Casey O’Neill is a farmer and owner of Happy Day Farms in Laytonville, Calif. The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the Mendocino Voice.
The alchemy of human connection is one of the great treasures, right up there with fresh air, clean water and good food. These are the gifts that gave us life, and that make that life worth living. I’ve been reflecting on the joys of family, friendship and fellowship, appreciating the ways that we come together, the spark that grows when we connect.
Those relationships are the driving forces in my life, the sense of sharing. The joy that manifests between us is the sum greater than its parts. I’m energized by connection, fueled by the love that flows from an endless wellspring. When I hold this current, life flows with ease, difficulties are but steps on the path, and life is joy. I remind myself to watch out for the ways I get bogged down with fatigue or frustration, and to focus on love and care.
Brother Lito and I have been getting out on sales trips around Norcal, connecting and sharing the goods that our farm produces with our loving care. At one of our meetings in Sac a man said to us, “You guys are out here rocking for the love,” and that summed it up. We like to say “We brought the love to share,” and we’re glad to send the herb and farm goods we work so hard to produce out into the world.
Growing plants and tending land are acts of love, carried out in their best expression in a calm, measured state. The great lesson for me is to learn not to rush, to move at the speed of right work. We were building fences the other day, and brother Echo told a story about our dear friend and neighbor who passed on a few years back. Ken used to say that you should work in a way that makes good memories. It was a lesson I needed to hear because I was feeling frustration with the work and the rush to get to the next project.
A life of physical labor can be joy or drudgery depending on what you make of it, and I’m reminded of the joy when I work with others. The alchemy that happens in the jokes and laughter create bonds and good memories, keeping the work light and sweet. Even the soreness in the body becomes transformed into the glow of good work done, gentling the tiredness into mellow feelings at the end of a long day.
The periods of balmy January sunshine are one of my favorite things about living on this ridgeline. Because we’re above the inversion layer, we don’t get the cold that freezes the valleys. The last two weeks have seen mornings in the 40s and afternoons in the 60s, making for perfect working weather. The sun is beginning to strengthen after the days of Persephone, and the landscape is responding to the tender caresses. Crops have begun to grow again as well, bringing me great joy and comfort.
One of the great stressors in my life is the feeling of scarcity around production levels. It feels like a failing when I go to market without enough food for the people who come to buy from my table and support our farm, but I remind myself that each winter we grow more food than the one before. I feel the excitement of new lessons and equipment that will make for better quality and more production in the years to come.
Because low production levels mean stress, the warming rays of the sun are a balm to my psyche, nourishing my spirit just as they nourish the crops in their growth. That magic never ceases to amaze me, the deep alchemy of sunshine converted into plant energy that feeds my family and community. I stand in awe, delighted to live in service to that magic, to watch the seeds transform into growing beings that I tend unto their conclusions as food that furthers the journey.
New tools make a huge difference, and I’m riding the manic high of sunshine and upgrades to our practices. The new wheel hoe cuts my labor for clearing beds by about 75 percent, removing the stoop labor of pulling plants by hand in favor of the quick sweeps of the 12” oscillating hoe. This is an absolute game changer for the quick rotation salad mixes and tender greens for which bed-clearing is the biggest impediment to the process.
I’m also installing the Low-Cat Conversion Kit for my metal EMT conduit low tunnels. Heavy-duty metal loops attach to the conduit about a foot up from the ends so that when pushed into the soil the loop is at ground level. The cover goes on, pulled tight and staked down at the ends, and then the bungees go over the top from the metal loop on one side to the other, holding down the cover without the need for sandbags or T-posts. It’s cleaner and easier, especially for venting on warm days when I can just slide the cloth up without having to move weights.
As dawn breaks, I think about the day to come and feel the excitement of good effort on a sunny day. I’m grateful to do this work, appreciative of the support I receive and glad to pay it forward where I can. As always, much love and great success to you on your journey!