Everyone's Blog Posts - Exploring Holistic Alternatives2024-03-28T22:06:20Zhttps://xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?xn_auth=noConscioustag:xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com,2010-05-26:2327957:BlogPost:180442010-05-26T19:55:14.000ZDouglas M Robinsonhttps://xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com/profile/DouglasMRobinson
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<p></p>Family Farmtag:xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com,2010-05-26:2327957:BlogPost:180432010-05-26T19:48:15.000ZDouglas M Robinsonhttps://xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com/profile/DouglasMRobinson
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<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 9"><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #f0f0f0; BORDER-LEFT: #f0f0f0; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #f0f0f0; BORDER-RIGHT: #f0f0f0; PADDING-TOP: 0in"><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">"Secure yourself some cow horns."</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">That's the advice of Johnny Robinson, boys and girls. He's a sort of Mr. Wizard of farming, and near December's vernal equinox he will bury 15 to 20 cow manure-filled cow horns. In the spring, he will unearth them and mix the innards into his compost pile. One could put the contents in a jar and store it in a cool place for up to a year, but Robinson believes in putting those microbes to work ASAP.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">"Those microbes are down there giving their lives to those roots," declares the retired Army lieutenant colonel and former physical science teacher.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">It's all part of a biodynamic plan to convert manure into enzymes and bacteria for his multi-ton compost heap.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">"This will blow your mind," Robinson said of biodynamics. He's as enthusiastic as a child introduced to his first chemistry set.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">"It's a method of farming where you are trying to tune in to nature and its forces to take care of soil and produce more nutrition in vegetable or animal husbandry. It sounds like voodoo, but it's scientific."</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">Robinson farms his 65 acres the organic way, subsisting on his retirement income and viewing the acreage as his experimental playground.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">He plunges his fingers deep into the drought-ridden soil of his tomato field and pulls up earth damp to the root. That's largely the product of his pride and joy, his compost pile.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">The same fingers are apt to swoop up an over-eager baby barn swallow and return it to its nest. The eaves of his farm's roadside stand on S.C. 161 are a veritable Capistrano to barn swallows who nest, roost and multiply there. He provides food, water and swallow- friendly ambiance, and they arrive in increasing numbers each year.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">"We don't have any mosquito problems here," he chirps with self- satisfaction.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">Customers also flock into his roadside stand to buy his organic produce, chew the breeze and seek counsel on tending home gardens. A jovial Robinson trails into the parking lot with them, toting their produce and dispensing advice. It can range from organic cures for blight to selecting and storing a choice cantaloupe.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">"If it don't clear up," he tells one with pepper problems, "hit it again about every seven days." 'It' is powdered milk. He recommends spraying it on the plant because it needs calcium, and the plant will absorb the calcium through the leaves.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">"We had a problem with our tomatoes, and he cleared it right up," says friend and neighbor Bob McAlister. "He gave us some of his mulch. Brought it down and plowed it under. It was a calcium thing. He shares his secrets." Among other things, Robinson's compost contains sheet rock, full of calcium-rich gypsum.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">"Those tomatoes are so sweet," compliments another customer returning for more. "Taste just like sugar."</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">"Well, I haven't tested them yet," replies a beaming Robinson, who keeps a refractometer behind the counter in case someone requests scientific proof. He also stocks grocery store tomatoes to compare their sugar content to his.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">Slicing open a grocery store tomato, he pours its juice onto the refractometer's test slide, then holds the gizmo's lens up to the light.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">"That's a 5," he explains. "That's not good."</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">Then he cuts one of his own tomatoes and drops its juice onto the slide. It measures about 5.75. "That's measured in brix," he said. "B-R-I-X."</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">"You know," he said of the $200 refractometer, "people could carry one of these around in a grocery store."</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">On the wall behind him are Cool Necks. They look something like neckties, but are filled with a polymer that absorbs and holds water. His daughter-in-law sewed them to keep his neck cool in his fields. They worked so well he decided to share them with customers for $6 each.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">They contain the same synthetic used in baby diapers, so it's no surprise Robinson put it around his peach trees.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">"Any time you get a rain, it holds that water so I don't have to irrigate so much," he said. "It's inert, so it doesn't hurt the soil. It seems to work real well."</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">Robinson boasts he doesn't grow beautiful plants. "I like to grow beautiful produce," he bragged.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">He grew up in Clover and was hooked on chemistry from the beginning. After teaching for a year while attending The Citadel in Charleston, he took a U.S. Army commission when he graduated. That led to 33 years in the military, including five combat campaigns during the Tet Offensive of 1968 in Vietnam.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">He bought the farm between York and Clover about two years before his military retirement, then taught physical science for 11 years in Gastonia.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">When Robinson began farming full time about 16 years ago, his land was hard and dry. A decade ago a friend introduced him to organics. He's been experimenting on his little Eden ever since.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">"I doubt if Adam and Eve had any fertilizer," says York Clemson Extension Agent Henry Nunnery. "Nature lets plants feed themselves."</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">There's been a trend toward more organic growing by small farmers, Nunnery said, but it's impractical for larger operations because it is very labor intensive.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">Nunnery enjoys his visits to Robinson's farm and recalls Robinson once tried to convince him of a cure for canine arthritis.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">"He had about three strands of copper wire wrapped around his dog's neck," Nunnery chuckled. "He said his dog had been unable to walk and, lo and behold, his dog could walk again."</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">Nunnery has tried more conventional treatments on his own dog but is keeping the copper wire theory in mind for future potential.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">Clemson University itself recently started an organic agriculture research project, primarily due to U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations that take effect in October. Because of the rise in popularity of organic markets in the past decade, the USDA will require anyone selling with an "organic" label and grossing at least $5,000 a year to meet certification requirements. Clemson is overseeing the program in South Carolina.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">Geoff Zehnder, who heads Clemson's organic research program, said Robinson has applied for a farm research grant using fermented compost as a spray to increase fertility and suppress disease. "He had good results," Zehnder said.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">Zehnder is growing the type of tomatoes Robinson cultivates on Clemson's organic research farm. They don't look luscious. They have ridges and tend to crack at the stem, just like grandma's garden tomatoes did. More importantly, they taste like grandma's tomatoes. Zehnder says the flavor and texture is "incredible."</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">He calls them "heirloom tomatoes."</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">"They weren't bred for long shelf life," he said. "People bred them for flavor and dense flesh. They didn't breed them to pick green and ship."</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">Organic farming is officially known as "sustainable agriculture." Robinson believes farmers have to look at organics because insects and diseases are becoming increasingly resistant to existing chemicals, requiring development of stronger chemicals - chemicals that can be harmful to people.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">Although he grows tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and cantaloupe organically, even Robinson has to use some fertilizer on his corn and pesticide on his peaches in this climate and soil.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">Twenty of his acres are cattle pasture, 10 are peach grove, four are various other produce and the balance is hay. He says his cattle are organic "by default" because they eat only grass from organic pasture. No supplements.</font></span></p>
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<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">He hauls 20 to 30 truckloads of yard waste totaling about 50 tons annually from the City of Clover and adds his cows' manure, biodynamic manure and sheet rock, among other things.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">He was introduced to organic farming by a friend a decade ago. Now he reads about it voraciously. That led to discovery of biodynamics, introduced by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner in the 1930s.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">So he bought some BD 500, a biodynamic inoculate for his compost pile.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">"Lo and behold, I couldn't believe the result," he said. "Turnips so big they wouldn't fit in my hat. It turned compost into soil as rich as can be. The mysticism of biodynamics drives people away. It did me at first, but it worked and I wanted to know why."</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">Then he employed the cow horn formula to make his own BD 500. He uses one pint per 20 tons of compost, which computes to 1 ounce per gallon of water to spray on 1 acre.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">But chemicals and commerce are fast encroaching on his little farm. Because the mail is now radiated, he doesn't want to order that way.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">"When some of the older farmers die out, it's going to be big, commercial farms and buying our processed, radiated food from Mexico and South America," he believes.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">He operates his farm and produce stand for the joy of it, not for profit. And none of his children want to farm.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">"My farm will probably be made into lots for houses," he said. "They'll have rich land. Good gardens."</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">Meanwhile, Mr. Wizard will enjoy his customers, his organic playpen and his barn swallows.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000">"Now I'm not saying we draw barn swallows because of biodynamics," he cautioned with a grin, "but they like it here."</font></span></p>
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</table>Children Call For Changetag:xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com,2009-11-08:2327957:BlogPost:155402009-11-08T21:47:28.000ZDonah Ollilahttps://xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com/profile/DonahOllila
My daughter started 7th grade last week. There is such a great change in who she is now compared to last year. She and her peers are so much more aware of the world around them. They are beginning to question everything, and want to know why. They are paying attention to politics, and creating sustainable ideas to change the environment. I just love hearing about their ideas. I think that they are so much more conscious than we ever were. They are simply amazing. However, this does leave adults…
My daughter started 7th grade last week. There is such a great change in who she is now compared to last year. She and her peers are so much more aware of the world around them. They are beginning to question everything, and want to know why. They are paying attention to politics, and creating sustainable ideas to change the environment. I just love hearing about their ideas. I think that they are so much more conscious than we ever were. They are simply amazing. However, this does leave adults around them in a quandary. Change can be difficult. It is really easy to give a child a rule and tell them follow it, or insist that they do what we say, but not what we do. Guess what? How is that really working for us? It isn’t. These children are brighter and quicker. It is my belief that children are born to teach us who we are. They are here to challenge our ideas and belief systems so that we can grow, change and heal. My daughter’s classmates did just that.<br />
<br />
The school put out a student handbook that had to be signed by students and parents. The students did not agree with the rules and regulations so they put together a petition against it. To my dismay, instead of the school using it as a teaching opportunity their solution was to remove the student signature page. I am so disappointed. This was such a great opportunity to teach. I had a vision of a student teacher debate, of teachers sitting down and picking apart the rules with the students, and discussing how to make them better and clearer. I saw a real democracy and progressive visionary thinking. I was so wrong. We are loosing our children in education, and in community. We need to realize that children are not dropping out because they lack the ability to learn. We cannot blame it all on parents or even on schools. We do not listen. We do not allow them to be heard. We are not interested in progression, and change. Rules are not meant to stand the test of time, but they are meant to be tested. If they did not our society would not be where it is. These children are being born to assist us in change. They are going to continue to make us pay attention, step up, and look in the mirror. I am what many may call a rebel parent. I teach my daughter to not take things at face value. Question the rules, not just follow them. I want her to make her own choices, and feel empowered to do so. I teach her to follow her own heart not what someone tells her. I also teach her how to practice discernment. Teaching our children is not just, about what we find in books. I always consider what kind of adult I am creating for the future. I call to parents and educators to step up, listen, and share. It is from your stories the children will learn. It is from listening to shall you. Have courage for change and growth. It can be miraculous.Co-Creative Parentingtag:xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com,2009-11-08:2327957:BlogPost:155392009-11-08T21:45:31.000ZDonah Ollilahttps://xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com/profile/DonahOllila
I happened to mention to a few friends, that I would love to move back to NY, how I discussed the idea of moving with my daughter, and she is onboard with the decision. I received a look of surprise that was both amusing and unnerving. Did I say something wrong? “But, you are the parent”, was the response that I received. Yes, I am the parent, but I believe in co-creation. I cannot create something that involves another human being that is capable of making choices, and expect a good outcome…
I happened to mention to a few friends, that I would love to move back to NY, how I discussed the idea of moving with my daughter, and she is onboard with the decision. I received a look of surprise that was both amusing and unnerving. Did I say something wrong? “But, you are the parent”, was the response that I received. Yes, I am the parent, but I believe in co-creation. I cannot create something that involves another human being that is capable of making choices, and expect a good outcome unless they are on board with my creation. My daughter and I co-create. Co-creation keeps the household that we share in joyous harmony. I am not saying that I do not have rules for her to follow. I am not saying that I do not insist that she does what I say. I simply recognize that certain decisions involve both of us. When she was little, I learned that if I forced her to do something that she was not in alignment with, the resistance was so great that I would work until the point of exhaustion and ultimately regret it. I believe that parenting should be a co-creative process. We are not the owners, nor the dictators of our children. We are meant to guide them through there experiences, and be there when they need assistance. We as parents are here to teach them how to move through the world with ease and success. The rest involves co-creation. For instance, if I think we need to create a new experience such as a new car, I let Giordana know what I am trying to achieve and she assists me in that creation. I started doing this with her when she was about 2 or 3 years old. . I would ask if I could speak to the wise Giordana (meaning the wise soul that existed within her). Her face would change, and I would then hear a different voice, it was funny. I would inform her of what I wanted to do, and then she would pause for a moment and say “o.k. it is done”, then go back to whatever she was doing. When children are small, they have an innate understanding of the Law of Attraction. They know how to create exactly what they want. We as adults destroy their understanding of this Law by telling them all of the reasons why they cannot have, or do something. Have you ever noticed the look on a child’s face when you tell them no? They always have an incredulous expression. We are meant to be creative beings. A child accepting no goes against their natural intuitive abilities. As adults, we forget how easy it is. For us it requires, discipline, and focus until we remember the ease. My form of parenting may be a bit different, but imagine creating your family environment without resistance. For this process to work, what is also required of me is to be open to different ideas. I have to be allowing, and willing to see other possibilities. I must be humble, respectful, and listen. I do not parent with control and manipulation. I parent with the understanding that we are all beings of light; we are connected and have a purpose. It works for me!!!The Possible Horrors of Halloweentag:xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com,2009-10-30:2327957:BlogPost:154562009-10-30T13:30:00.000ZBest American Psychics/Healershttps://xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com/profile/BestAmericanPsychicsHealers
Due to its history, Halloween has had a close relationship with the metaphysical. It has its roots in an ancient Celtic festival, Samhain, meaning Summer’s End. The festival was all about the death of summer and the beginning of the Celtic New Year. The world of living and the world of the dead were believed to have merged on this night. The spirits of the dead supposedly returned to the earth and this made it easier for Celtic priests to predict the future. Many of our current Halloween…
Due to its history, Halloween has had a close relationship with the metaphysical. It has its roots in an ancient Celtic festival, Samhain, meaning Summer’s End. The festival was all about the death of summer and the beginning of the Celtic New Year. The world of living and the world of the dead were believed to have merged on this night. The spirits of the dead supposedly returned to the earth and this made it easier for Celtic priests to predict the future. Many of our current Halloween customs such as bonfires, costumes, trick-or-treating, and ghost stories can be traced back to activities of the festival. However, witches and black cats began to be associated with Halloween at a later time. After Christianity took hold, the festival of Samhain turned into All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day. People began viewing the Celtic Druids as witches; sometimes witches that could change into cats. People began to be murdered for this and cats were slaughtered.<br />
<br />
The sad thing is that some of this superstition is still around today. Animal shelters have a markedly more difficult time adopting out black cats, and even black dogs, throughout the year. There have been some cases of the torture of cats, especially black ones, around Halloween. In addition, some people adopt black cats from animal shelters for the novelty of it, only to end up not caring for them. It is for this reason that many shelters will not adopt out black cats in the weeks leading up to Halloween.<br />
<br />
I implore you to please know that these animals are not harmful and deserve to be cared for in the same way that all others are. If you own pets and live in an area where there will be high levels of Halloween activity, please keep your pet inside. We hope and trust that these cases are few and far between, but it is always wise to be safe.<br />
<br />
We wish you all a very safe and healthy Halloween. I ask that you consider the animals as well as the children. When you are buying that $5.00 bag of candy, might you consider giving the animals a treat as well and donating that same amount to Hope Through Havoc, a non-profit animal rescue org? You can do so by going to our site and donating through PayPal under Critter Construction. Let’s share our love and light with all! Blessings to you all.<br />
<br />
Hope Through Havoc<br />
<a href="http://www.hopethroughhavoc.org">www.hopethroughhavoc.org</a><br />
(Best American Psychics/Best American Healers)SHE'S HERE!!tag:xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com,2009-09-15:2327957:BlogPost:150402009-09-15T13:34:49.000ZJennhttps://xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com/profile/JenniferKruzewski
So Maya Lynn decided to come Saturday afternon.<br />
After a long labor, but a REAL quick one push delivery she arrived Saturday September 12, 2009 at 5:09.<br />
She's 7lb. 11 oz. and 20 1/2" long.<br />
We came home Sunday afternoon and have all been doing really well.<br />
I will update with photos when I get time to download them.
So Maya Lynn decided to come Saturday afternon.<br />
After a long labor, but a REAL quick one push delivery she arrived Saturday September 12, 2009 at 5:09.<br />
She's 7lb. 11 oz. and 20 1/2" long.<br />
We came home Sunday afternoon and have all been doing really well.<br />
I will update with photos when I get time to download them.New Day Camp Near Rock Hill/Fort Milltag:xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com,2009-04-07:2327957:BlogPost:114832009-04-07T16:00:00.000ZDiannehttps://xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com/profile/Dianne
Greetings All,<br />
For some of you with young children (13 and under) looking for summertime day camp activities in the Rock Hill/Fort Mill area, you need to know about a new 150 acre island on the coast of Rock Hill (Catawba River) called Camp Canaan. In the world of day camp dollars, this incredible place is a steal at $175/week per child (which works out to paying $4.00/hour for daycare). Anyway, please access the link below for a radio broadcast which showcases the camp and also the website for…
Greetings All,<br />
For some of you with young children (13 and under) looking for summertime day camp activities in the Rock Hill/Fort Mill area, you need to know about a new 150 acre island on the coast of Rock Hill (Catawba River) called Camp Canaan. In the world of day camp dollars, this incredible place is a steal at $175/week per child (which works out to paying $4.00/hour for daycare). Anyway, please access the link below for a radio broadcast which showcases the camp and also the website for the site itself. Happy Spring! DiMax<br />
<br />
p.s. There will be daily bus service to and from Camp Canaan for kids from the Ballentyne area!!!!<br />
<br />
<br />
Info at <a href="http://www.campcanaan.org">www.campcanaan.org</a><br />
<br />
Click below then scroll to March 26th to hear Nick Wimmer, the camp director, share on the radio!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wrhi.com/view/straight-talk">http://www.wrhi.com/view/straight-talk</a>Catholic Church & religious exemption to vaccinestag:xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com,2009-03-27:2327957:BlogPost:111762009-03-27T00:39:43.000ZLisa Jillanihttps://xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com/profile/LisaJillani
If you have been turned down by local Catholic schools because your child has not had the "required" vaccines, please contact Jill Conner at jillconner@earthlink.net. She is working to get the local Catholic schools to accept the state-sanctioned religious exemption. Charlotte is one of only a few places in the US that does not accept a rel. ex.
If you have been turned down by local Catholic schools because your child has not had the "required" vaccines, please contact Jill Conner at jillconner@earthlink.net. She is working to get the local Catholic schools to accept the state-sanctioned religious exemption. Charlotte is one of only a few places in the US that does not accept a rel. ex.The articletag:xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com,2008-11-16:2327957:BlogPost:59902008-11-16T16:42:06.000ZBernadettehttps://xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com/profile/BernadetteSanders
<p style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" height="139" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1559782891?profile=original" width="115"></img></p>
I've been so excited about this profile. I've been sharing it with everyone. So here I go again.... Check out the artictle written on me in "Today's Charlotte Women" before the end of November. You can find it online at http://issuu.com/todayscharlottewoman/docs/oct08full?mode=embed&documentId=081001224915-ea739ca91bcd48f7999d207700f15653&layout=grey My profile starts on page 36. You can also pick up the magazine at Harris…
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1559782891?profile=original" alt="" width="115" height="139"/></p>
I've been so excited about this profile. I've been sharing it with everyone. So here I go again.... Check out the artictle written on me in "Today's Charlotte Women" before the end of November. You can find it online at http://issuu.com/todayscharlottewoman/docs/oct08full?mode=embed&documentId=081001224915-ea739ca91bcd48f7999d207700f15653&layout=grey My profile starts on page 36. You can also pick up the magazine at Harris Teeter.Bird Feeding Research Projecttag:xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com,2008-11-12:2327957:BlogPost:57882008-11-12T23:35:13.000ZKaren Davishttps://xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com/profile/KarenDavis
This came from a friend. It mentions God’s creation but I think the project is secular, so use it how it suits your family. It does indeed have a link for homeschoolers and it also mentions doing this as group projects potentially. I think anyone can participate as well, not just homeschoolers.<br />
<br />
~Karen<br />
<br />
<br />
The following is from another loop.<br />
<br />
There is an awesome research project going on each winter through<br />
Cornell, and they need the help of people all across the US. For $15,<br />
you get a feeder…
This came from a friend. It mentions God’s creation but I think the project is secular, so use it how it suits your family. It does indeed have a link for homeschoolers and it also mentions doing this as group projects potentially. I think anyone can participate as well, not just homeschoolers.<br />
<br />
~Karen<br />
<br />
<br />
The following is from another loop.<br />
<br />
There is an awesome research project going on each winter through<br />
Cornell, and they need the help of people all across the US. For $15,<br />
you get a feeder & kit, then you count the birds in your yard twice a<br />
week during the winter & submit the data. It gives you something fun to<br />
do, while learning about nature & science (even math) with your kids,<br />
and helping scientists gather data. Their website provides all the info<br />
and even a homeschooling link for those of us homeschooling. It<br />
includes a free science module to use to supplement your curriculum.<br />
Just another neat way to learn more about God's creation. Here's the<br />
link: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/ and be sure to click on the<br />
homeschool/education tab too!Kale in english muffins, yay!tag:xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com,2008-10-06:2327957:BlogPost:27192008-10-06T02:00:30.000ZCara Yarahttps://xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com/profile/CaraYara
Today, Jake was making bread and asked me if I wanted him to add any extra grains or healthy stuff. I suggested flaxseed meal, so that went in. Then amazingly he suggested adding pureed kale! This is coming from the same man who looked at his plate with disdain the first time I served kale last year. So he whipped up a cup of pureed kale and added it to the dough. Tonight he used some of the dough to make english muffins. I'm curious to the kids' reactions when they are served english muffins…
Today, Jake was making bread and asked me if I wanted him to add any extra grains or healthy stuff. I suggested flaxseed meal, so that went in. Then amazingly he suggested adding pureed kale! This is coming from the same man who looked at his plate with disdain the first time I served kale last year. So he whipped up a cup of pureed kale and added it to the dough. Tonight he used some of the dough to make english muffins. I'm curious to the kids' reactions when they are served english muffins with brown and green flecks in them! One more step towards better health.Recycling is bad?tag:xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com,2008-09-18:2327957:BlogPost:1532008-09-18T20:58:38.000ZCara Yarahttps://xploringholisticalternatives.ning.com/profile/CaraYara
My 6 year old told me the other day that "recycling isn't good for the environment". That comment was pretty much blasphemy in our household since we are avid recyclers. I asked her what she meant. She elaborated by saying, " well, in order to recycle you need to use a lot of <i>water</i> to clean the stuff and then trucks have to use <i>gas</i> to take the stuff to be recycled, and then you use <i>electricity</i> to run the machines that recycle the stuff". I agreed with her. She went on "but…
My 6 year old told me the other day that "recycling isn't good for the environment". That comment was pretty much blasphemy in our household since we are avid recyclers. I asked her what she meant. She elaborated by saying, " well, in order to recycle you need to use a lot of <i>water</i> to clean the stuff and then trucks have to use <i>gas</i> to take the stuff to be recycled, and then you use <i>electricity</i> to run the machines that recycle the stuff". I agreed with her. She went on "but if we RE-USE the stuff we only have to use water to clean it, that's way better than recycling!" I was very impressed with her understanding of energy conservation and the amount of thought she put into coming up with her theory. I guess she does listen to me!