Camping is AWESOME!

Well, howdy! Yesterday morning I woke up to the sound of a mocking bird and a babbling creek! The three of us spent the night at a campground in Hot Springs, AR. We got in around 4:30pm and set up the tent just in time before it started to pour on us. The evening was spent in the tent eating salad and cheese and crackers. When we had finished eating our salads, there was some left over oil and vinegar dressing in the bowls, which Kaya felt was necessary to stick her hand in, swipe up some with her fingers, and then stuff her whole hand in her mouth. I guess she wanted to taste the flavor of the dressing some more. She did this over and over again. Hah! I got a kick out of it.

The night was gorgeous with the rain pounding on the tent. However, sleep was a bit rough. Matt and I meant to find some foam padding and a few blankets and sheets at a thrift store before we camped but haven't been able to find any. At the moment, we have a single sleeping pad that we have for underneath Kaya at night and two sleeping bags. Without foam padding for all of us, Matt and I slept on clothes and sleeping bags. It was nearly comfortable enough but we could still feel the occasional rock or root. However, Kaya slept really well with the exception of being jolted awake a bit in the beginning of the night by loud rolling thunder and flashes of lightning.

Last night we got to Dallas to visit my brother, Johnny. After a few days with him, we'll be leaving to volunteer on another farm except this one is in New Mexico. We have a relatively short commitment with the farm because we have a family reunion to go to in Tucson, AZ June 20th. The farm is called Nyn Acres. It should be a very different experience than the last farm because they raise chickens and rabbits for meat, have on-going building/fencing projects, keep horses, and raise pigs. From what we've gathered the family that runs the farm seems friendly.

One more quick note: Two days ago we went "walking in Memphis".... Hehehe.

Just another post. Just another day.

We've been visiting with family for the last few days and have enjoyed our time. Saturday, we headed for Sikeston, MO to fix up a house that my dad and cousin own. It is a property that they went in on together as an investment and they could use the help getting it in condition to either sell or rent out. We'll only be here tidying up for a few days and then we plan on hitting the road again towards the west. Matt mentioned recently that he's itching to get back to California so we can get started experimenting with our own farm plans.

We've had a hard time finding farms on the way back home that have room for extra WWOOFers in the middle of the season. This whole trip has turned out to be very different from what we had originally planned but I dare say we're going with  the flow. ;) We're at least doing things that we value a lot; spending time with family we rarely see; volunteering our time and energy to those who need it; and taking a lot of time to plan for what to do next. One of the hardest parts of it all has been making sure we spend the money we have slowly enough. We're living off of about $500/month at the moment so gas for driving back home and food are all we care to spend our money on. Another hard part is actually having a little too much down time. Funny, right? It's all the more a reminder to search for a nice balance between working too much or hardly working at all.

I think with having a one year-old, we have a lot of down time during all of her naps. We don't have a home or even own very much so there isn't much that needs doing while Kaya sleeps. However, we can read, talk or do other low-key activities in the meantime. I'd really like to be more active which is why working on this house at the moment is pretty nice. Then again, like Matt,  I am itching to head west. I can't really  put my finger on it but I feel like there's still an adventure in the very near future just waiting to pop out at us. We had a lot invested in this trip emotionally. We left the security of both job and home and a multitude of friends and family behind to do this and it doesn't feel quite right yet. I have missed family and friends most (although, I do get to see some family on this trip), yet I could still do without the job and home part of it all. Ok, that's it. Bye for now. =)

We can change the world...

...by living simply; by sharing what we have with those who have not. I am encouraged to write this post to share with you about a book I've checked out from the library. It's called "Living Simply With Children". I came across it while walking Kaya around the first time we visited the library in Eureka Springs, AR. I recommend it to anybody who wants to learn how to downshift as the author, Marie Sherlock, would say and simplify their lives. The title makes you think it's all about raising your kids with a simplistic lifestyle, but it really applies to anyone. The reason I'm recommending the book is because it awakened in me a compassion for the rest of the world that I haven't felt since I was maybe nine or ten years old. Do you remember when you wanted to save the world and make it a better place? I do but I have long since become more focused on myself and my wants and needs. Anyway, I'll leave it to you to decide whether you're interested in reading it because I have other news which requires mention.

We're going to leave Arkansas for various reasons in search of new farms to volunteer on or even just tour. This farm is successful and has lots to teach us but we were expecting a certain philosophy that is not here. We were under the impression this farm was following Masanobu Fukuoka's methods of spreading seed pellets and not tilling the soil like what we read about in "One Straw Revolution". Fukuoka's methods are as nature-aligned as we've heard about, but the farm we're at now only uses parts of Fukuoka's practices. However, this doesn't mean we're done with our adventure. We may not be able to find a farm that is 100% Fukuoka-style so we might just have to start that up on our own and learn as we go. We also realized that we might not want to sell vegetables at farmers' markets after all because the amount of labor and resources that are used to produce them doesn't seem worth the return we would get. Instead, we're thinking of having a homestead where we have chickens, goats and bees. We would raise the chickens, sell their eggs, breed them for selling meat, and harvest honey from the bees. We're really interested in bees to begin with and we have some experience with chickens and goats already. The goats would mostly be for our own benefit to have access to dairy. Also, for our own benefit we would like to keep a garden with fruits and veggies farmed Fukuoka-style.

We're headed out of Arkansas and into Missouri to visit relatives starting next Saturday (the 18th). Shortly after that, Kaya turns one!!! We plan to head in the direction of Tucson by car for a family get-together in late June. There's a farm nearby Tucson that we're considering touring in the meantime. Well that's all for now, folks!

Ps - "Living Simply With Children" has its flaws - the author, who is American, judges Americans quite harshly. However, I do believe every country should seriously take a hard look at what it stands for once in a while. ;)

Week 1

We've been in Arkansas for less than a week but it feels like longer. The first night we arrived, it rained and the "summer cabin" that the farmer saved for us proved to be more of a shack than a cabin. It consists of a frame covered with wood boards halfway up from the ground and the rest is covered with tarp or clear plastic. There is, however, a roof made of tin that is water-tight. It was a very cold night and I was very thankful for having packed my zero degree sleeping bag. Kaya had to sleep in the bag with me (Kareena). By the way, I am currently unable to sign into my gmail because my dinky phone is on the fritz and would not receive the text message that I needed to sign in verifying it is actually me logging in). The cabin has two twin size beds in it raised on platforms made of crates.  The beds are nailed to the walls/frames so we can't push them together.  I am more concerned with the fact that Kaya could roll off the bed if she weren't in the sleeping bag, so at the moment, Matt and I are considering opting for our tent instead of the cabin.  Also, the cabin smells of a porta-potty. To paint a prettier picture for everyone, our dear friend the tick, is prominent where we are as well. It may be important to say at this time that we are not miserable. We hardly spend time in the cabin and enjoy the freedom of our schedule.  We work (or Matt works and I take care of Kaya when she needs a nap) Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8a-12p.  We have Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday for doing whatever we want, although we can go to the farmer's markets on three of those days. We have access to all the farm vegetables and some staples so we've been eating LOTS of swiss chard, spinach, onion, rice, beans, tomato and pasta. There is a store about 4 miles away that we can get a lift to for other food we're interested in.  Needless to say, we've already been to the store for a little more variety.  We purchased some fruit for Kaya as well as oatmeal.  Funny side note - Matt and I woke up one morning (before we bought oatmeal) and cooked up what we thought was steel-cut oats. It turned out to be raw buckwheat and left me wanting for a warm bowl of oatmeal instead.

I have much more to say but my ride back to town has joined us at the library.  We're thinking of getting a cheap car to get to the city from the farm and for our upcoming trips across the states again for visits with family and friends. We'll keep you posted, but know that we're having quite a good time learning about no-till farming and meeting new people. We'll just have to keep peeling the ticks off for now. ARGH! Love to all.  Pics next time!