Year Two on The Farm
2022 last year started off with a bang! We followed a snow storm all the way back from our annual Texas holiday pilgrimage. We often joke that of the 3,000 miles round trip, the last 8 miles are always the hardest. It was a nail biting, white knuckling kind of drive! Luckily, we made it safely home to a winter wonderland!
When I’m asked what season is my favorite, in many ways its winter, followed by fall, spring and summer. See what I did there… I love all four! Winter is like an old friend coming to stay with me for a couple of months. We curl up together with a warm blanket and coffee, at dinner we enjoy the crackling fireplace together, and we catch up on all that was for the last year and all the potential the new year holds. It is when I set my intentions and plans in motion for the upcoming year. I carefully select what heirloom seeds I want to cultivate in the coming spring, prune the trees in the orchard in hopes of the bounty that will come from removing excess, and plan for any new additions.
The lessons I learned from year two on the farm were some hard ones. That’s the thing about being on the farm, Mother Nature never stops teaching you. All you have to do is listen and observe.
In 2022, we had some great visitors, my mom, daughter, brother, father, sister, cousins and friends! After reconnecting with an old friend, Natalie, in Austin over the holidays, I invited her to come visit in the spring. I am not sure she had any idea what she was signing up for. You see if I invite you to come visit, I promise to feed you delicious, nutrient dense, farm to table food, and we are certain to have a great time. But in exchange, I am likely to ask you to help in the garden or with our animals... You deserve the full farm experience, after all!
In late spring and early summer, my days are spent almost exclusively in the gardens. Natalie arrived at the time I needed her most! We worked exhaustively on creative projects, gardening and more, all while having incredibly meaningful conversations and lots of laughter. Natalie even helped me catch my first swarm of bees, which was a wild experience. Afterwards, I learned only 20% of caught swarms stick around… Maybe next time! We even harvested close to 30 lbs of honey. Natalie is also an incredible published author, so please enjoy reading her reflections here!
Unfortunately not all visitors are great… In the summer, a new mamma fox moved in with her kits, and she found my guinea’s. My guinea fowl were protected at night behind 2 layers of wire fencing, both above, below and all around but they don’t call them sly foxes for nothing. In a weeks time we went from 8 guineas to 2, my only 2 hens left. They were grief stricken and beat up, so they decided to move in with the chickens. After a transition period and finding 4 more guineas to add back to the flock, the guinea crew is once again robust. And yes, they still sleep in the chicken run at night.
Summer and fall this year included a mix of extreme highs, scary points, and grief.
Living on the farm at Heirloom Springs has taught me so much about life, love, responsibility, and death. The circadian rhythm here teaches you to let go and let Mother Nature take over. We have no control over that rhythm, but we do have the ability to reflect, respect, and let the light in when it shines.
In September 2022, I flew home to the Lone Star state for celebrations of birth, death, and restoration. I celebrated my beautiful daughter’s 24th glorious trip around the sun. Then the next day, we cried, laughed, and mourned the passing of my beloved Aunt Mary. My cousin’s asked if I would read the eulogy at her funeral. I was overwhelmed with honor, but also worried I wouldn’t be able to hold myself together, or deliver the beautifully written eulogy with the level of regard that I hold my aunt so deeply in. I opened my eulogy by recounting a recent conversation I'd had with a close friend about my Aunt Mary. I was telling her all about the way my aunt made me feel seen and loved growing up and into adulthood. Our conversations were always free of judgement no matter what the subject and her enthusiasm was contagious. My friend remarked, "You are really good in that way: inclusive, curious, and so much of the good you carry with you, you got from your Aunt Mary." It made me cry and then smile to know I always carry her with me. I always have. I was proud to be able to honor my aunt at her funeral in a way that resonated with my cousins, adding to the heartwarming farewell to their mother.
I had one last stop on this trip to Texas–my mother's house. I was able to stay with her as she recovered from wrist surgery. Thanks to modern medicine, her mobility was restored so she may continue digging happily in the dirt and living her life. I always cherish the time we are able to spend together.
Back on the farm in late summer I finally found the horse of my dreams, my boy Luke. I had been looking for the right horse for almost two years and after an exhaustive search, the perfect guy came along. Luke had clearly been neglected and malnourished BUT his kind spirit and eyes were shining through and I knew he needed to come home with me! My dear friend Della drove 6 hours round trip, twice, to meet and ultimately pick up my new guy. Luke spent the first two months at Della’s as she helped me get to know him, work with him, and try to get his weight up and figure out all that was going on with my older, retired, beautiful Warmblood. Modifications to the farm had to be made as well; we built a small barn and put up fencing. The week of my 1st official Heirloom Springs retreat, Luke finally got to come home. The first two weeks here Luke seemed nervous and stressed. He had seen a lot of change in a short amount of time. After hours of Della and I searching and calling around, I found a great veterinarian which was about to be real important…
Only 14 days since he arrived, I was outside tending to the bees with my mentor, and we noticed something seemed wrong with Luke. As I went in to check on him it was as if he couldn’t even hold his own body weight up and he didn’t want me to leave him. This is the part that I try to explain to people who maybe have not ever spent a lot of time truly listening to animals around them, they will tell you things, you just have to listen. I promptly went in and called my new vet, Dr. Moses. She had a plan for us, but the hours to come would be terrifying and stressful. It was a hard launch into horsemanship that’s for sure! Luke made it over night, but when morning came he looked worse. Dr. Moses was able to visit and thank god she did. I was a mess, in tears, and terrified he wasn’t going to make it. We had to inject Luke with serious antibiotics, some, that if done incorrectly, could stop his heart, put a tube down his nose into his stomach in order to pump him with a bucket full of fluids, without sedative as this could also stop his heart, all the while making sure he didn’t move! About 24-36 hours later with careful monitoring and hydration, Luke's health improved. Damn that was hard and scary! We hope to keep this huge, sweet puppy dog around for years to come! If you are coming to visit just know Luke gladly accepts peppermints, carrots, and apples :-)
Lastly, in fall of 2022 I hosted my first Heirloom Springs Signature Retreat. As with any new business, you have all kinds of ideas, hopes, dreams and fears for how it will be received. Owning and operating Pilates studios for 15 years and teaching for 23, I got to see transformation from my students. Well beyond the physical changes, I have walked with my students going through, marriage, pregnancy, divorce, death, and on. The relationships you get to develop over the course of time with people is precious and profound, I have been honored. So how could I find that level of engagement in just a weekends time?
Heirloom Springs, my fourth inception, is a place I want to share. The serenity and magic that exists out here is tangible. The things I want to teach people about purpose, and living their fullest life with authenticity is my motivation. I want people to understand how important nutrient dense food is, and how it can nurture your soul and wake you up from a slumber. And maybe, most importantly, I want people to be immersed in nature to reconnect to their inner voice, and to understand the importance of protecting it. To be warriors for Mother Nature, she is our most important teacher. After hosting what I called my “dress rehearsal” with dear friends and colleges in June, they assured me I was on the right path and certainly boosted my confidence, even if they are just a little biased. Boldly, I set my dates for my first official retreat in October 2022. What a great 1st official group I had! The weekend went great, other than a fire drill around 6am Sunday morning… don’t worry all was well. I think one of my favorite comments from the weekend was “You know Rachael I really enjoyed Friday, but was thinking to myself at the end of the day, how are we ever going to fill another day on the farm, THEN Saturday came and I didn’t want it to end!” I knew I had found what I was looking for! By the end of the weekend, attendees were exchanging phone numbers, the level of camaraderie I had hoped for, and I still hear about how that weekend continues to affect them now. While I am always my hardest critic, I'm calling it a success!
Live every day not with the thought that it could be your last, but with the knowledge that you have the ability to create joy, love, and purpose in your world. Here’s to all the potential of 2023!