Quote for the Day

"To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive."

~Robert Louis Stevenson

Farm Friday

This week I received the Virginia governor's "Year One:  The New Virginia Economy" report. While flipping through the publication, I saw in the table of contents that the First Lady was featured in one section. Since she is working on projects that are close to my heart, I turned to see what the report said about her. Imagine my surprise when one of the photos was of our farm, with Bill throwing cracked corn to the chickens!

When I sent out our farm's weekly newsletter, I commented that this is the time of year for patience. Here are a few of the things I have to be patient about:

Waiting for the leaves to return

Waiting for the shiitakes to come in

Waiting for the gardens to be planted and productive

Waiting for flowers to bloom

 Have a great week!

House Love

I am in love with the idea of small living - in tiny houses and vintage trailers. Here's one I spotted on the internet. 

Source

Isn't it adorable?! You can read about it and see interior photos here. The gas logs and whirlpool tub are nice touches.

Wellness Wednesday

Great news for pet owners - pets make us healthier!

Profits over Animals

As bad as CAFOs* are, the the Research Center
is far more sinister (Source)

If you eat meat, here's yet another reason to avoid buying from Big Ag and instead to purchase from local farms:  the US Meat Animal Research Center. The Research Center is funded by taxpayers and it's sole purpose is to experiment on farm animals in order to increase profitability for industrial agricultural businesses. 

This story from the New York Times is hard to read - not at all for the faint of heart - but it's important that the word get out. Often, people who purchase meat from the grocery store are lulled by the cute graphics and labels into believing the meat comes from Farmers Jane and John and their 2.5 children. NOT SO. These animals often have never seen the light of day and definitely don't come from a family farm; they're from CAFOs*. In addition to the animals in CAFOs being raised under horrific conditions, their relatives at the Research Center are experimented on in ways that would drastically reduce sales should the truth come out. According to the article, farm animals used in research to benefit agriculture are exempt from The Animal Welfare Act that was passed in 1966. Therefore, there is little to no legal recourse to protect these animals. Only by refusing to buy the meat and thus refusing participation in this system can we prevent the torture and cruelty. 

If you feel the story might be too graphic to read, then that is more proof that you should immediately stop buying meat from industrial operations and seek out your local farmers. 


*Confined Animal Feeding Operation

Monday Morning Amazement

Must get back to doing yoga:

Quote for the Day

Love, love, love this quote from an early Quaker:

"Look upon our treasure, 

the furniture of our houses, and our garments, 

and try whether the seeds of war have 

nourishment in these our possessions."

~John Woolman