Oh the places you'll go!

Sometimes when we say things like, "I want to go where my skills are needed", we end up in unexpected places. So it is that we find ourselves in Michigan, doing lots of things we've always wanted to do.
Despite spending a portion of my childhood (and a year back in 2002, and the winter of 2009) here, I forgot how spectacular a Michigan summer can be. Perhaps because this is the first time we've been living the life we really want. A rural life of farming and gardening, and relaxing by the lake. We have the best family garden ever, with a diverse planting of veggies and flowers. Now in mid July, I've been already harvesting tomatoes, beans, peas, greens, broccoli, cauliflower, herbs.

Growing in a new way

A new Year, a new life for us. We sure have had a wild journey since we left Seattle. We've traveled far and wide in North America, and once again we find ourselves back in Washington. Somehow, we always end up back here. But this time, it's different.
We've landed on the sunny side, the dry side, the quiet side, the wild side, the OTHER side. We're much closer to some of our favorite farms, but we're a world away from the progressive cultural norms we grew used to.
Each day can bring on bi-polar mood swings. For example, I go outside and feel so inspired and joyful walking around this tiny town, gazing at stark basalt canyon walls, smelling dry sagebrush. It's delightful that heavy traffic here means we've seen up to four cars on the road. Then I go into a nearby grocery store and want to cry. The local food movement hasn't hit here yet. Several times, store employees have approached me to see if I'm OK as I stand with my head in my hands trying to figure out what processed agri-crap might do the least harm to me and my family. When my son comes home from school and tells me how much candy he was given by teachers and administrators, I want to scream!
But this year, I'm gonna grow a lot of food. It's my goal to grow and preserve as much food as possible. Sun and heat means tomatoes, peppers, melons. I'm excited.