Spirituality – Page 6 – gregoryjoel.com

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Dr. Doolittle Kind of Stuff

January 7, 2024 gregoryjoel

We opened our first farmstand of the year at Opal’s Farm on Friday. We anticipated a slow day as it takes time for folks to realize we’re there. True to form, it was a very slow day. A couple of people stopped to ask if we’d be there after work. We’re discovering that the time may not be good for the neighborhood so we will most likely change to Saturday afternoons. We’ll keep everyone in the loop as we discuss those changes this week.

For most of the first couple of hours a small black Corgi-mix and a Chihuahua walked up and down the yards across the street. Stacey, our Volunteer Coordinator, and I were talking to a couple of friends who’d stopped to visit buy some fresh produce and tour the farm. One of our visitors had brought her new dog and her dog caught the attention of the two across the street and they began to venture across Sylvania.

Sylvania is a busy street with traffic that tends to go faster than the thirty-five-miles-per hour-speed limit. We all watched in alarm as they tried to come across the street to make a new friend. They managed to dodge the first round of cars and went back to their side of the street until there was a pause in the traffic. When they tried again a single Lexas SUV came flying down the road. The little black dog escaped safely. The little Chihuahua did not. I don’t wish to be graphic but some of us saw the accident and all four of us heard the loud crunch as the Lexus hit the Chihuahua. It was quite upsetting to a group of dog lovers – especially when the Lexus continued at full-speed down the road, never stopping to check on the dog.

The little black dog walked back out on the street to check on his friend. I ran over to see if his buddy was still alive. Fortunately, it wasn’t. The hit has been loud and fast. Most likely the poor Chihuahua was dead on impact. It was a small comfort to my friends who were crying.

I gently took the body and laid it on the grass. The small black Corgi-mix came over to his friend and sat by the body. He periodically would head a short way in the direction they had originally come from, but always stopped and looked to see if his running buddy was coming and returned to his friend. This went on for about an hour before he headed off to his home around the corner. I followed him to see if I could find the owner. I found his house but not the Chihuahua’s.

I debated telling this story because of its graphic nature. It was upsetting to watch. I’m a dog guy. I have four of them and I love them dearly. My kids and grandkids are out of the house. Jamison, Sadie, Ricky, and Lucy are like our kids. They’re family and, to many of our friends’ chagrin, they are treated as such. I know I’m not alone in this. Just see how many billions of dollars the pet care industry makes per year.

Yet in watching the little black Corgi-mix’s concern (and what I believe was grief) I became acutely aware of our connection to other living beings in our world. I know the human tendency to anthropomorphize our furry (and not so furry) friends. I’m sure that there are many examples that may support this. Science debunks many of the things we attribute to human-like behaviors and emotions in the animal kingdom. It thinks of them as having simply natural, instinctive behaviors. However, they can’t measure or even observe the spiritual connections that are prevalent in the animal kingdom.

I’ve always been taught that language is what differentiated homo sapiens from the rest of the animal kingdom. Recent scientific studies have revealed that the same gene that helps enable language in humans is present in many birds, reptiles, and mice. Studies have shown that other species have the ability to learn new ways to communicate amongst themselves. Language isn’t unique the human beings after all.

Many humans have known this all along on a much deeper spiritual level. Some ancient theological text, such as the books that weren’t canonized into the Hebrew or Christian Bibles, like the books of Enoch, refer to a time when all created beings shared the same language and communication. Indigenous cultures around the world respect the connection between the natural world and humans. They act accordingly and treat creation with care. Saint Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Franciscan order, talked about Brother Sun and Sister Moon – that all created beings are part of one family and should be treated and respected as such. Ask any pet owner if their pet communicates with them. The answer is a resounding yes!

I don’t pretend to be a scientist so whatever I think is simply my personal belief and experience. I would like to think that my dogs are spiritual guides of a sort. It’s no wonder that “dog” is “God spelled backwards. They are loved and give love unconditionally. They experience grief and loss and can tell when I am going through the same. When Missy, my Sheltie passed we buried her in the backyard and placed a stone marker on her grave. Several weeks later, Jamison came to live with us (all our dogs are rescues) and when he went into our backyard for the first time, he walked to Missy’s grave and sat down very respectfully. I’d like to think he honored her and promised her to take care of Margaret and I – which he’s done extremely well.

All four of our fur-babies know when something is going on with us and often respond accordingly. As I sit here working at the computer, Ricky and Lucy are outside playing. Periodically, Ricky comes running in, noses my arm, and checks on me. I love on him for a minute and off he runs out the door to play with his sister.

I see this kind of behavior with other animals as well. We have had a farm hawk for the last couple of years – Ethan – yes, Ethan Hawk. Ethan would follow me through the field as I cleared it each season for new planting. I would chase field mice as I cleared the field and Ethan would gobble up as quickly as he could. He’d stand next to me while doing so. He’d often sit on the bucket of my tractor and “talk” to me.

We loved having Ethan around. He was a magnificent Cooper’s Hawk. We knew that he and his mate – who was usually close by – would leave for a couple of months each summer and come back in the Fall. He and his mate didn’t return this year. We wondered if he was okay and were worried about him. Although he didn’t return, a young Cooper’s Hawk did. He came down and sat on the tractor the other day. I could swear he was Ethan Jr. and tried to let me know. He then flew to Ethan’s tree where he appears to have a nest now. The tradition continues…

I don’t discount science in any way. It explains so much and helps me be a better farmer. However, I intend to continue believing that Spirit is what connects us to each other and to the whole of God’s creation. I’ll continue to treat the natural world as family and do my best to love, nurture, and protect it. After all, isn’t that what we do for family…

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The Farm Stand is Open

December 24, 2023 gregoryjoel

It’s Christmas Eve morning and the rain is falling outside the window of my humble home office. God provided a wonderful Christmas present for Opal’s Farm this year (He always does!). Even after some earlier Fall rains we’ve remained in various stages of drought. We got an inch-and-a-half on Thursday and it looks like another inch or two today!

We had our first farm stand market on Friday from 10 AM to 2 PM. It was a great success and we’re looking forward to being there on Friday’s starting after the first of the year. We can accept SNAP benefits as well. We’re excited! We’ll continue to be at Cowtown Farmers Market on Saturday mornings but serving our neighborhood – United Riverside – is what we’ve worked toward since the farm began.

Joey, Hao and I on our first farm stand day!

We didn’t have a lot of customers as this was our first day, but the customers we did have made it a tremendously successful day. One of the neighborhood members stopped and purchased for themselves and then bought several bags of truly local produce to pass out to his neighbors! What a Christmas present!

We also had the privilege of meeting Hao Tran Friday. Many of you may know about Hao’s Grocery and Café. We’re so excited to have Hao as one of our supporters and customers. She is bringing fresh, LOCAL, produce to Fort Worth and teaching the importance of fresh produce as well as how to prepare it (She’s a culinary instructor at Trimble Tech High School as well.

The Fall and overwinter crops are booming! Please come out to see us next week at Cowtown Farmers Market and then stop by our farm stand the following Friday and visit Opal’s Farm as well!

From all of us at Opal’s Farm and Unity Unlimited, Inc. – have a wonderful holiday and keep family and friends close.

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One Farm at a Time

December 15, 2023 gregoryjoel

What a week at Opal’s Farm! We have everything in for fall and winter and have started taking out spring leftovers, rebuilding beds, and solarizing them for weed control in the spring. We finally took out our tomato plants, but not before harvesting about a hundred and fifty pounds of tomatoes – and it’s ten days until Christmas. We love that a hard freeze hasn’t come yet, but we’re also a bit worried as this is another indicator of how strange our weather has become.

The weather is a “frienemy” for farmers – it brings the rain that helps the crops grow or the drought that kills them off. It’s the one thing we can’t control. We may do a rain dance or pray a freeze holds off until the crops come in, but in the end, the weather does what it will.

However, even weather has things it can’t control either – a warming climate changes the weather – leading to warmer average temperatures and more intense weather events. The intensity of our North Texas summer over the last two years is an example. In 2022, the heat came early, and the rain stopped. There was no rain from June 3^rd until August 29^th. It was much the same this year with 2023 being the second hottest year on record according to the Texas Tribune and NOAA. Moreover, when it finally did rain, it rained so much and so heavily that Opal’s Farm suffered flash floods both years.

Hardiness Zones – the zones which show the lowest temperature in a zone and determine the growing season – have gradually moved northward. According to Yale Environment 360, hardiness zones were moved northward from 1990 to 2012 and are moving at a rate of just over thirteen miles per year. The heat is headed northward. Fort Worth has shifted from Zone 8b to Zone 8a. What and how much we grow changes as the zones move north.

So, What Do We Do?

Opal’s farms about two-and-a-third acres at present. We are growing into the full five acres granted to us by the Tarrant Regional Water District. We don’t expect to see major changes, the amount of land is negligible in the grand scheme of things. However, there is something we can do that’s consistent with our core values of resilience and regeneration.

First, we can continue to research and try non-native (but non-invasive) varieties of food crops that are both heat tolerant and drought resistant. Our salad mix uses Tokyo Bekana along with other Asian greens. Tokyo Bekana looks and tastes like lettuce (some say even better) but it’s actually related to Chinese cabbage. It fares much better than traditional lettuces that can only be grown in early Spring or late Fall. It can be grown year-round in North Texas.

We use this same practice on other crops as well. We are slowly beginning to turn to south Asian foods like bitter melon, bottle gourds, and yard-long beans. The beans are quite prolific and love the summer heat.

Secondly, we never leave exposed soil. Cover cropping is essential. Always have living roots. We are finishing up cover cropping all all non-food crop beds. We use Austrian Winter Peas and Elbon Rye in the winter time. Legumes like the peas fix nitrogen into the soil and the rye’s root system keep the soil broken up and able to retain water and oxygen better for the soil microbes. We use various mixes that we purchase from Green Cover Seed in the warmer months.

Finally, we sequester carbon in the soil. Our biointensive beds are no-till while the remainder of the farm is minimal till. Dr. Omar Harvey, with the Geosciences Department at Texas Christian University, had students researching carbon sequestration at Opal’s Farm beginning two years ago. The explanation of the methods used is several pages long, so I’ll not bore you with the process, but the results are important. Dr. Harvey’s students were able to quantify the carbon sequestered away on the farm and found it to be 168 metric tons per acre.

Why is that important?

It’s important for two reasons. One, the research confirmed not only the amount but the type of carbon – deep carbon. When the carbon is sequestered deep in the soil it stays there and is less likely to be released into the atmosphere. The carbon sequestered in the upper eight inches of soil is still available for the plants which is a winner for both the climate and us.

Our Sugar Snap Peas are blooming and will be available shortly!

I have mixed emotions about the second, and most economically beneficial, reason – that being the figure for carbon credits. At four to five dollars per metric ton Opal’s could generate anywhere from nine to eleven hundred dollars per year in extra revenue. Alternative revenue streams are a must for small farmers.

However, the alternative here seems to be a bit of greenwashing. The idea that a company such as an airline can use carbon credits to meet their climate “goals” while continuing business as usual is somewhat opaque in nature. The bottom line however is that carbon is sequestered and can offset the gases released into the atmosphere. The more regenerative agriculture practiced, the more carbon stored away and an alternative income stream for farmers doing what they do naturally.

Whether for the economic benefits or for the common good, regenerative agriculture can play a large part in facing the climate crisis. Next Spring, we are attending classes to become Carbon Farm Planners. Agriculture can be part of the solution and the more we know the more equipped we are for positive change.

We may not be able to change the weather, but we can do our part to adapt and bring healthy, nutritious produce to Fort Worth and fight climate change in our little piece of Texas. As Ms. Opal often reminds me, “Be a committee of One”. I remember Dad telling me that “everybody complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it”. Being a Committee of One, one small urban farm, is doing something about it. Join us in the fight. As Mother Teresa said, “If you can’t feed a hundred people then just feed one”…

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Christmas 2023

December 3, 2023 gregoryjoel

Time goes by far too quickly these days. It’s difficult to believe that December is here. It seems like I was planning Spring crops just a short while ago. It’s almost time to do so again. The seventy-five-degree high predicted is a reminder of that. Just so you all know, we still have tomatoes at Opal’s Farm. The first freeze hasn’t hit us yet. We get the “heat island” effect from being so close to downtown…

Today is one month since my last cigarette so I guess I can’t really call this “Thoughts From the Porch”. I’ve stayed away from the front porch and concentrated on the back yard outside my office. It helps with the cravings. The main thing that helps with the cravings though is the near-constant praying to stay smoke-free. So far, so good, and so much for the news updates…

The holidays are tough for me. My son, Jeremy, was born on Christmas Day. I’ve had difficulty with the holidays since his passing – so much so that my wife started calling me the Grinch last year. I try to show some Christmas spirit but I’m not successful at faking it. I’m hoping I can do better this year.

I’ve been especially blessed to be far more involved in my grandchildren’s life this past year. I’ve been able to spend more time with them than ever before. I’m not always sure they appreciate it as much now as they’re both young teenagers – why is it teenagers rarely give more than one-word answers?

Spending time with them is such a gift and sometimes, a curse – at least where grief is concerned.

They are both very much Jeremy’s children. Lucas looks so much like him that it brings tears sometimes. His mannerisms are – a constant reminder of Jeremy. Izabella, or Simone as Jeremy called (her middle name is Simone after Nina Simone) has every bit of his wit and often, sarcasm. Together they are amazing. My daughter-in-law, Amber, has done an amazing job raising them and getting them through losing their dad. She and I can share our grief that still comes in tidal waves at times.

But back to Christmas…

I’ve had a lackluster approach to Christmas since my parents passed away, especially Dad. He was Mister Christmas. It was his favorite holiday. He made the season special; especially where my boys were concerned. Much of that had to do with my parenting or lack thereof and my addiction had a lot to do with that. Still, he was my Christmas light and I enjoyed participating each year.

After his passing, Christmas was not as big of a deal. My mom moved to an apartment in a Senior Living Center so big celebrations rarely occurred. The last years before she passed in 2017 she moved to Atlanta to be near my sister. I always hated the idea of trying to find a gift for Mom. She was extremely hard to buy for and her body language often revealed her disappointment in my gifts. (***side note – she told me that my sobriety and my relationship with God were the best gifts I could’ve ever given her.)

When Jeremy died, the best thing about Christmas became January 2^nd as it would be in the past and I had survived what felt like unbearable grief. I’ve shared that with my wife (as if she couldn’t tell) and she’s always been understanding. This year has been different. I came home from work the other day and she told me that I needed to become Mister Christmas. It was my turn. Dad and Jeremy were no longer there, and the tradition shouldn’t die with them. My grandkids needed me to be that very thing. I think my wife needs that too.

Christmas was never a religious holiday for me. I grew up in the Church of Christ and they didn’t celebrate it as Jesus’ birthday because that’s not in the Bible – which begets the question why they didn’t celebrate Easter because we know what that date is, but I digress… It was significant to my wife though and now the holiday needs to be special for my grandkids as well.

When I finish writing this, I will climb the attic stairs and pull down the Christmas tree and decorations. I’ll rearrange the living room to accommodate the tree and place it where Margaret, my wife, can enjoy looking at it. It’s likely I’ll shed a few tears as I place Jeremy’s ornaments – both the ones he made and the ones we were given over the years – on the tree. I’ll brave the tangle of lights and let Margaret direct the decorating. Afterwards, I’ll turn on the lights for all of us and pray that I can be Mister Christmas this year. I’ll swallow my sadness and allow the grief to come when I’m alone. Christmas is about everyone else anyway and I’ll not deny them that.

I won’t lie about my feelings. God made sure of that. I was at a recovery meeting recently and met two other people for whom grief is all too real. One gentleman lost his wife. The other lost her seventeen-year-old son to an overdose in May. I can seriously relate, and I can offer support and an ear because I’ve three years of experience to offer. I don’t have any answers, but I can be present for them while they search for their own. God has a way of turning tragedy into something – I don’t want to say something positive – but an opportunity to show His love and grace – to love others better.

My sponsor and friend Jim told me a long time ago that helping others and being there for others was the best way to find peace. Maybe that’s what comes this year. I hope and pray it comes for all of us.

Merry Christmas everyone…