Monday, January 23, 2012

Keep on Growing: A Week in the Life ...


Last was busy and productive here at The Funny Farm. The week started on Monday, Martin Luther King Holiday, with a trip to Truly Living Well Wheat St. Organic farm to do some volunteer work. The farm is literally in the shadow of the King Center for Non-Violent Change where there were lots of activities to honor Dr. King that day. After working in the garden my friends and i ate lunch at a nearby restaurant, Noni's, where we had a nice meal featuring locally sourced ingredients. We enjoyed a bloody mary, or 2, garnished with pickled veggies made by our bartender. We returned to the King Center to watch the parade and show our support for Occupy Atlanta which had a large contingent of marchers.

Tuesday i spent the day acquiring the last of the materials i need to finish building the cover over Craven, the cob oven.

Wednesdays are market days for us at the Decatur Farmers Market. We harvested in the morning and headed to the market. In spite of the cold and wind we sold all of our vegetables. When we returned home that evening we were greeted with a surprise package! A box packed full of fruit trees, shrubs and vines from our friends at Johnson Nursery in Ellijay, GA. Woohoo!!!

Thursday i went to Progressive Medical Center for a physical exam, my first in a few years. They practice integrative medicine. They use the latest diagnostic methods to determine the underlying causes of dis-ease and employ the most appropriate methods to restore their clients to optimal health. Their staff includes M.D.'s. naturopaths, dietitians, acupuncturists, massage tharapists and chiropractors. I will be writing more about my journey to restore and heal my body and spirit in future posts.

Thursday afternoon i added to our food forest asian pears, asian persimmons, almond trees, blueberries and muscadines.

Friday morning I spent harvesting for Saturday's market. In the afternoon a young couple came by for a farm tour. Matt had emailed me the week before to ask if he and Melissa could come by on their return journey from Florida to their home in Virginia. We had a nice time discussing the work we do at the Funny Farm and their plans to do something similar in Virginia. I find it very gratifying that people are interested in seeing what we are doing and I love to share our knowledge and experience. Good Luck Matt and Melissa :)

Saturday morning i headed to market where we endured a deluge of rain and some scary lightning. We have some very dedicated customers at our market so we were able to sell a few things before we gave in and called it quits. After i got warm and dry the rain stopped and i went out to the garden to practice with my new camera. I had a great time and produced a few images that made me happy.

Sunday morning i got a lot of seeds planted in flats and into the hoop house. Spring will be here before you know it. In the afternoon i prepared a delicious Bourbon Beef Stew using the grassfed beef i purchased from Tink's Grassfed Beef at the market the day before. Robin and i both agreed it was the best stew we had ever eaten.

Today i am wrapping up a few things before my trip to Arizona. I am so ready to spend some time with my close friends communing with the desert and restoring my mind, body and spirit.

I will holla at y'all next week upon my return.

Oh, and I get to mark a few goals off my list.

Keep on Growing!!!

4 comments:

The Frugal Hostess said...

More please! I can't wait to learn about your visit to the Progressive Medical Center.

Have a great trip!

Herbalmomma said...

Oh crap! I still have some of your plant containers. I will bring them to you. When do you need some help?

duane said...

@Herbalmomma
I will trade your sweatshirt for my pots. I will contact you when i return. I will be back next tueday and the rest of next week is full of something i'm sure so it will be a couple of weeks from now.

Anonymous said...

Duane,

We've sold our place and depart for Virginia towards the end of February. Having lived and gardened here for over 20 years, I've an accumulation of supplies, such as wire fencing enclosures for supporting tomatoes, additional fencing used as trellaces for cukes, etc., clay pots, and 2 banks of florescent lights mounted on 2x4 wooden shelving. I'll take none of these items with me, instead taking less bulky and lighter items such as hundreds of linear feet of polypropylene row cover, seeding trays and flats, plastic pots, and shade cloth.

Decades ago, whilst gardening up in Ohio, a friend of my gardening partner bought land with a greenhouse. Interested only in the land, the friend offered us the run of the greenhouse to haul off anything useful for our gardening needs. Such gifts need passing on, eh?

I'm eager to donate the leave-behinds to your operation. I live about 1 mile north of Stone Mountain itself. So we're close. How about an email to theboyds10atcomcastdotnet?

Be talking at ya.

Bill