Back Porch Farm

I said that at the rate I was proceeding, I would certainly have the tomato trellis finished by January. So what was this miracle that contradicted my prediction, granting me a finished trellis a mere 24 hrs later? Well, the clue here is Isla and I were not a part of it, or not directly at least.

This summer, a local Taoseno started an incredible site on Facebook: The Taos Barter Bank. It is similar to a time bank (which was also launched in Taos this summer), but it is only between two people, and your time is only one of countless things you can barter with and for. It has the same sort of goal as Freecycle: Let’s do what we can to keep our crap out of the landfill and save money in the process. Reuse first. Last weekend I bartered a bag of veggies, eggs and a local, grass-fed, organic roast for a Mad River canoe (we pack our freezer with a 1/4 cow each fall). Granted, it needs some serious renovation, but nothing out of the scope of what we can handle. I got rid of a massive, butt-ugly dog house that had been dumped off on me before I knew what it really looked like. I didn’t need anything in trade for that eye sore – just the fact my friend came and picked it up was a gift. This week I am trading kale and eggs for 4 used ammo boxes (indispensable for raft trips). And 2 weeks ago I traded beets for buckets.

There is another amazing barter system available which is worldwide. It is called WWOOF, which stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. The only set agreement is that workers trade a 1/2 day of work for each day of room and board. Everything else with the barter is between the worker and the farm. I signed up on the WWOOF-USA site, registering our farm as ready to host a WWOOFer for the month of August. Unfortunately, I received no responses as I had only discovered this treasure at the end of July. But through the Taos Barter Bank, and Randy’s network at the BLM recreation area he manages, I did find a young college student and 2 retired couples who have done various work trades on our farm for a CSA-type bag of produce after each stint. Some days it’s just a pile-o-veggies, and other days we add frozen beef, homemade beer, eggs, honey (last year’s), crock made sauerkraut, fresh made bread, frozen fresh basil pesto, frozen salsa verde made from last year’s garden, pickled mixed veggies, etc.

The college student was a hard worker and she spent 3 or 4 mornings picking up broken glass and rusted metal around our property. We live at the dead end of a subdivision on one of the historical lands grants divvied out by the King of Spain generations ago. We have found old midden piles of refuse that seem to date back to the 40’s – pre-landfill days. And we have also found midden piles that are much older – those of the Native Americans that first settled this desert valley, the Taos Pueblo Indians. I must admit, the multi-colored pot shards evoke much more excitement for me than the rusted metal.  I feared for the little feet of our daughter, pets and future goats and was having a hard time getting to the mundane task myself. Big thanks to Heidi for donning her Ipod earplugs and getting down to it.

The two retired couples are volunteer camp ground hosts in my husband’s rec area. Over the years, as they’ve returned again and again to this magical stretch of the Rio Grande Gorge, they have become our extended family. Jim and Tesa are avid gardeners from Georgia, and Ray and Melinda are originally from Ohio, although I more think of them as locals now. They live in their RVs along the river bank, or at the single apartment at the Rio Grande Gorge Visitor’s Center. Ray is a retired contractor and Jim is a excellent carpenter himself. They enjoy each other’s company and bang away at projects while Tesa weeds and harvests and Melinda teaches Isla old nursery rhymes and children’s songs that I never would have been able to dredge up myself. So far Ray and Jim have built a “latilla” (aspen sapling) wind fence on the windward side of the garden area (we get unbelievable spring winds in our desert that can decimate and desiccate our spring transplants in one afternoon), a beautiful step stool for Isla to access the “big potty”, and now our tomato trellis. It’s amazing what a couple of old farts can accomplish in a couple of hours. Next in line is a tool shed with attached, covered, garden work bench and sink. One more small step towards my goal of “a place for everything and everything in it’s place”.

But the biggest gift they give me is a relief from my torturous “project fever” that can keep me awake at night scheming and designing. Of course, I would prefer EVERYTHING I envision to be accomplished at lightening speed (whip in hand), but this pace, 2-3 hrs a week, is a good exercise in character and patience building. It reminds me to breath and be present, here, now, every moment of the waking day. It’s so easy to get sucked into living in the future when my focus is always on visions and dreams. Today, instead, I will look backwards at how far we have come…. how much we have accomplished…. how much promise is tucked in the depths of this approaching thunder cloud…

Everything in it’s own time.