Indian Pipes aka Ghost Flowers, Ghost Plant, or Corpse Plant

Well I was out taking a walk through the forest near our ve, when I looked down and noticed some strange white nubs emerging from the ground. Memories washed over me, as it has been over 20 years since I have seen Indian Pipes! I was ecstatic to say the least and so had to run for the camera. 

So I gathered up the children and started off on an adventure. They were quite curious and I was happy to share a bit of a lesson with them - starting with lesson one DO NOT EAT THESE! We make sure to bring that up as a first topic when out gathering or hunting for herbs. Unless you know 100% what it is and Mom or Dad agrees...it doesn't enter your mouth.

It takes a very special relationship for Indian Pipes to grow, as they are a parasitic plant that does not produce chlorophyl and so cannot produce its own food. It will have its roots tap into the mycelia of a fungus. Then it is able to take nutrients from the fungus. The fungus also has its mycelia attached to the roots of a tree [mycorrihizal relationship - where the tree and fungus share nutrients with one another]. The Indian Pipes do not share anything in the relationship and so therefore are considered parasitic, though they do not cause any damage to the fungus or tree.

It serves as food for a variety of insects as it flowers and spreads its seeds. Once picked or after the have gone to seed they turn black very quickly. The presence of Indian Pipes is a good sign of very rich forests! [That means our relationship and stewardship with the forest is working!!!]

[[The following information is shared for informational purposes only. It is not meant to be used for diagnosis or treatment of any illness or injury. Always consult with a physician or other qualified medical care provider concerning the diagnosis and treatment of any illness or injury.]]

There are various medicinal properties for this plant as well. It can be used as an antispasmodic, as a febrifuge, as a pain reliever,  for inflammation of the eyes and skin, bunions, and warts,  as a nervine, and a sedative. It is also known to possess hallucinogenic properties and was used for vision questing. It is known to be TOXIC as well. 

Motivation and Stewardship

What truly motivates the life we strive to live? There is without a doubt a deep spiritual answer to this question. In fact there are many answers to this question, none of less value than the others. There is one answer though, that stands forth every single day. One answer that is there when we wake up in the morning, follows us throughout the day and through the night. Always there unspoken or not, by some it would seem forgotten. That answer is our children.

They are the progeny we will leave to inherit the Earth. They are the ones who will continue our journey and in turn prepare it for our descendants. As parents we work hard to provide for our children, to offer them  the best of opportunities, to meet their wants and needs, so that they can grow to become happy, healthy, and strong young adults. Every action we start, for good or ill, plays an important role in forming the mind and realities of our children. I think sometimes this can be forgotten, as many lessons are taught through the perceptions of your actions. They are always watching, listening,and absorbing the lessons of life. It is essential we live in a manner that we would hope they will emulate and give them the basis to make sound and honorable decisions in their own lives when the time comes.

We are all stewards of the Earth, not masters. It is our duty to live in harmony and strive to maintain that healthy balance, for their sake. When I see the children out picking flowers for mom, and being sure to only take one and leave the rest as they found them, or my daughter rescuing an abandoned baby mouse or tadpoles from a drying puddle, or my son picking up litter off the street simply because it is there - I know they are learning these lessons well.

"Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." --Native American Proverb

Harvesting Our Own Meat & Vegetables

A very tough topic for some to comprehend or understand I suppose, but in my honest opinion - what other option is there? Our society has become so out of touch with one of the most basic needs for life, our own food. People seem not to care about what is put onto their plates or into their bodies as long as they can get it fast and with as little work as possible. I don't need to go into all the chemicals, hormones, and drugs that are pumped into our food creating a completely poisonous cocktail that we inhale and actually ask for more. Nor do I need to recount the numerous amounts of diseases that are increasing, the negative changes and mutations to our bodies and minds, or irreparable harm that is enacted upon the Earth and the animals that provide for us. If you are reading this post, then I am sure you are aware of all these things and more. These are some of the reasons that we have made the decision to raise our own animals and grow our own vegetables 100% free of chemicals, hormones, antibiotics, etc. We do not feed them anything unnatural. We don't complain about how long it takes them to grow. We use herbal remedies to deal with any sickness. We do not use fertilizers or pesticides. We follow the natural rhythms of life and allow them to guide us. If the lettuce doesn't grow, we try to figure out why and try a new location. If there is a problem with one of the animals, we find a natural way to fix it or we make a decision. Not everything is meant to live or succeed. Everything/everyone fills their purpose - whether or not it is the one we want them to fulfill or not. We are not the masters of the world and do not control the powers of life and death. This does not mean we simply give up either, we do work to create the best life possible for all creatures and plants that we take on. Nor do we try to change them either. We allow our animals the freedoms  and opportunities that they would naturally desire - to live on good ground not concrete floors, to dust bathe or wallow in the mud, to choose which seed, root, or worm they wish to eat. When the time comes to harvest the vegetables we do so by hand, with care and with no waste. Just as when it is time to harvest our animals we do so in a manner of honor and respect. Their life ends as they lived it. We pray and give thanks, share in the moment and act swiftly. When we sit at our table and enjoy a fresh home-cooked meal, we know where it came from, the life it lived, and are honored to be blessed with such.

An Introduction and a Brief History

I am a 37 year old, happily married husband and father of seven [ranging from 9 months old to 12 years old]. A number of years ago, my wife and I decided that it was time to get back to what we like to call the 'old ways'. At the time we lived in your classic 'city lot with a white picket fence'. Having both grown up in the 'sticks' we both had a bit of knowledge and so started bringing the country to the city. That didn't last long - our crops soon overtook our land, our ve was always a question around the neighborhood, tanning hides, processing deer, fish and turtles, performing our rites always watching to see who was peeking out of what window next door....it just clearly was not what we wanted nor could accept. Our beliefs were also causing issues for our children in school. We also knew we could not afford to buy our dream of large number of acres in the country, so we plotted, planned, and kept to our path. I normally hunted on my brother's property, and one day after climbing out of the woods bow in hand, I was greeted with a posting across the road from my brother - a tax sale notice posted on the land across the way. After all the research I found it was clean and that it was going to be put to auction for the taxes - as long as the taxes were not paid by the deadline. The day before the auction, I placed a call to check for the final time and it appeared the taxes had been paid. A shame, but we thought we would continue waiting and watching - knowing one day we would find what we sought. I just couldn't get that property out of my head though - it was 16 acres directly across from my brother's 13 acres and surrounded by state forests. So we tracked down the owner and wrote her a letter, explaining our situation and our plans for the future and offering to purchase the land if at all possible. A month later we received a letter in the mail from the lady, hearing our plans and about our family she said that if we would meet her she would give us the land. She and her family had no further use for it, as her husband had passed and her children had no desire for it. Long story short - we met, filed the papers and paid the taxes and became the proud owners of our 16 acres of untamed wilderness. It came to be that her son who was a bit 'touched' had been living there. After spending several months attempting to have him vacate [though out original plan was to include him in our design if he wished it, he did not, and after meeting him we knew it would never work] he finally did leave. We worked on reclaiming the land and making the house habitable. It was March and we were finally ready, after the girls got back from their weekend retreat at the Girl Scout Camp we were going to completely move in. On Monday, my wife dropped me off to work and drove out to get everything ready for our first night....when she got there everything was burned to the ground. No fire trucks, just piles of ash everywhere. Apparently it was never seen or reported and we lost everything we owned except what was packed in the van. After the police investigation it was labeled arson, etc, etc and finally there were no answers other than 'some delinquents must have been out causing trouble'. It was a tough time, but we were all alive and well and that was what mattered. Thankfully we had waited to stay there or else it may have been a completely different story. We made a decision that we would buy a tent, move to the land and start fresh from the ashes - and that is exactly what we did - us, the kids, 2 dogs, a cat and our 30 chicks. Cooking on a fire, living without electricity, running water, or anything else we spent the next 8 months rebuilding a 1960's mobile home that was also on the property, planting and living. One of the best damn years ever [and they keep getting better!]. That was three years ago and our 'homestead' has truly flourished one small step at a time.

Oak Shire Farms - What's in a name?

What's in a name?

I suppose one must always ask such a simple question in the beginning. Some will tell you nothing and others much - but in the end the answer lies with you. Since it is the first thing shared, I will try to deliver to you how we came up with the name of our homestead so that we can begin together. 

For several years we had been searching for a parcel of land that would remove us from the urban chaos and societal 'norms' of living in the city and allow us to begin building our dreams. It just so happens that when the opportunity arose, we found a nice rural 16 acre parcel that had once been part of a larger farm. Roughly   80% of which was covered in forest. It also so happens that a good bit of that forest is composed of oak trees. Which was another blessing, because of the special affinity we have for oaks. So we arrive at OAK.

Now if you ask most anyone the first thing that comes to mind when they hear the word Shire [or so we like to think] is Hobbits. Personally, I have been a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien for most of my life. I introduced him to my wife who also swiftly became a fan. So when you have parents who are such devout fans, well then surely one cannot blame their seven children for being such as well! We always pondered what life would be like in the Shire and often question the amount of 'hobbit' in our blood. Hence the arrival of SHIRE.

In our desire to return to 'the old ways' we look back at our ancestors, and the lives they lived. Life in an agrarian society was much different than today to say the least. Our roots rest in the foundations of rural life, of taking care of our needs the best we could with whatever means the Earth provided us. Many of our ancestors lived on 'family farms' a.k.a homesteads. The term 'farm' today has taken such on such a twisted form as agribusiness and animal science has replaced the reality of what rural farm life once was. We never would hope to aspire to such a place as that and will never meet the definition of a farm in today's world. In truth we do not seek to 'make a living' in modern terms by selling acres of crops or heads of livestock, instead we dream of making a living in the truest meaning of the word. We don't sell our eggs, meat, or vegetables. We may barter or gift them with friends or family but that is as far as it goes. Now to reference back to the Shire, as any of the kids will tell you the Shire is covered with farms and so is our homestead. Each of the children has taken on their own special interests as the opportunities arose. For instance one of our daughter's takes care of the ducks and so she has her own Duck Farm, or one of our sons takes care of the rabbits and has his own Rabbit Farm, dad has his Pig Farm, etc. I am sure you get the idea. With all of our various 'farms' coming together we developed the FARMS.

So in a very short version, I have shared with you at how we arrived at the name of our homestead:
OAK SHIRE FARMS

I hope this helps you to answer the question of "What's in a name?"