The Open Gate Farm On Camano Island, Washington

Dear Friends:

The stand may be closed at the moment, but Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.  It’s not too early to be thinking sweet thoughts about your sweetie!  We know from personal experience they tend to be fond of a good cinnamon roll.  If your sweetie isn’t sweet enough, a couple goodies from The Open Gate Farm Bakery should do the trick. We’ll be reopening just in time, February 1^st with great baked goods made with fresh and wholesome ingredients.

Until then, you can always call us and order up a loaf or two or three to tide you over.  We may be on holiday, but not so distant a holiday that we or Kathryn, our stand in farmer, couldn’t find the ingredients to make you your favorite.  I believe there may even be a loaf of whole wheat left this Friday from an order already booked.  Call the farm if you want it!  Check your challah, it may need reloading.

This is a charming time of year.  The hard holidays are behind us, the new year lies before us all clean and uncommitted.  Dreams and ideas begin to bud on the branches of our lives and the chickens are handling the weeding this week.  This is when we haul out big sheets of paper and sharp pencils and begin laying out the new year.   Or at least our plans for it.  Always though with the admonition that if you want to make God laugh, make some plans.  However we press on, ignoring the cosmic chuckles, and start drawing lines.

Kale.  We have to really get serious about raising kale.  The demand last year outstripped our hard working plants.  A few of those dinosaur guys are still out there, waving their hands at passing cars.  They want to be back.  Probably a whole bed of them.  And in this election year, life would not be complete without the white and red Russian kales shouting political statements at each other.  If there is going to be a revolution in the garden, it will start with those militants.  And Scotch.  A late season arrival at the stand last year, those thrifty bunches actually became the most popular.  Lettuce, carrots, and beets will complete the signature crop section of the garden.  Then on to figuring out where to hang the beans and tuck in the squash and hide the radishes.

It’s a time of looking forward and back at the same time.  Kind of like tinkering with one’s genealogy.  There’s value in this.  Learning that your farmer’s wife has great grandparents buried in southern Oregon only 20 miles from where your farmer has great grandparents buried is kind of neat.  His had left Ohio to live with a son in the West.  Both families were farmers and given the population of the area then probably knew each other.  So we’ve perhaps known each other for generations apparently but had to rediscover each other in Sacramento 40+ years ago.  Maybe that’s why we get along so well.

When one has an affinity, be it for the soil or the sound of music or the heart of another human or an orphan in Mexico, it is worthwhile to consider why.  It could be genetic and not able to be fought off.  Now that we know both our roots had dirt under the finger nails it helps us see why what we are doing comes so naturally.  It explains why for us the most lost day of all is a day we don’t get outside.  Even in the rain.  And the wind.  But not the snow.  It makes it easier on trips.  We know stopping at nurseries and farmer’s markets and orphanages will be on both of our to do lists.

Your farmer was raised as a Quaker (the silent ones – “Hah! Not you!” she says).  And her father was raised in a Friend’s Church (the not silent Quaker side of the denomination).  And so is it any wonder they share a strong faith together?  Is it any wonder they find their closest friends among the gentle people of the world?

When we know these kinds of things about each other, it makes looking forward into the future more fun.  It means the two of us can consider kale seriously.  It means we can count on each other down to the DNA level of our faith and practice to be there, to care, to love, and to live fully with each other.  It means we can face the future knowing that we’ll have help pulling any weeds that show up in the garden of life, the garden we are now planning with paper and pencil and ruler in this pause between the seasons.

In this interim between the fading holidays and the budding new year, it might be fruitful to find all you share in common with those in your life.  You may discover fields of flowers that you can grow together which will tell you where your gardens should be in the year ahead.  You can ask how parents and grandparents felt about fields and food and fellowship and friends.  How did your grandparents feel about living where and how they did?  What struggles did they have and how did they overcome them?  Guessing is o.k., but your DNA may give you some hints.  It’s a grand conversation.  Looking at what we share builds homes, families, and communities.  Focusing on differences breaks down relationships.

Let’s take some time now and build.  Let’s find the common ground which can bear flowers and fruit in this new year ahead.  If we do, it will be a charming year, a year of memories and joy and our futures will be the richer for it.

Happy Hoeing,

Jon and Elaine, the linked up farmers, Snickers the thoughtful dog, Mystery the Quakerly cat, Ben and his flock of weeding hens, and the good parson, Dudley Brown and his flock of planning ducks, all of whom live joyfully at The Open Gate Farm.

Now here's a pair to draw to!

Dear Friends:

Our hearts have been stolen by the stollen.  This German Christmas delight is a loaf of rich bread filled with nuts and raisins and cranberries and candied cherries and other good stuff.  We sold all we made last week in about an hour on Saturday.  This week we plan to have some, at least at the start of the day, every day.  You’ll find it tucked in by the cinnamon rolls and focaccia.  If you want to be sure to get some, call now and reserve it.  We already have orders so that might be prudent.  Pictures are at our web site, www.theopengatefarm.com so hop on over there and admire what $10 can get you this year.  Oh.  They weighed in at about 1.5 pounds on their way to the oven.

We do still have some oven capacity for Tannenbaum Christmas Trees, if you have a party or family you want to impress.  This has become the most popular bakery item we have ever made and looks to become a long time tradition at the farm.  It looks impressive and tastes as good as it looks!

This is our last week open until February1st.  After Christmas and all of January the stand will be closed but we will bake special orders.  Call (360-387-4449) for any of the breads and we’ll make sure your table will be filled.  For us, it will be time to pause and give thanks for a great year with you and plan for the new year ahead.  Lots of ideas and dreams on the radar!  Careful planning makes the load lighter and the time much more fun!  So go over the list below and then call to make sure your freezer is full when we hit the pause button in a few days!

Ben, our handsome red rooster, came up to the kitchen window the other day to have a talk.  We were inside, keeping an eye on a load of cookies and well, you know the health department.  They’re not keen on animals in the kitchen, so we chatted through the open window, he perched on the stored picnic table and we leaning on the sink.

He got right to the point.  He reminded us that when he came to live with us, we were told his full name is Ben Ned.  He came from a home where they knew that “Ben” means “son of” so translated, his name means “son of Ned”.   His father’s name was Ned, so he naturally was called, “son of Ned”. He decided when he arrived here that he preferred the name, “Ben”, so that’s what we called him.  But as he has been with our flock over the last several months, he has come to realize that he is the only one who knows his father’s name.  In fact, none of his girls even know their mother’s name.  This is sad, he said.  His flock are all orphans and he is in charge of an orphanage.

This is not a bad job, he said, turning and staring lovingly at the americanas who had followed him up onto the deck.  But it can be heart wrenching at times.  When one of the girls is looking sad, it is often because they are thinking of what they don’t have, like a parent to encourage and love them and give them a bit of coaching now and then on how to solve some of the problems of life a chicken encounters.  In fact, he went on, that is why chickens bully each other sometimes.  They never had a parent to teach them it was wrong.  They never had a parent who loved them unconditionally so much they did not need to prove their worth by beating someone else up.  He said dominance in chickens really is just acting out of not enough love in their lives.  But he was wondering if we people had the same problem.

We told him that the bullying we humans do comes from much the same root.  Bullys are people who have not been loved to the point of believing they are good people, who have not been loved unconditionally.  When we see a bully, we are actually seeing a parent who does not know how to love unconditionally.

We went on to explain that yes, like chickens and animals everywhere we humans also eventually become orphans too.  For most of us it happens later in life as our parents die of old age.  By then though, we’ve buried enough pets that we’ve learned how to handle grief and loss and how to love others as we go through hard times.

Sometimes it happens sooner and those children will be sent to live in an orphanage.  In other countries it is usually a group home with a couple who manage to keep track of 30 or 100 children at once.  We paused and saw him quickly count his 11 charges and then turn back to us with wide eyes.  “100?  Man, that’s a lot of running around to keep track of!”

“Yes,” we said.  “It is never easy.”  We went on to tell him that here in our country we don’t really have orphanages as such.  Here children who don’t have a parent whether through death or incompetence are placed in foster homes.  But in foreign lands like Mexico or Brazil or Liberia, a child without parents is fortunate if they can get taken in by one of these orphanages.  Here in America, we told him, the government pays the care givers some money to buy food and clothing, but in other countries those big hearted people who take in children have to come up with the cash themselves.

“So if I understand it,” he said, “in Mexico for example, I would have to get a great job and make a lot of money so I could buy the corn and water and pellets of food, not to mention the straw for the floor of the house.  In addition to being a good father for all 100 kids.”

“You’ve got it” we replied.

“Are there very many of those orphanage places out there?” he asked thoughtfully.

“Lots.”  We replied.  “In fact, when we go to Mexico the first part of January, we plan to visit one in Ciudad Morelos, down by the border with Arizona.  It’s not a huge one.  There are only 34 children.  But they are struggling and we are going to see if there is anything we can do to help them.  We’re thinking it might be useful if we help them put in a garden and teach the children how to grow food.  This visit is just to survey the situation and see what might be done later.”

“You’ll be gone?” he asked with concern in his voice.  “Who will take care of us?  Who will lock out the predators at night and let us out in the mornings to eat bugs in the lawn?  Who will fill our feeder and waterer and toss out a can of corn like you do every morning?”  He paused and thought a moment.  “Gee.  While you’re gone will we become like those orphans with nowhere to live?”

“No” we replied with a laugh.  “We have a friend who will be staying here taking care of the place and that includes you and all our animals.  They will be around almost all the day so if there are any concerns you will have someone to go to for help.”

“Whew!” he said, tossing his red head back with relief.  “I was getting worried!”  He cocked his head and looked us in the eye.  “Does that place you’re going where they take in children with no parents have a name?”

“Yes,” we responded.  “Agua de Vida Orphanage.  Translated it means ‘Water of Life’”

“Well, good luck!” Ben said.  He turned to go and then paused and added, “Water is critical to life I know and we sure appreciate all the water you give us.  We never have to be thirsty around here.  Some of those robins who live in Mexico in the winter have told us it’s really dry down there.  Water of Life, eh?  That’s a great name!  And the love of the care givers is a kind of water too.  And the love of the one who got the kid to the orphanage, the love of their creator, that’s real water too.  Gosh!  What a great name!  I’ll have to tell the girls about this.  Then maybe they won’t feel so sad and alone.  Have a safe trip!”

As our handsome young rooster hopped down and headed off to gather his flock, we realized how right he was.  Water is so ample here between the rain and our well that we forget how important it is.  When we go to where it is scarce, then we become sensitive to how vital it is to life itself.  Without water, we die.  Without hope, we die as well.  Like water, hope keeps life going, it forms and shapes us as we make hope become reality.  And it is as we give hope to others that we too can become “Agua de Vida”.  Let’s look around this week and see where we can give others hope, where we might give others a drink of the best water we know.

Happy Hoeing,

Jon and Elaine, the hope filled farmers, Snickers the happy hoping dog, Mystery the hoping for a nap cat, Ben and his flock of secure hens, and the Parson Dudley Brown with his flock of optimistic ducks, all of whom drink freely of the agua de vida at The Open Gate Farm.

The Open Gate Farm

269 Russell Road,

Camano Island, WA 98282

360-387-4449

www.theopengatefarm.com  and on Facebook too!

Open this week and then closed until February 1, 2012

We will be taking the 24th off and spending the day with our son and his family.  Those wanting bread are ordering in advance and it will be ready for them in a package up at the stand and the money box open and standing by!  These breads also do freeze really well, so if you want extra for while we are closed in January, let us know now.  Your needs can be met.

The stand (bakery, produce, nursery) will be closed the month of January for a break.  If you do want any breads, call us and we can bake it to order, but the 4:30 a.m. alarm will be turned off.  The first week end of February we’ll be opening again, full blast and ready to go!  Have a blessed Christmas, a safe New Year, and we’ll see you then!

The Puzzled Parson Dudley Brown

Dear Friends:

Your choice.  Thumbprint cookies with a chocolate kiss on top or a gingersnap covered in white frosting with a crushed candy cane covering.  Or one of those popular Tannenbaum coffee cake Christmas trees.  Our kitchen is starting to look like a forest, we’ve been making so many for family gatherings and office parties and general get togethers of friends.    It’s all the usual good stuff and more this week!

We were sitting in the warm sunlight on the porch in front of our little office when the good Parson, Dudley Brown, our Indian Runner drake, came over.  Seems he had a problem.  He was stuck on what to say in his Christmas sermon to his little flock, come the 25^th of this month.

We paused in our cutting up of an old water hose for the trash (it’s 20 year run had at last ended with a blowout the length of the line).  Listening carefully, we learned that he was struggling with what many clergy experience this time of the year.  It’s called “Holiday Burnout”.  He explained a fellow only has only so many sermons in him and when you’ve done as many on the same topic as he, sometimes the well is just dry.  It happens occasionally at Easter it seems, but with Christmas having the Advent season drawing down the material as well, he was just plain tapped out.

Well this was a real concern.  A parson or a pastor or any clergy needs to feed their flock good, fresh, inspired material.  He said it felt like the muses were on vacation in Hollywood or Hawaii and would not be back until the end of January.  He was stuck and needed help.  Real help.

So we reflected with him on the Christmas story.  We covered the slow donkey ride to Bethlehem, the loud and crowded inn, the dirty and smelly stable, the gentle and kind  animals, the simple and quiet birth, the home made wooden manger, the rough and tumble shepherds, the bright and shining star, the stunning angelic choir, the three incredibly wealthy  wise men, all of that and more.  And at every angle we tried he hung his beak and quietly said, “Already covered” and “been done to death”.

He said all those points of interest had been covered over and over and over and over through the years.  We sat in silence with our friend for a long, long time.  Thinking, praying, quietly being with him in his hour of difficulty.  He just hung his head and said “Over and over and over and over and…Hey!  I’ve got it!”

The light shown from his bright black eyes and he straightened up, stretching his wings with a flap of thanks to us.  He said the message this year was going to be on the fact that as we live our lives, we “do” Christmas over and over and over and over.  Not until we get it right and then we’re done.  No.  We “do” Christmas over and over and over so we can approach it from a new place, a new position, a new set of struggles and joys, and discover no matter what our current lot in life, Jesus will keep showing up if we take the trouble to go to the manger with those smelly shepherds and honor and worship Him.

As our slender and now inspired friend turned and trotted back to his flock who were still beaking in the grass by the nursery benches, we realized how right he is.  Every year brings new struggles, unimagined pain, unspeakable joy.  Every year we grow and change and become a new person.  This is the time of year now when that new person can once again locate themselves and their place in the universe.  And for many of us, that will be on our knees at a little wooden manger, staring in awe at the beginning of a life whose death and resurrection has changed more lives than any other in the history of mankind.

It’s going to be a good Christmas here on the farm this year.  Come by.  You might get to hear the Parson Dudley Brown quietly practicing his delivery of this year’s message.

Happy Hoeing,

Jon and Elaine, the listening farmers, Snickers the patient dog, Mystery the sermon snoozing cat, Ben and his choir of cackling hens, and the good Parson Dudley Brown and his flock of well-fed ducks, all of whom live joyfully at The Open Gate Farm.