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Our First Earth Day Festival
 
George Davis & Friends playing music on the front porch of the farm house.
 
Guests listening to music on the porch and under the Hackberry Tree.
Festival-goers weaving wheat and making solar ovens in the Round-Top Barn.
 
A neighbor takes her new solar oven home to cook supper.
Elizabeth leads the straw bale hermitage dedication ceremony.  
Guest join in the ceremony, and then in the grass and wildflower seed planting,
as Shanda and Ian play fiddle tunes.
 
Sharing Buffalo Dogs and Corn on the Cob under the Cedar trees.
Contra dancing to the music of The Mud Dabbers in the round-top barn.
  Darcy and Biak greet visitors William, Firecracker and Alonzo.
Paul Wolf shears Mr. Darcy.   Guests watch the shearing. The five Alpaca spent the day together.
William, in foreground, came to live at Turtle Rock Farm. And other guests in April...    
Undercroft Montessori junior high students, from Tulsa,
spent several days with us, feeding animals, boating, volunteering in the pecan grove, learning about a prairie eco system and visiting the beaver dam.
 
Participants in our most recent composting and gardening workshop.
We never really dreamed the first Earth Day Festival at Turtle Rock Farm could be so much fun or so meaningful. We never dreamed the weather would be perfect either! It was sunny, warm, clear and not windy. Wonderful people made their way down our country road to help us celebrate the good Earth which is our home. George Davis brought friends to play music on the front porch of the farm house as the Alpaca shearing began. Sister Terry, of Heartland Farm in Pawnee Rock, Ks., had brought three Alpaca for the day. One, William, has come to live here, and his pals, Firecracker and Alonzo, helped him make the trip. They had already been sheared of their winter fleece, so they got to watch as Paul Wolf sheared Biak and Darcy. It's always a festive occasion (Darcy and Biak don't seem to appreciate the process so much. They do like the cooler coat, however.) Friends gathered to watch the shearing and sit on the porch and under the huge old Hackberry to hear sweet music. Then we moved to the round-top barn to do some wheat-weaving and build solar ovens. The crowning event of the day was the dedication of our straw bale and mud hermitage. It was the culmination of a year's work done by friends, new and old. Elizabeth Box Price wrote and led a beautiful liturgy, Tom Temple, who designed the hermitage, read a Thomas Berry poem, we all joined in the singing, dancing and planting of buffalo grass and wildflower seeds as Shanda McDonald and friends serenaded us with fiddle tunes. But that wasn't the end of the day. We cooked corn on the cob and hot dogs from the Wichita Buffalo Company, shared supper under the cedar trees our grandfather brought more than 100 years ago in a wagon from Kansas, and then had a great time at the contra dance in the round top barn. Much thanks to The Mud Dobbers for their music, Tom and Louise for their good contra dance calling. And special thanks to all who helped out - George, Diane, Sr. Terry, Tom, Elizabeth, Linda, Claudia, Alyssa, Doug, Joni, Paul, Kay (everyone loved your shortbread cookies!) Mark your calendars for Earth Day 2012. But that wasn't the only fun we had in April. We had a wonderful week with the students from Undercroft Montessori. They are amazing students, already knowledgeable about the planet and sustainability; yet, eager to learn more. And we are thrilled that the participants in this month's workshop on composting and gardening are inspired to continue and expand their organic growing. (We heard this week from one of the first participants in our raised bed gardening workshops that they now have enlarged their growing space to seven raised beds!) We look forward now to May and the guests who will be joining us on retreat, and for our scheduled retreats and workshops. See below for the schedule, including our Taize service and our first fish collection for the Blue Thumb water conservation program. As always, we hope those who come to the prairie for a day or more find peace and beauty in their reconnection to the natural world; in their time spent learning to live more sustainably, healing for our beautiful planet home. 
In beauty and peace, Ann and Pat |
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Thank You Volunteers!
Thank you Fred and Carol
for helping us plant the garden
Have we got a deal for you!
a day at Turtle Rock Farm (on us)
for 3 hours of labor (yours)
lunch included; lodging is not
As we grow and expand our offerings and our facility, we couldn't get along without the wonderful people who volunteer at Turtle Rock Farm. They have become a cherished part of our community.
If you're interested in helping out, let us know. We'll work together and you can have some retreat time and some community time around a table set with home-cooked fresh food.
Note: This offer does not pertain to our programmed workshops and retreats.
Call us at 580.725.3411 or email annmcferron@hotmail.com; 580.917.6011 or email pathoerth@gmail.com |
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Keep Up with Us Daily on our Blog
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A QUICK LOOK AT TRF EVENTS
May 2-3
Shepherd's Retreat
May 7
Meditation and Labyrinth Retreat
May 14
Beekeeping Workshop
May 15
Taize Service and Potluck
May 20-21
Earth Plunge
June 2
Blue Thumb Fish Collection
at Doe Creek
June 4
Haiku Retreat with Jeanne Martin
June 17-18
Women on the Prairie Retreat
Turtle Rock Farm Retreat Center is Eco-Certified Platinum
www.turtlerockfarmretreat.com |
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and coming up...
The Third Annual Prairie Dinner and Concert
OCTOBER 1
Fiddle Extraordinaire Kyle Dillingham will be in concert Kamala Gamble will prepare our local foods dinner served alongside Doe Creek
Reserve your place at the table at: www.turtlerockfarmretreat.com |
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Upcoming
Retreats and Workshops |
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Shepherds' Retreat
May 2-3
For United Methodist Lay and Clergy
A 24-hour retreat modeled on the Spiritual Academy with cycles of holy reading, silence, group sharing. The retreat begins and ends with Eucharist and includes Morning and Evening Prayer. For questions and to register, email Rev. Susan Ross at ross-susan@sbcglobal.net or Pat at pathoerth@gmail.com
Meditation and Labyrinth Retreat
May 7
(There's still room; call today: 580.917.6011)
Meditation is one of the oldest and most beneficial spiritual practices. On this day-long retreat, led by our spiritual director, Pat Hoerth, participants will have the opportunity to learn and practice several kinds of meditation, including centering prayer, breath prayer, guided meditation, lectio divina and walking the wonderful prairie labyrinth. The labyrinth is an ancient, spiritual tool used for centuries as a way to get in touch with the inner life and inform the outer life. Making the slow walk of twists and turns toward the center and back out again is a transformative experience. This retreat is for both beginners and those who've been practicing, but want to deepen their practice.
To register, go to our website: www.turtlerockfarmretreat.com
Beekeeping Workshop
May 14
In this day-long workshop, participants will learn information
about the fascinating lives of bees, the importance of bees in our ecosystems and for our food supply. Ann, who is the beekeeper at Turtle Rock Farm, will teach how to put together a beehive, how to make candy boards for the winter and what goes on in the bee community during the course of a year. She might even give you a sample of Turtle Rock Farm honey, which, we think is the best honey in the world.
To register, go to our website: www.turtlerockfarmretreat.com
Earth Plunge
May 20-21
Bring your family to the country for a night and a day in nature. Give your children (or grandchildren) a chance to take a plunge into nature - see wildlife, stroll in a pasture, discover plant life, kayak, explore along a creek, breathe fresh country air. This retreat offers your children a safe day exploring in nature, which experts say is essential for healthy development. We'll provide some activities for experiencing nature, but there will be family free time as well. This retreat is scheduled as an overnight retreat, so that families can watch Earth roll up and the sun go out of view, observe the night sky (it's dark enough here to see jillions of stars) and (depending on the conditions) sit around a bonfire. And sleep in a tipi, if you want to. To register, go to our website: www.turtlerockfarmretreat.com The World in a Moment: Haiku Retreat
June 4
Haiku is a short nature poem that captures a single moment in time and place, a moment that connects us more deeply with the natural world. In this retreat we will explore together haiku as a poetic form as a way to see more clearly the natural world that is all around us. We will have an opportunity to look for haiku moments through a walk on the prairie, called a kigo walk, and think and talk together about how haiku relates to our lives.
Participants will receive a free book by the retreat leader, The Art of Awareness, and leave with a greater understanding of this beautiful and evocative form, and perhaps a few haiku to share with family and friends.
alone on the prairie
the familiar call
of an unknown bird
Memorial day -
low on the horizon
a single star
Jeannie Martin, MTS. Ed.D is a haiku poet, teacher and retreat leader. She has published haiku in a number of journals. Her work in also included in several anthologies. As a United Methodist Deaconess, Jeannie works with frail and homeless elders in the Boston area.
To register, go to our website: www.turtlerockfarmretreat.com Prairie Retreat for Women June 17-18 
Much of Oklahoma was native prairie. This retreat will take us back to the prairie, where we can learn about its history (from its ancient beginnings as an ocean, as hunting ground for Native Americans, as home for pioneer families and modern farming and ranching) and its ecosystem. We will spend time in the prairie noticing the grasses, birds and wildlife - the prairie community.
And we will come away, having experienced more intimately the prairie ecosystem of which we are a part, with the wisdom that only the prairie can offer and a deeper understanding of how to live in harmony with the natural world..
This is an overnight retreat, beginning Friday evening at 7 p.m.
To register, go to our website: www.turtlerockfarmretreat.com
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More opportunities to join us...
Our Monthly Book Discussion
on Sustainability
Join us the third Monday of each month at 10 a.m. We are discussing Bill McKibben's book, Deep Economy. In May, we'll discuss chapter 5. Call us to let us know you're coming. 580.725.3411.
Blue Thumb Fish Collection at Doe Creek
We have been monitoring Doe Creek on our farm for the last couple of years as part of the Oklahoma Water Conservation Commission's Blue Thumb program. Every five years, the department does a fish collection on the creeks that are monitored. This year, it's our turn. It's an all-day event that includes a habitat assessment and then seining of the creek to see what fish live there. If you're interested in helping out, spending the day in the creek, let us know. We'll begin at 8:30 a.m. Be prepared to get wet! Call us if you plan to come: 580.725.3411.
Taize and Potluck
Join us at 4 p.m. the second Sunday of each month (third Sunday in May) for a Taize service and potluck supper. Created by a religious community in Taize, France, a Taize service is a beautiful, meditative experience. The music is lovely, easy to sing and very prayerful. Musicians for this service include Nancy Thomason, Deb Blakely, Dave Bluethman and Jeni Markham Clewell. Let us know you're coming.
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Comments from our guests...
"Played my flute in the teepee with the wind keeping time by flapping the canvas. Pounded my djembe within these thick walls {at the hermitage} and absorbed the solid, solitude, solidarity. Strummed my ukulele and was softened by the timbre of the taut, short strings. And sang in a voice only God heard. Thanks." -- D.C.
"We really enjoyed the Taize service as well as the quiet and peaceful evening and walks outdoors (although the wind was brisk and a little cool!) -- Maribeth and Greg
"Woke to coyotes howling and geese honking-it couldn't be better. An oasis for a weary soul! Thank you. Blessings." -- N.
"To a beautiful planet! Thank you, Ann and Pat, for great food and a peaceful time."
--Tina, Christopher and Ila
"Thanks so much for your hospitality and great food. We've all enjoyed our time together immensely. This is a ministry of blessing which you so generously share with others." -- Loma Sullivan
"I enjoyed feeding the animals and helping with salad. Hospitality and entertaining are my 'forte.' Thanks for letting me help." -- Loretta Payne
"This is a beautiful place! So quiet and restful. Thank you for the experience."
-- Dorothy Coy Light
"What a beautiful and peaceful place. Thanks for working so hard to make it available to sojourners." -- Steve Roach
"What a wonderful place to retreat. Thank you for all your hard work in making this place happen." -- Frank Denney
"If you want or need a serene, spiritual place to go, Turtle Rock is perfect for prayer and reflection. It has all the elements you need to find God and yourself."
-- Cindy Bullen, Wickline UMC
"If you are looking for the opportunity to slow down so you can think, you will find it at Turtle Rock Farm. The Simpler Living Retreat gave lots of food for thought and helped me to find a focus from it that I can take home and apply to 'real life.' Your life will be impacted in ways unexpected. I feel like I not only gained more ideas for simpler living, but also acquired realistic ideas to coping with and sorting out various areas of stress in day-to-day life. Choose one small positive change you want to work on, commit to it, focus and anything is possible. Thank you Turtle Rock Farm!" -- Michelle Hamilton
"Turtle Rock Farm is a wonderful place to come and be refreshed. To relax with nature surrounding you. To come away a stronger person - more able to cope with all the pressures of our modern lifestyle. I would highly encourage people to 'escape' to Turtle Rock Farm."
-- L.D., Kansas
"It was a perfect retreat...New understanding has dawned illuminating my path with added clarity and compassion...The labyrinth was transforming, as was working with the mud in building inside walls of the hermitage. These three days signified family, roots, births, mothers, grandmother and the Great Mother, Earth. Your perspectives added richness to the experience as did Ann's energy kinesiology session. Thank you both for providing a safe, sacred place and opening it to us. Favorite mental image: Grasshopper dancing in the fields!" -- J.S.
"Thank you Pat and Ann for a wonderful stay. Our Creator God blesses us to be a blessing and that's what you're doing with this farm; allowing it to be a blessing to others, so that they may come and rest in God's awesome beauty and presence and love. Peace and Joy." -- C.H.
"We felt renewed and relaxed (yes, even at the same time!) by the sense of community we experienced. Preparing the healthy and spiritual food was calming and centering for us both. I will always remember watching the momma cat affectionately loving on her white litter of kittens. The afternoon rainstorm was just what the land, and the soul needed! Thank you both!" -- Raven Crowl
"It's been rewarding and inspiring to be with people that love and care about life so much. Thanks for teaching me so many different things." -- Denise Bertoncino
"What fun, what joy, what a solid experience. To see all of us join together to create the hermitage was inspiring. This will continue to inspire me into building my own dwelling. Thank you!!!" -- Cassandra Bachrad
"What a privilege, what a blessing to be part of building the first retreat building on your beautiful property. May the love spread through all who come to experience peace in creation at its best." -- George Kilmer
"It has been a beautiful experience learning about beautiful buildings that help save the Earth and meeting such wonderful people in such a beautiful setting. Thank you all." -- --Jim McKinney
"What a wonderful piece of Oklahoma! I have very much enjoyed the time I have been here and enjoyed the spirit of this place. I wish peace for all who come here. Thanks." --Scott Jordan
"Your kindness and the community that has formed here make me fall in love with Oklahoma all over again. I feel so thankful for the old, open wisdom that has been shared. So many wonderful lives. Love it!" -- Steven Wooley
"Have you ever felt as if you could see the world in every direction? The labyrinth at Turtle Rock Farm is perched on top of a rolling hill, surrounded by wildflowers and prairie grasses and as you walk the sacred path, you can see beauty in every direction. Come and see."
-- Jeni Markham Clewell
"What an amazing experience! Thank you ladies for sharing your love and land with us all. The labyrinth retreat is a must for anyone seeking to dive deeper into themselves."
-- Shela and Kiran, Tulsa
"When you come to Turtle Rock, the world changes. There is an intentional connection to Earth, to the past, to the present, to the future. Turtle Rock is a place of incredible grace, a place of peace." -- Paul Calkin
"Awakened to a world washed clean from thundershowers. The birds are cheerful and greet us with morning song. A lovely retreat to enjoy the wonders of creation! My only sadness - it was much too brief. Eager to return." -- Shelley R.
"Thank you so much for your hospitality and generosity. Our kids had such a blast feeding the animals and using the kayaks and canoe. The fresh eggs were delicious and your home was so cozy and comfortable. We enjoyed being out in nature and being together as a family. The kids LOVED it all!" -- Lisa, Madi and Christian
"Thank you for these great times of our lives. I'm sure we'll come back soon."
-- Bethany
"A blizzard on the first day of spring. I should be worried about getting home, but I can't find it in myself. There's such peace here. Thank you for a quiet place to rest with God."
-- Sara Marie Bodenstein
"We came for a gardening workshop and found so much more. We treasured our time here due to the incredible scenery and lovely people. We felt welcomed and at home. These days helped us rekindle our love and commitment to Earth. Thank you for sharing your land, passion and talents." -- Wendy
"This retreat is a great idea. Women who are military can get together to bond, share their stories and life with others who have the same experience. It is a 'happy' place."
-- J
"Just knowing we, the women of the United States military are not alone is beautiful. Thank you to Turtle Rock." -- Max, US Army
"I loved camping on the hill - beautiful views of the Oklahoma prairie. Beautiful place - thanks for sharing." -- M.C.
"Wow! What a peaceful, lovely place. Thank you for your hospitality. Looking forward to future visits and more peace..." -- Molly Helm
"'Unless you find belonging in your solitude, your external longing will remain needy and driven.' Thanks again for your hospitality in this Sacred Space. Gracias! Blessings! Namaste!" -- Mary Lou Bender
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"Retreat is neither whim nor luxury nor self-indulgence, but a rock-bottom staple of a healthy life. We need retreat as surely as we need oxygen or protein. While any given retreat may start out as a joyride - a few days away from spouse, kids or job; a chance to spread one's wings, loosen one's belt, kick up one's heels - it always winds up as a pilgrimage. We start to look for what really counts." -- Philip Zaleski, The Recollected Heart
How does one 'do' a Retreat?
A
"retreat" at Turtle Rock Farm is a chance to get away into the quiet
and beauty of the prairie. But not everyone is used to the quiet and
find the idea a bit intimidating, even if they know they long for it.
A
retreat can be a time when you sleep, listen to music, read, walk,
visit, play musical instruments, do art, bask in silence, get a
therapeutic massage, sit in a rocking chair on the porch, visit with a
spiritual director, receive an energy kinesiology session, explore nature, walk the labyrinth, feed an alpaca, gather eggs, garden, kayak or swim in the pond, sit at a farm table...alone, with friends, family, or with the community gathered here at the farm.
It can be what you need and what you want it to be. We are happy to guide and assist, or give you solitude.
To reserve your individual, group, couple or family retreat:
email or phone pathoerth@gmail.com; 580.917.6011
or annmcferron@hotmail.com; 580.725.3411
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our partnership
with GreenConnections...
The First Annual Green Connections
Dinner on the Prairie - October 2009
Green Connections is a 501c3 Not-for-Profit corporation committed to helping people connect with Earth, be healed in it and learn to live more sustainably. In addition to supporting the mission of Turtle Rock Farm through its programming, our dream is to build a retreat center and hermitages with sustainable building methods, including straw bale construction.
If you believe in the work of Green Connections, please consider gifting us with your supportive wishes and hopes, with your volunteer labor, and with your dollars. All gifts, large and small, would be appreciated. If you have questions, please call 580.725.3411 or 580.917.6011.
We are seeking sponsors...
...for the Prairie Dinner and Concert.
And we are seeking grants and donations for the building of a retreat center.
You may send tax deductible donations to Green Connections, 5900 CR 90, Red Rock, OK 74651. Or, go to our website - www.turtlerockfarmretreat.com - and click on Green Connections Partner, and use Paypal to send your donation. Or, click here:
Green Connection Board members meet the Alpaca
Meet our board members:
Green Connections: Kay Adair, Beverly Alexander (treasurer), Elizabeth Box Price, Dorothy Gray, Pat Hoerth, Stephanie Jordan, Ann McFerron, Mary Moloney, Claudia Scribner, Alan Ware (president.)
Turtle Rock Farm Advisory Council: Barbara Hagan, Bruce Johnson, Tom Temple, Corey Williams
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We Support the Buy Fresh Buy Local Movement
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Turtle Rock Farm LLC:
A Center for Sustainability, Spirituality and Healing
Mission Statement
Connecting with the Natural World
We believe that Earth - part of the Creator's good creation - has intrinsic value.
We believe that human beings are interdependent with all of creation and that the Creator is calling humans to re-connect with creation, with Earth,
and participate more consciously in the web of life. We want to provide
opportunities for people to experience our connectedness with creation
in three distinct ways:
+ organizing and leading retreats that afford people the experience of our
connection and interdependence with the web of life: all of creation, each other and the Divine.
+ promote healing - of Earth, creation and humans, through connecting with
Earth which, we believe, can heal us - as well as through the various modalities of holistic health care including Energy Kinesiology.
Learning to Live Sustainably
+ living sustainably and teaching and supporting others in their efforts to live sustainably. By sustainability, we mean honoring, bringing, enabling life rather than harming and disposing of life; learning practical things to do to sustain life on Earth. Because we believe this is done in community, we hope to promote community life.
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