Up before dawn and out the door! Thanks to Zimmerer Kubota for the tractor! We’re busy plowing over the rest of Opal’s Farm and building beds. Things are rolling along.
It’s going to be some extremely long days this week so updates on the farm and “Thoughts From the Porch” may be a bit slow in coming. Thanks to all of our supporters, volunteers, and donors. We love you all!
: This morning can be retitled “Thoughts From the Farm”. No matter how hard I try to “stay where my feet are” my mind keeps running ahead to Opal’s Farm. It’s another big day for the farm. Thanks to Brandon Hendrickson, the Rental Manager at Zimmerer Kubota, a tractor with a chain harrow/disc combination is to be delivered today.
This morning should be retitled “Thoughts From the Farm”. No matter how hard I try to “stay where my feet are” my mind keeps running ahead to Opal’s Farm. It’s another big day for the farm. Thanks to Brandon Hendrickson, the Rental Manager at Zimmerer Kubota, a tractor with a chain harrow/disc combination is to be delivered today.
Some of you are scratching your heads thinking, “What did he just say?”. To put in in “urban” farming language, we got a big plow. It will give us the depth we need to produce a more vigorous, healthy farm. Although we are a “no plow” farm, the field has to be turned the first time around so this is a big deal! Thank you, Brandon and Zimmerer Kubota here in Fort Worth. I’m excited that you’re a part of Opal’s Farm. Another hometown business making Fort Worth a better place!
This whole week has been a fantastic week for the farm. The White Settlement Home Depot (Store 8521) finalized their plans to become a partner with Opal’s Farm. I love Home Depot and the White Settlement store has always been my favorite; even before Margaret and I moved to White Settlement. I’m not putting down other locations, but the White Settlement store has always had a “Fort Worth, small town” feel to it. I couldn’t have been happier when they partnered with us! Watch for their work days with us. A very special ‘shout out’ to Store Manager, Natasha Neidhart and all of Team Depot for their support.
Things have started steamrolling toward our first harvest. We are so grateful for all of supporters and volunteers. Please know how important you are in making Opal’s Farm a success. My wife, borrowing from the book title, always says “it takes a village” to create success. Here at the farm, we want you to be a part of our village, to work and partner with us in serving the city we love – Fort Worth!
You can become a farmer too! Click on contact us or go to http://www.unityunlimited.org/opals-farm to donate today.
It’s quiet down on Opal’s Farm. The rain has been falling since the pre-dawn hours and work came to a halt. Jameson the Farm Dog curled up next to my desk when the thunder rumbled earlier and hasn’t moved since. He’s not a big fan of thunderstorms. I’m convinced it’s due to the many nights in a kennel at the shelter. I can only imagine how it must feel to be alone with thunder crashing outside and a hundred other dogs barking. I’d be scared too…
Needless to say, I’m working inside today. You can’t plow in the mud and stuck tractors are not much fun…
Thoughts From the Porch: I survived the Daylight Savings time change. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this oddity a bit of history is in order. It seems that the practice came about during World War I to extend daylight in the Spring and Summer months to conserve coal for the war effort. It has remained in effect off and on in the years since. While the US and most European countries observe Daylight Savings Time, most of the rest of the world does not. I wish we’d get on board with them.
Daylight Savings Time (DST) has its benefits. I’ll be the first to admit that I enjoy the longer periods of daylight, especially working on the farm. Unfortunately, it has its drawbacks as well. I don’t simply miss an hour of sleep. I tend to lose a whole day. Maybe it’s best that it falls on a Sunday since I can always take a nap.
The Center for Sleep Medicine at the Mayo Clinic says the effects of time change last more than one day though. The effects last five to ten days. Since DST happens twice a year, almost a month is affected. It not only alters sleep patterns, it leads to memory and learning problems, increased heart attack or stroke risks, poor social interaction, and affects overall cognitive performance. If I’m having cognitive issues today, I at least have a temporary excuse. I’m not sure what I can say about the other eleven months…
Daylight Savings Time (DST) has its benefits. I’ll be the first to admit that I enjoy the longer periods of daylight, especially working on the farm. Unfortunately, it has its drawbacks as well. I don’t simply miss an hour of sleep. I tend to lose a whole day. Maybe it’s best that it falls on a Sunday since I can always take a nap. The Center for Sleep Medicine at the Mayo Clinic says the effects of time change last more than one day though. The effects last five to ten days. Since DST happens twice a year, almost a month is affected. It not only alters sleep patterns, it leads to memory and learning problems, increased heart attack or stroke risks, poor social interaction, and affects overall cognitive performance. If I’m having cognitive issues today, I at least have a temporary excuse. I’m not sure what I can say about the other eleven months…
The cognitive issues were obvious this morning. I had a great morning on the porch. Margaret is still sleeping so I extended my porch time today. A lone Mockingbird serenaded me from the top of the street lamp; announcing the coming Spring in song. He (or his kids) always show up when everything gets ready to bloom and hangs around until the following Winter. I was so excited I came to write about him and my morning thoughts. I did so until I hit something on the keyboard that deleted my whole story. Definitely a cognitive issue!
Ss here I sit rewriting this morning’s post. I’m extremely aware of my occasional Attention Deficit Disorder on mornings like this. I’m not sure I remember what I wrote in the first place. “Squirrel!” Don’t laugh. Some of you know exactly what I mean. Oh, I remember now…
I got to spend some time with my brother Craig this weekend. I don’t get to do that as often as I’d like. I’m often asked why our mother would name us Craig and Greg, so let me explain.
About eleven years ago, I suffered a couple of cerebral hemorrhages that left me unable to work. Without health insurance or income, I ended up losing my house after several months and was staring at imminent homelessness. I frantically searched for housing programs for people in my position but had found nothing by move-out day. My friend Craig (he wasn’t my brother yet, but I’ll explain that in a bit) offered to let me stay at his place for a couple of weeks while I looked for housing. I left five years later…
Craig and I spent our mornings on his porch or in his workshop having coffee, praying together, and talking. After a couple of weeks, Craig asked if I wanted to be his roommate. The coming years led to so much more.
Men do not often have the kind of relationship Craig and I have. I have good friends. My parents have passed away, but I have family: my sister and her family in Georgia whom I love dearly. Still, the bond Craig and I have is beyond mere friends. I think it hit home when Craig gave me a tobacco pipe that he handmade in the shop (he’s amazingly talented with wood). I still have the note that accompanied his gift. It’s taped to my desk so it’s the first thing I see when I sit down to write. It says,
“Like David and Jonathan, you are my best friend. This pipe is a token of my love for you. Enjoy it my friend.”
Before David became the King of Israel, he had come to live in then King Saul’s house. Jonathan, the King’s son, felt an immediate bond with David and they became fast friends. King SauI and David went on to become enemies, but it never changed the friendship between David and Jonathan. Samuel 18 tells us that Jonathan was “totally committed to David. From that point on he would be David’s number-one advocate and friend.” Later, “Jonathan, out of his deep love for David, made a covenant with him. He formalized with solemn gifts: his own royal robe and weapons…”
I know how richly I’m blessed to have my relationship with Craig. Many people, especially men, fail to foster such deep relationships with others. I won’t pretend to know all the answers why. I’m no relationship expert. Still, I’m filled with gratitude for one who has gone beyond friend to my brother. In the five years that I lived at Craig’s house , we never had a cross word with one another. Not to avoid conflicts, mind you. Peace and serenity are the natural by-products and love and respect.
My sister and I are both adopted. We know what it is to have a family desire and love you so deeply that you become part of them. I was in my fifties before I knew that I had an adopted brother. We may not share the same parents, but we share the same Spirit. I’ve got the pipe to prove it…
I’m not sure what the temperature was outside this morning, but the house was cold enough to keep me hitting the snooze alarm repeatedly and jumping back under the covers. It took a bit to brave the chill and get up and hurriedly get jeans and a hoodie on. A couple of cups of coffee later and the cold is dispelled. Life is fine again.
Yesterday was another momentous occasion at Opal’s Farm. We received delivery of a BCS Tractor and the container to lock it up in. If one has never worked the North Texas soil, they might not appreciate why these deliveries were such a big deal. If they witnessed the demonstration and training yesterday, they might begin to get a clue. The time saved and the ease by which a bed is prepared for planting is amazing, especially with the amount of clay it pulverizes. I’m headed out in a bit to go play in the dirt!
I’d like to offer a very special thank you to Linda Fulmer and Healthy Tarrant County Collaboration for providing the tractor, tiller, and rotary plow for us. Healthy Tarrant County Collaboration brings together hospitals, public health, universities, and other community partners to work together to improve the health of our community. They are also the umbrella organization for Grow Southeast, our group of urban farmers seeking to address food access and scarcity in Southeast Fort Worth. The BCS tractor they provided will be shared among the growers in Grow Southeast. You can learn more about HTCC at http://healthytarrant.org/ .
Now that we have a tractor, we need something to store it in, right? Paula Pacanins, the President of Container King contributed an 8’x40’ container to store our tools, equipment, and desk in. We can’t thank Paula and Container King enough. She even had them place hooks for our banners on both sides so that everyone can see Opal’s Farm! Paula’s website is at http://containerking.com and they can meet more than simply your storage needs.
We wouldn’t be where we are nor could we do what we do without our partners. We’d love to partner with you as well. Click on the contact us or donate buttons for your safe, secure donation to Opal’s Farm or go to www.unityunlimted.org
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