Slowdown Farmstead

In this rousing second edition of “You Asked”, recorded by beeswax candlelight in the dark morning of December, I somehow touched on questions ranging from dairy cow raising to butcher freezer paper to what I do to keep my sanity during these crazy-making times. Your questions mixed with a smorgasbord of bits and bobs from my brain and heart.

My New Year’s projects are many, but part of my focus will be on how we can interact and connect in more robust and meaningful ways for those of you interested in doing so. I have so many lovely, ordinary people I would love to share with you and I would love to hear more from you, too. I’m looking into that. I have so enjoyed communicating more fully with some of you here. I know many of you found me through Instagram and I’m grateful for that. But, truth be told, the censorship and “quickness” of that social media platform leaves me feeling a little hollowed out. There is a “taking” on social media that doesn’t feel reciprocal or meaningful. It just feels like a skim of real life. But it feels different to communicate with many of you here. I wonder, do you feel that way, too? Have you had the sense that things are ratcheting up on social media?

I remain on Instagram in hopes that for those that are looking for more, I might have them join us over here. It’s here that I can say what I want and take the time to say it with honesty and authenticity instead of in soundbites that are so easy to misconstrue or judge with anonymity. But my time there is limited, by choice or force. I am grateful to have something here that feels more real to expand into. Thank you for being here with me.

But there’s more to be done. Deep and real and honest. I am excited by my ideas and for how we might grow this minute little corner of the interwebs for good with discussion and sharing and then getting out into our own real worlds and spreading some of that around. I mean, shouldn’t we feel that our lives have been enriched and positively challenged by what we consume? If we feel darkened by what we feed ourselves, should we not reconsider our foodstuffs? I think so.

At the urging of some people that I respect and at the behest of the ever-evolving situation we find ourselves in, I’ve made the decision to open up my subscription to a paid or free option. Either way, you will receive my newsletters into your inbox as soon as they are published. If you have the means and the desire to support my writing, you can click on the subscription button and go for a paid option. If not, for either category, just stick with the free version. They’re both the same content, either way. Should I ever move towards adding content only available to paid subscribers, I will let you all know first and I will always make everything I offer free to anyone that needs it to be so. No questions asked. Ever.

Admittedly, this is no slick podcast set up. I’m sitting here in my dark room, just before 0500hrs. Everything and everyone, still asleep. I’ve made myself a big mug of a chaga/coffee mix with a hearty dollop of cream. My mammoth beeswax candle is lit and spreading its warm love. I’ve started both fires in the wood stoves downstairs. And now, here I sit, staring at this little green button telling me to “record”. It’s a tad frightening, that button.

I wanted to just take a second and thank you all for your beautiful, intelligent, considered questions. So many of them brought me to tears. You are such a thoughtful, interesting group of people. Reading your words made me want to be sitting in a room with you all, lounging on pillows, wrapped in wool around our fire, just listening and learning from you, too. To just hold energetic space, to look into your faces when you speak. It all sounds so luxurious. I will make you a hot brew in a chunky mug moulded with real hands. I will even fluff your pillows. Will you come?

Maybe that is still to be. In the meantime, you’re here with me in spirit. Truly.

I will start with the first question I received and go from there. I won’t be able to answer everything in one shot, but if this goes ok, I will endeavour to squirrel away some time to go through the rest. Please don’t add anymore questions to the last batch. I plan on doing a part two or three to this one where I will do my best to get to the questions I couldn’t today. I will do another of these in the future if you guys like them. Perhaps once I learn how to record in a way that allows me to stop for a pee or to take a sip of my water without blowing your eardrums out.

One, final note: I have not sat down before this and formulated my answers. Nothing is written down. I realize that this means I will think back to what I said and kick myself for not adding this or that, but I resist the planning all the same. I want it to be as close to you and me having a conversation as possible. I trust that what bubbles up is what’s supposed to be said. I also trust it won’t be as smooth and polished as it would be if I wrote it out. But life isn’t that way in the raw and I feel better when I keep it as close to real as possible. That said, there were so many wonderful questions that some deserve whole essays in return. I have dogeared many of your beautiful comments as inspiration for future posts. Thank you for inspiring me.

At the urging of some people that I respect and at the behest of the ever-evolving situation we find ourselves in, I’ve made the decision to open up my subscription to a paid or free option. Either way, you will receive my newsletters into your inbox as soon as they are published. If you have the means and the desire to support my writing, you can click on the subscription button and go for a paid option. If not, for either category, just stick with the free version. They’re both the same content, either way. Should I ever move towards adding content only available to paid subscribers, I will let you all know first and I will always make everything I offer free to anyone that needs it to be so. No questions asked. Ever.