One For The Peace Makers

We had some fellow farmers out last week from Cedar Circle and Cedar Mountain Farms. A few weeks ago, we headed to VT for a tour of their farms, and to discuss ways that we can cooperate to enhance the agricultural vibrance of our region. During their visit to D Acres, we continued that momentum by discussing the concept of a Speaker's Guild that we have been collaboratively working on. In trying to determine who will be the most effective speaker, it was reinforced that our intention was to affect positive change, however it is difficult to know which actions will have the greatest benefit.

With Louie visiting his home town of Greenville, North Carolina this past week, I have been taking care of the pigs. This involves, but is not limited to picking up food waste from town, removing plastic packaging from grocery store produce, sorting food (pigs are not fond of peppers, citrus, or onions), bringing a hand cart full of food down snowy garden paths, the daily ritual of chipping ice from their doors, and bucket washing. Lauren and I had to put Big Momma into the birthing house yesterday because it looks like she is getting ready to have some piglets. Hopefully she will wait until Louie is home. It feels good to do some farm work and be outside again, as the seed catalogs can only hold me over for so long.

While caring for our swinely friends, I reflect upon how I will spend the short amount of time that is my life, and how can this contribute to a positive future. This involves asking questions such as What are we doing to STOP THE WAR, and what are we doing to reclaim the local food system. The answer is that we can always do more. Everyone has some kind of skill that can be put to use to achieve a more just society, in which everyone's basic needs are met, and we are content. By spending more face time with one another, we can rebuild the community bonds that have been traded for a glowing television set. And if you come to the farm for the potluck this Friday, I will not interupt your meal to convince you to buy a new car. So, all artists, tradesmean, educators, philanthrophists, gardeners, musicians, healers, peace makers, and people join together to make our culture thrive once again.

I invite any prospective D Acres participants to check out our website http://www.dacres.org/ to find out more about what we are doing, and how to get involved. Interns and Apprentices, College credits may be available from your academic institution.

"A new way of thinking has become the necessary condition for responsible living and acting. If we maintain obsolete values and beliefs, a fragmented consciousness and self-centered spirit, we will continue to hold onto outdated goals and behaviors. Such an attitude by a large number of people would block the entire transition to an interdependent yet peaceful and cooperative global society. " The 14th Dalai Lama

be

what do we do here?

people generally ask what we do here and especially what we do here in the winter...

i think my ability to answer that question has improved overtime..., i believe Dacres is reinventing the food system, developing knowledge and a community network to provide access to local nutrition, we are empowering the populace with practical skills in sustainAbility,

we have established an opportunity for a community to grow by providing the time and space for a diverse group to gather and connect...this community consists on many levels from onsite residents, to the extended family of members workshop participants and members, we also interact with community art, agriculture, government, energy and recreational organizations...through the interactions we are manifesting a pattern of consensus format governance that through practice and experimentation is functional and improving with experience

its fun and exciting!!

as far as what we do on a weekly basis at D Acres,

this past week on tuesday after plowing we had a group garden meet then Louie, Trey, Andy Kevin and I did some woodswork as featured in the fotos, in the pm Lou and I worked pig share promo on the computer, then on wednesday Bill and I did grant work grind and dinner prep,

thursday we met with Andy to discuss his dacres experience then with cynthia robinson from http://www.ecoartalacarte.org/ ( say it 3 times), then went to the upper valley and frenzied flyering, then it was to P-town for the student organization Common Ground meeting where we discussed plans for spring/earth day events, then to the Common Man for music and to convince the Crunchy Western Boys to play at the Aliens & Astronauts party (mark your calendar MARCH 22,2008)

on friday i went to Stony field in ManVegas for the am yogurt run to learn they dont dispense to farmers on fridays, next to the Center of NH Farm & Forest expo at the radisson for a 1pm presentation, next jessie richardson and I found a cantina for a beverage then back to dorchester to eat 33%of dinner before going toa cajun music presentation at PSU,

sat was spent getting our recycling together and going to the dump and doing wood block prints with Eva

sunday brought more snow plowing and hiking the trails with brett and tyler solidifying trail marker decisions...monday we met with group of farmers from the Upper Valley to do a tour and then discuss plans to collaborate on a speaker presentation in nov for Derrick Jensen and a broader effort to bring speakers to the region and enact change, then we of course finished weekly cleaning chores, and met as staff and residents for definitely less than 3 hours...today we got the stonyfield run and dropped lou at the airport and then went to canaan garden club meeting for 2pm presentation...got home in time to tend to the oxen and write in the blog...

thats what i was up to, everybody has a diverse schedule on the farm, i gotta say working in the woods was the most fun personally, the speaking gigs are rewarding people interactions and intellectually stimulating...the grants can be tedious but there are ways to spice up those days (i think Louie will always remember that snowball shower) the meetings with the intent to collaborate is challenging, there is tremendous inertia and fear to doing things with strangers, through consensus in our culture...our communication patterns and the realities of the business of everyone's lives keeps us from progress to our goals...i guess this is the crux of it, we will not face corporate/government tyranny until we are truly desparate because we live in fear. But what is our fear, is it to be cold, poor, hungry, weak?

The reality is

Our society is cold, we are hungry for distraction from tv to psychoactives, we are poor in essential survival skills, and weak cowards in our ability to proactively alter the actions of the corporategovernment.

We need to pursue the community skills and traditions that will warm our hearts, fill our bellies with local food, develop our rich sustainAbilities, and have the strength to act for the love of the Earth.

NOW

well times are good as they always can be we...just gotta set priorities, pace ourselves and go

see ya there, enjoy

josh t

Febuary

Thats right, Bill got the ole sugar shack smoke'n again. We are not even sure when the last time those doors have even been open, but there stood a very well made woodstove perfect for the farm to continue with our maple sugarin project. Delbert Gray had it going on back in the day! Soon enough we will be tapping trees and sugarin till spring. Yea, spring when is that again. The kiosk roof and welcome sign is up, so we need to finish the actual informative part. The sun is out and so am I untill then. LD