Historically, January (this is our seventh) is a month with many guests. Perhaps, after the holiday season, and with a new year in view, people are ready to get back to the natural world, or learn something new, or spend time together in a quiet place in the country. For whatever reason, we are happy to make a space for renewal, for a change in perspective, for learning sustainability.

Guests withstand cold and wind to spend time outside, walking the prairie, helping feed animals, checking on the bees, helping us with winter projects. Then they come in to a warm fire, warm discussions and evening games. Or they spend quiet time in the warm embrace of the straw bale hermitage. (Really, people often say they feel hugged in that earthy place.)  

Young adults, still home from university, came from Boston Avenue United Methodist in Tulsa, and built a mountain of beehive frames and foundations. They also helped out in the high tunnel, preparing spring beds, and made the Cosmic Walk. Inviting people into an experience of the creation of the universe is central to our work here. Helping people begin to experience a perspective in which we can know human beings are part of the interdependent, miraculously self-organizing web of life is, we think, what will help inspire us to make changes so that all can survive the many challenges the Earth and all life here is experiencing at this time.   

Other sustaining practices we shared with guests in January included beekeeping and living mindfully. As habitat changes drastically for bees, they are disappearing. Learning how to provide habitat for them is essential to humans' food supply as well, since one-third of our food requires pollination.  

Living mindfully is  a way to be in touch with all of life -- our own hearts and minds and bodies, as well as the world and others around us. In such a chaotic time, these ancient spiritual disciplines are being practiced again. And we're glad to offer the space to experience these life-giving practices.

Winter has been much more like the winters we experienced growing up here as children. In those days, snow fences paralleled the highways. Recent winters have been so warm, we've forgotten what winter can be like. Now we are experiencing winter extremes all across the nation. We have had snow and cold temperatures; more is predicted in February. Thankfully, kale still grows in the high tunnel green house, though a well-populated community of field mice have invaded and scarfed up broccoli, lettuces. No growing season is ever the same; every time there are unexpected challenges, and gifts. We, the chickens, guineas and rabbits are enjoying the kale. 

Ann has planted the first vegetable seeds for the spring garden and they are greening under grow lights in the house. Potatoes and greens will be planted in the high tunnel before long. There will be spring!

We look forward to welcoming the Shepherds for their quarterly retreat and joining residents at Oakcreek, a Senior Co-Housing community in Stillwater, for a weekend eco-retreat. Our offerings at the farm in late winter include workshops on Raising Chickens and Beekeeping as well as two new retreats. As we face ecological and related economic stress, anxiety and depression, understandably, seem to be increasing. We have discovered that mindfulness practices are very helpful in moving through depression, so Pat will lead a Mindfulness Practices to Move Through Depression retreat in March. 

Too, we will be offering a retreat for worship committees, clergy and liturgists to learn how to use creation-centered language in liturgy. The language we use matters. Creating prayers and calls to worship using metaphors for the Divine that come from creation rather than solely of human characteristics, help us expand our understanding of our place in creation. 

As always, our hermitage is available for personal retreats. Our weekend workshop and retreat offerings are listed below, and you can register on our website: www.turtlerockfarmretreat.com

Winter or spring, summer or fall, we hope to welcome you in 2014. 

Beauty, Peace,

Ann and Pat

in support of

 

 

You may send tax deductible donations to Green Connections, 5900 CR 90, Red Rock, OK 74651. Or you can donate on the Green Connections website. Or, go to our website - www.turtlerockfarmretreat.com - and click on Green Connections, and use Paypal to send your donation.  

Meet our board members:

Green Connections: Kay Adair, Beverly Alexander (treasurer), Elizabeth Box Price, Dorothy Gray, Pat Hoerth, Ann Denney, Mary Moloney, Claudia Scribner, Shauna Struby, Tom Temple  

Turtle Rock Farm Advisory Council: Barbara Hagan, Bruce Johnson, Corey Williams