Summer 2014 Visit to Wormfarm

I visited Wormfarm for the first time since January with Jami, a friend and fellow artist-in-residence from last summer. It was a short visit but we got to say hello to Jay and Donna, and meet Lawton, a musician and current artist-in-residence, as well as this years Residency Manager, Loey, a flower essence therapist.

The Magical Barn-my home.

The swallow painting Pilar made last year. I thought it was fitting to photograph Pilar's favorite kitty, Jem under her work.

Dear Crookshanks.

I somehow forgot what a great friend he was to me last summer but he made sure I remembered.

Honey, lookin' a mess. I think she was molting.

Little Relly Belly (the black one) always looking so startled.

Dino.

Sunbathing!

This guy...Turkey the rooster was killed and eaten while this rooster remains...

We worked in the garden in the morning like old times.

Wormfarm from across the neighbors corn field.

Jami and Trouser.

Jami and I went foraging for black caps.

We visited Orange Cat Community Farm to see our friends, Laura, Katie and Little Anne (pictured above) and made delicious pizza with fresh ingredients from the farm!

Jami and I spent the night staring at the stars (and lighting sparklers with Lawton) and the day soaking up the sun (and meditating with Loey).

I am a Fartist. A farmer/artist. My friend, Nick gave me the title!

In the garden where we got our hands dirty every day last summer.

I was sent home with these beauties! I have only had one dozen eggs since I left Wormfarm last October. I don't see the point of eating eggs if they don't taste like these.

But not really...

Lady Fly

I found her in the sink in the pole shed so she climbed on my hand and I brought her outside.

I had the windows open and the wind blew the piece around and changed the look of it for the better.

Vanishing of the Bees

A couple of weeks ago I stopped by Ruby Garden to see what was growing. Many vegetables are done for the season so gardeners have planted a lot of flowers in place of the veggies. There were so many butterflies and bumble bees. I use to never pay attention to a butterfly or a bee. I thought the butterfly was boring and a bee would sting me. But having spent some of my summer on a farm, I started to really understand how beautiful every living thing is and how we all affect one another. A friend of mine just got back from a sustainable farm in Hawaii and he told me that he looks at plants in a different way now and he can identify them. I feel like I am beginning to understand the natural world more and appreciate everything about it. When only a few months ago a bee was an enemy, the sun was too hot, the wind was too windy and if I'd seen one tree, I'd seen em all. To not feel so detached from the world around me is an amazing feeling. My days are much more peaceful and inspiring. So much is beautiful and exciting to me now.

I had heard about bees dying or vanishing but had never taken the time to learn about it. But a couple nights ago I finally decided I should learn. I watched this documentary called"Vanishing Of The Bees" to get some information and I was horribly surprised. Bees are actually vanishing and people aren't too sure why. One week a colony of bees will be flourishing and two weeks later the farmer finds a bunch dead and the rest gone. This is called Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD. Many of the farmers believe it may be due to the pesticides in plants. When they go to collect the nectar the pesticide gets in their system and disorients them so that they aren't as sure of what to do and possibly how to get back home. This also makes them more susceptible to disease. It is yet again another example of how mass production and pesticides is ruining the order of the natural world.

Right now you can watch the documentary on Netflix in the instant section.

Butterflies let you get very close...I had about 20 pictures to choose from. They were all over the garden! And two weeks ago, when I was on the farm, there were a ton of caterpillars...so it must be butterfly season. I even found a fluffy brown caterpillar on Rachel's hat.

And the hard working Bee.

'The bee is more honored than other animals, not because she labors, but because she labors for others." -Saint John Chrysostom