This Saturday morning I was not awakened by the birds but rather, by a low moon on the horizon and an alarm to remind me of plans to pick up Ben and head down to Montrose for an all-day symposium on small-acreage farming.  Believe me, after having been out of grad school for a few years and a more regimented educational system of teaching and taking classes for even more years beyond, the task seemed more daunting than ever.  Sitting still is not my strength.  However, the benefits of being sequestered in a vehicle with a colleague dedicated to farming was well worth the trip, even if some of the sessions were less than invigorating upon arrival. Certainly, many sessions inspired me to ask more questions--particularly regarding soil chemistry and alternative energy systems and resources.  Firing-up the brain is what organic farming is all about.

I tend to forego the lunches in such educational marathons in order to take a vigorous walk around whatever environments they offer, and I was reminded that so many towns on the western slope have a similar core imprint of late 19th century architecture with a mix of innovation and/or basic survival tactics applied; some more aesthetically appealing than others...

As I found a seat for the afternoon sessions, I wondered how the outside and the inside find compatability;  the theory and the applicability;  the mind and the hands;  the brain and the body...the same old dialectic.  Farming is both in all of its complexities.

Putting this debate aside,  it was nice to know Ben was in the same room sharing the experience--information we may or may not find applicable for The Cameron Place. This was an opportunity to meet others whose friendly faces participate in a common desire to work the land and understand the responsibilities this committment engenders.

Thanks for participating in our farm in whatever way you see fit.

Melanie