Category: Thoughts From the Porch

Acceptance, Aging, Belief, Christianity, Community, Connection, Consequences, Down On the Farm, Emotional Health, Environment, Faith, Farmers Markets, Food Deserts, Food Equality, Food Insecurity, Food Justice, Gardening, Generations, God's Economics, Grace, Gratitude, Health, Neighbors, Non-Profits, Persistence, Practice, Service to Others, Simplicity, Social Justice, Spirituality, Thoughts From the Porch, Unity Unlimited, Inc., Urban Farming, Volunteers

Bumps in the Road

gregoryjoel

It’s been an interesting Spring at Opal’s Farm. I’ve been busier than a one-armed paper hanger as my uncle used to say.

For one thing, I received a letter from the Social Security Administration this week. It said I’ve reached the age where I am now considered retired. I have to laugh when I realize Ms. Opal “retired” the year after I graduated high school. If that’s what retirement looks like, then I’m grateful for it. It means I can focus on loving and serving others full-time just like her. At ninety-eight, she reminds me that she just keeps running forward so the good Lord can’t catch her to take her home. Besides, there’s so much more to do. Especially now…

The other thing that happened is a little less humorous. My left knee blew out on me last Wednesday as I was putting tools away for the day. That wouldn’t have been unusual as it tends to happen now that I’m old enough to suffer the consequences of an overactive youth. This time was different. It didn’t stop hurting the next day and the pain was in a different part of my knee and increasing rather than decreasing. I decided Friday afternoon I had better go to the ER and have it checked out.

Fortunately, nothing is broken, but since X-rays don’t show cartilage or ligament damage, I’ll be seeing the orthopedic surgeon this week. Moreover, the ER doc said I had a lot of arthritis, and the next step was a knee replacement. I feared that might be the case. I guess I’ll find out this week. It’s a pretty big bump in the road.

He also told me to take steroids and pain medicine, wear the immobilizer, use the crutches, and stay off my knee for a few days. I can take medication. I can use the immobilizer most of the time. I can even use the crutches sometimes. However, for a farmer four days of bed rest isn’t possible this time of year. My doctor and I have an agreement – I don’t tell him how to practice medicine and he doesn’t tell me how to farm.

I went market and “Taste the C.U.R.E” class yesterday. If people ask me what happened I simply tell the truth – I got older!

I guess there’s more news to come and a lot of decisions to be made. I’ll just hobble along and work on the farm until then. I’m going to be much slower so I’m extra grateful for the volunteers we have right now. Spring is the busiest time of year for farmers and Opal’s is no exception. The farm still needs daily care. I’ll be there as long as the good Lord lets me, but we need extra volunteer help right now. Please think of us if you have a little spare time and want to get you’re hands dirty. After all, dirt don’t hurt.

Community, Down On the Farm, Environment, Faith, Food Justice, Giving, Gratitude, Neighbors, Non-Profits, Opal's Farm, Persistence, Service Organizations, Service to Others, Simplicity, Spring, Texas, Thoughts From the Porch, Unity Unlimited, Inc., Urban Farming

Tiny Heads of Blue

gregoryjoel

I was driving home on I-30 from the farm last Tuesday. Tiny spots of blue caught my attention as I sat in the rush-hour traffic. They were the first Bluebonnets I’ve seen this year. The frustration from the slow-moving traffic vanished; replaced by a sudden desire to pull off to the side of the interstate and take a picture.

Bluebonnets are the state flower of Texas and rightly so. They announce that Spring is finally here and will soon blanket the side of roadways and highways in a carpet of blue. The other wildflowers – Indian Paintbrush, Winecup, Mexican Hat, Indian Blanket, Evening Primrose, etc. – will soon paint the roadsides of the highways and country roads in vibrant reds, oranges, yellows, and of course, blues. Bluebonnets always lay the foundation for nature’s paintbrush.

Families will soon be pulling off the road to take pictures of the family amidst the field of color. This is a annual Texas tradition. I often wonder if photographers consider this one of their busy seasons. The only sad part is that family photographs often leave matted-down holes in the blue-hued fields.

Photo by Janice Carriger on Pexels.com

 I really needed the Bluebonnets this year. The experts at the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center predicted a mixed wildflower season this year because of the drought facing West Texas. Winter was relatively mild. Even a muted wildflower season reminds me why resilience is one of our core values at Opal’s Farm.

The craziness and in both Austin (our state legislature is in session) and Washington D.C. makes for an uncertain future for many non-profits like ours and small farmers everywhere. I’ve had to take a break from the news lately except for local news stations and that’s mostly for the weather reports. It doesn’t mean that I plan to bury my head in the sand. It simply means there is more time to see the Bluebonnets, to enjoy Spring, and get lots of food out to folks. Opal’s Farm, like the Bluebonnets, will keep growing food, loving people, and building community.

Climate Change, Community, Down On the Farm, Environment, Neighbors, Opal's Farm, Service Organizations, Service to Others, Texas, Thoughts From the Porch, Unity Unlimited, Inc., Urban Farming

West Texas Winds

gregoryjoel

Good morning to our Opal’s Farm family. We’ve had a great week down at the farm. We been busy with Spring planting and most of the farm didn’t even blow away! Some empty rain barrels were blown about a quarter-mile down the farm but other than that we suffered little wind damage. I hope you all (and all your patio furniture) stayed grounded during this March outburst.

Folks may place Fort Worth in north central Texas but it is where the west begins. We got a reminder when the wind brought West Texas to us in the form of a major dust cloud. The haze in the air reminded us of old sepia-toned photographs of Fort Worth. When I took my wife to her son’s house in Haslet Friday it was scenes from the Dust Bowl. Given the looming threat of higher prices and possible recession we might be reliving the thirties. History may not repeat itself but it’s definitely circular.

It all reminded me of a song I thought I’d share this Sunday morning. I think of it on windy west Texas days like we’ve had this week…

Christmas, Community, Down On the Farm, Faith, Family, Gratitude, Neighbors, Opal's Farm, Peace, Seasons, Service to Others, Spirituality, Thoughts From the Porch, Unity Unlimited, Inc., Urban Farming

Merry Christmas From Our Farm to You All

gregoryjoel

On this warm Christmas Eve night, we at Opal’s Farm have so much to be grateful for. It rained today, we still haven’t had a freeze at the farm, and I’m going to the farm tomorrow to pick tomatoes – just so I can say I harvested tomatoes on Christmas Day! Most of all, we are grateful for each and every one of our volunteers, our donors, our supporters, and friends – we’re grateful for you. We have such an amazing community, and we hope to be a blessing in the coming year.

Joey, Stacey, Greg, and I would love to wish each of you a wonderful Christmas and Happy Holidays! May peace and blessings be with you on this day of love and giving.

Photo by Jacob Thorson on Unsplash

Just so you know – we will not be at either Cowtown Farmers Market or Opal’s Farm Stand this coming Saturday. We’re taking a break this holiday week so we can rest, be with family, and get ready for a magnificent 2025.

We’ll be at Cowtown and the farm stand on the first Saturday of the New Year from 8AM until 12 Noon. Starting in January, we will also be at Archie’s Gardenland from 1PM until 3 PM each Saturday afternoon, bringing more fresh produce to Fort Worth. We’d love for you to visit any of our locations or come by the farm to say hi and play in the dirt!

Children, Choices, Community, Faith, Gratitude, Serenity, Simplicity, The Holidays, Thoughts From the Porch, Wellness

Almost Christmas…

gregoryjoel

Here it is the middle of December, and I can’t quite remember when my last post was. Much has transpired since then – Margaret has had her neck surgery and after a two week stay in a rehabilitation facility, is finally home for the holidays. She’s well on her way to recovery. I missed having her here with me. I missed feeling her presence even when I’m out in the yard or at my desk and she’s in another room. There’s something calming about being able to walk into the living room and see the love of my life. I’m truly blessed by her presence and love.

My step kid moved out at the end of November. It wasn’t the most amicable situation, but Margaret and I know it was best for all concerned. I’ve come home to happy puppies (okay, more big dogs than puppies) each day. The atmosphere of peace has returned to my home after several years of feeling like I was walking on eggshells, never knowing when a simple remark might be taken as major trauma. You can’t argue with someone else’s perception of reality, no matter what reality might be. I just look at both MAGA acolytes and those on the far left to see how flawed perceptions deepen the divide between us all. (to be continued)