The following posts were taken from the website for Harms Vineyards and Lavender Fields, which we operated from 2010 until 2019. They offer a window into our lives on the farm and the ways the farm changed us. In 2018 we decided to end our lavender business but we continue to work with our land in ways that bring balance and health. Posts on this website will continue to follow our work.
The old wagon trail over the ridge into Pickle Canyon
Rain and the Stories of Water The rain comes as they predicted: heavy at times and persistent throughout the night and into the morning. Bad night for the driveway! The trails run like waterways, the ditches like creeks, water rushing down, down, gathering in the ravine and rushing on to Dry Creek and Napa River…. Read more »
Petunia, Boey, and Lily checking it all out.
Battening Down the Hatches Goats hate to have their hooves wet and muddy, so we have stone paths which go from the barn to the llama shed, to their lookout posts and rock and log piles. The rain has muddied these paths, and Ramon cleaned them yesterday morning, spreading thick flakes of straw on squishy… Read more »
Drought is a Zen Teacher: Rain and Climate Sometimes when it starts raining, it just keeps going. So it seems now! In the last week and a half, we have had over eight inches of rain. Now the projection is a another six to eight inches by the end of this week. A growing cloud… Read more »
Photo by Norma Churchill. Family walking Jesse and Lisa's First Light Farm fields. Jesse on the far right. Lisa cooking!
Evolution of Farming: Young Farmers and Community Young farmers are an evolution of the ones I grew up with, although they share that bone deep love of the earth. My father farmed; my grandfather farmed; my great grandfather, too. My brother said that once farming gets into your soul, it is there for good. Is… Read more »
Water Rights Snowflakes, leaves, humans, plants, raindrops, stars, molecules, microscopic entities all come in communities. The singular cannot in reality exist. Paula Gunn Allen This quote arrived in my e-mail box this week from Gratefulness.org, and it could not be at a more appropriate time. We spent three and a half hours yesterday morning at… Read more »
A Bill of Rights for Water The stated task of the Second Women’s Future First Congress was to draft a Bill of Rights for Water. In a task group on the Pacific Ocean, a young woman asked about the word “rights” — what does that word mean, and particularly when referring to water? We contemplated… Read more »
Monarchs above the seating
Supporting Pollinators and Future First! I wish that you could be here with me at this Future First! Women’s Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The conference began with a panel of women experts in bee populations, birds, butterflies–particularly Monarchs– and on our food sources. We are being given an honest appraisal, and the news is not… Read more »
Guest Post: Public Comment on Blanket Spraying of Pesticides in CA Ends October 31! The following is an e-mail by Jan Beaulyn about the blanket spraying of pesticides in California. Please consider sending your own comment. This link has more information as well as an e-mail and directions for comment: Organic Consumers Association Web. You… Read more »
Urgent: Threat of Blanket Spraying of Pesticides in California Below is a letter that we have e-mailed to the California Department of Food and Agriculture. There is a draft that would allow the blanket spraying of 79 chemicals, some known to be connected to environmental and health problems. Please consider e-mailing comment before Oct 31,… Read more »
Katherine bottling Lavender Hydrosol, lot Labyrinth 14
Bottling the 2014 Distilled Product Katherine Presley joined us this last summer, bringing her skills and care in helping Donald with distillation, and now helping Patricia bottle the distilled products. She thoroughly understands Biodynamic practices, being trained in England in anthroposophy and teaching in Waldorf schools. She is truly a resource for us! Here she… Read more »
© 2024 Patricia Damery.
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