our ever-expanding group of volunteers and Grace, one of our latest WWOOFers getting rid of the lettuce in the hoop.
Courtney, WWOOFer #2, keeping it real, building potato beds in Carharts. And to all of my Humboldt homies, she’s wearing a “Drive thru Tree” hat from Leggett California.
Johnathon, Grace, Courtney, Amanda making potato beds.
Courtney and Grace stayed for a month volunteering for us.
Stuccoing the Greenhouse was part of the agenda.
Ike took this picture.
Lettuce out, potatoes in.
Plantin’ ain’t easy.
MORE POTATOES!!!!
John and another guy, I don’t know his name. But, he came for a day to volunteer.
Tractor came to plow it up.
MORE POTATOES!
Zack. Says he’s “WWOOFing”, but I’m not so sure. He has a strong back, but if he could only get up before 2.
More tractor action.
This is Courtney and I getting ready for 26 high school students to come and volunteer. We’re straight up bustin’.
These students were from all of the area high schools. They are a part of a program called “Upward Bound”. Their supervisors found our farm through a volunteer list serve via the University of Arkansas. I was worried that these kids wouldn’t be into it, but was pleasantly surprised at how into it they were.
So we are turning over the dirt that the tractor plowed, to get rid of the grass and roots.
I gave them a greenhouse tour. See the girl in the blue? She was the only one who was not into this farming thing. She picked at the same clump of roots for two hours. It’s cool girl, that’s why you’re in that program…you’re a somebody who has options. Farming isn’t for everybody.
We had them plant potatoes too. We have about 2000 sq. ft. planted.
The girl with the sunglasses on told us her sister was “impregnated”. It was random, and funny, but that’s Arkansas for you.
This patch was tilled up to eventually plant sweet potatoes but for now, it will be an irish potato patch…because the theme of this photo essay is POTATO.
This is Alyssa, she visited us from Ohio for her spring break.
Here’s a better picture of Alyssa. Thanks for your help girl, it was fun having you.
Here’s some community garden action happening. The group dug a trench and is laying pipe for water spigots throughout the garden.
GO TEAM!
And this was this morning, when Grace and Courtney were leaving. They are off to Texas, continuing their farm tour of America, and we are keeping on here on the farm. Best of luck Ladies, you were an awesome help!
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