One of the most important things I can share about me is that the common thread in my life, no matter my age, has always been this:  I want to make a difference in the world.

This farm started off with just a few chicks, and it started many years ago.  It was always something I wanted to do (farm), but it was something I never thought I could do to earn a living.  I never called it a farm until 2013.

As time passed, I bought a few more chickens…….then I was given more chicks and some ducklings………then I started realizing friends and family members often wanted to buy my home canned jams, jellies, and baked goods.  I was asked for farm fresh eggs on a weekly basis.  I realized that the happiest part of my day, other than the time I spend actually teaching my students directly, is the time I spend working with all of my animals, cleaning the barn, building little projects here and there, preserving food all summer and fall, and then concocting recipes using those wonderful ingredients I preserved myself.

I bought more chickens, two goats, and finally a little calf (who’s not so little anymore!), read and read and read some more, asked questions and taught myself as much as I could by seeking out teachers online and in person locally.

Suddenly, in 2013, I realized I had a vision for my farm, and yes! It is a farm even if it is small by every standard.  This is a farm.  I have a little farm.  I will never get rich from it, but my vision for my farm has changed and grown over the years until I know today that I can combine my passion for teaching and having access to healthy delicious real food into something that will provide sustainable life choices for local families.

I will never get rich from my little farm.  I probably will never earn a living from my little farm…but I will do something even better – I will freely depart the knowledge I have to those who seek to learn and do the same.  I hope to start a movement of locals here in our community who take back our land a little at a time and who find their own small farm niche and then can also offer fresh local ingredients to others who are still traveling down this path and aren’t quite there yet and ready to do the same.

Over time, I came to the wisdom that earning a living isn’t the same thing as living a life – and living this life in this way – doing, teaching, helping others –  is how I make a daily difference in the world……even long after I am gone from it.