What's January like for you?

Writing from Minnesota.

As a farm-intern on a newly founded research and educational farm, I am working on stepping further into my creativity when it comes to lifestyle, finances, work and developing a healthier way of life overall. It is challenging, very challenging, yet rewarding as the more I learn about and experience ‘farm-steading’, which I feel like I am doing to a certain degree, I sense within myself just how self-sustainable we can be! This brings about joy - complete joy. Having grown up in a small-town and not being exposed to great depths to our society’s food systems, this new experience here on the farm is serving well to my inner curiosity of what it truly has to offer. I have been cooking meals incorporating squash, onions, potatoes, eggs, pickles, tomatoes, basil, celery… ALL FROM THE GARDEN. How cool? Never before have I done this… that is, see a plant from seed to fruit and then proceed to preserve that throughout the coming months as a means to sustain an energy source… it’s a precious and delicate thing, something to be nurtured further.

I live surrounded by flatness and mono-cultured crops, at least that is what lies primarily beyond the bounds of our eco-paradise that is Prairie Rose Farm here in mid-west Minnesota. Within the bounds of our little oasis here there are pine trees, bushes, cattle, chickens, deer, rabbit, birds, bugs, worms and quiet peacefulness. I take solace in this notion that I am blessed to be where I am. I am blessed to be warm in a home. Blessed by good company and supportive folks. Blessed by an abundance of nourishment in various facets and forms of life itself. This too brings joy.

I am working on creative projects; creating conversations among our local community in video/podcast formats, journaling my experiences, researching and studying agriculture as a whole as it relates to all other areas of our collective existence and photo-documenting the country where I am. A lot has been bubbling to the surface amidst doing this work and bringing about a mood of creativity within my life, which is inspiring, uplifting and dynamic in terms of the emotions that come through whilst contemplating and creating in this way.

Dealing with the hose for watering our animals is one my main-daily chores. I have a very intimate relationship to that hose and spigot during the winter…

I think our winter seasons behold a unique quality in them. I think all of the seasons behold a unique quality in their own way. I think us ‘four-season’ folk ought to pay attention to these unique qualities if greater degrees of self-sustainability and harmony are what we seek. For the greater nature that surrounds us can guide us along for us to attune to. Thus, recognizing each proceeding season as a means for inner change and change of pace of both our inner and outer lives. We don’t live the city life, us rural folk. We don’t go 90mph, full speed, all the time. We adapt, we change speeds, we shift gears and we listen, we attune, we adjust and adapt. I think this is where our strength lies.

M.J.B
Written on January 16th, 2024