I had an edited and organized written piece to express my experiences and thoughts regarding our visit to Tule Fog Farm in Arcata, California. It meandered through ideas of urban culture and rural culture and their formal characteristics. It discussed how both the urban and rural have positive attributes that aid the creation of a culture where Truths can be revealed. Truths such as sincere happiness, community interdependence, and ethical relations with the Earth can be fostered in both cultures. This piece of writing became, for me, very messy and wordy. It glazed over the simplicity and purity of my experience at Tule Fog Farm. I want to write a window of time, light, space, smell, and energy interaction in clear manner. I feel much clearer than I write, though. So, please, when reading this post, keep in mind that the people, animals, and space are more sincere, True, happy, healthy, generous, and glowing than my skills of word will allow me to convey. Double my words or triple them.
Seven months ago, The Birds were sitting with our dear friends Mello and Joel at The Birds House in Vancouver, BC. Joel mentioned he had a friend who lived in Humboldt County who was interested in sustainable housing, food production, …and that we should visit him and his wife. So, we did. We rode our bikes through Arcata in Northern California, only getting lost once along the way. We rode with squinted eyes and alert senses, trying to capture any signs of our destination. The sign was a rather brilliant one. It was Sean in his front yard. Now, Sean is no regular human being. He is a human that literally glows. After time on the farm and meeting the rest of the family…I chalk it up to Shail’s milks, cheeses, and the honey, but that’s probably just the tip of it. He had outstretched arms, which were very long indeed. He’s over 6 ft with a long blonde braid reaching down his back. Eager to show us the land, we walked our awkward, heavy steeds through the garden and into the backyard. Here we were shown two pigs, the outdoor claw foot bathtub for stargazing, and how sheep’s wool is used in the garden beds for mulch.
This is also where we first met Shail. Now, when I met Sean, I was struck by the exuding health and radiance which he emitted…but now… another one!? Shail also had gorgeous and healthy long hair, beaming skin,..and the rest of it.! Though, the energy from Shail was the thing that stood out the most. Sean’s energy was that of playfulness, generosity, and openness. Upon meeting Shail, I quickly felt a different energy, one of extreme strength and calmness. She intrigued each one of us.
That evening we shared some of Shail’s delicious homemade goat’s cheese, honey-milk, artichokes from the garden, and bread from the bakery down the road. Each evening, Shail walks down the road to her farm, Tule Fog Farm, to attend to her evening duties of moving water, food, animals,..and I’m sure more than I caught a hold of. The farm consisted of cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, turkeys, and geese. The animals are grazed using the intensive rotation technique, which allows the animals to eat a varied and healthy diet while keeping the soil’s nutrients in tiptop shape. Most of the animals are moved daily, while some are moved every few days.
My morning began with what would become my fellow pig friend, snorting about outside the tent. The Birds were going to try and help Shail on the farm today. After an amazing breakfast of oats, honey from the farm, and milk from the farm, we were off to load the truck with water for the animals down the road. Once behind the wheel, I felt like I wanted to be a farmer. I was so content looking at the dust from the truck in the rearview mirror that I missed the turnoff to the farm. Ooops.! With Birds in tow…some beside me and some in the pick-up, we bumped along toward the middle of the land to find Shail.
The Birds are on a bike tour, and so, are sporting long underwear, sandals, wool socks, sore thighs, and goofy grins of splendor. All parts of the ensemble may have not been intrinsic to milking a goat, moving fences, or cattle, but all made it much funnier to watch. Shail demonstrated how to milk a goat and I thought I’d give it a go. Strange how I had been in some form consuming dairy products for 27 years and had never milked anything! Not one animal I had milked! After squirting milk on my leg and arm I thought I’d better let one of the other Birds have their hand at it, so to speak. After the ordeal, the goat seemed unharmed, and Shail said she’d have to cook with the milk because it was a dirty milk. So, it seemed that on the milking front, Shail had helped us more than we had helped her.
As curious ladies of the road, we were determined to try and help somehow. After trying to help Shail move fencing and animals with bumbling dexterity, we thought it would be a good idea to ‘help’ Shail move all of the cattle across their land toward a holding area for cows going to slaughter. I offered to take one dark and shiny cow. This turned out to be very awkward because Shail is so strong and, for lack of a better word, cool, and I at this time in my life was not. The cow took me in circles and it slammed its hoof down on my right foot three times in the same place. I tried to keep my face clear of pain and didn’t mention the throbbing feeling that now engulfed my right foot. I was keeping my cool. I think it worked because now I think Shail and I may be friends.
We eventually got the cattle safely away and the fences moved. Goats were milked and….but wait a minute…it was only noon! This, thank the land, left ample time in the afternoon for The Birds to actually help out. We cleaned out two chicken coops and then dusted them with diatomaceous earth to keep down the mites. We filled up the pick-up twice with chicken poop burritos! We wore snorkel masks and gloves and were so disgusting by the end of the task that we knew we had to have helped out for real this time. Yes, Birds finally helped. That made us all feel much better and I think Shail and Sean were happy too.
That evening we had a dance party with Sean and their two amazingly beautiful children, Tule and Slate after we tried some of the farm lamb. After 9 years of vegetarianism, I ate a piece of lamb off of a big knife, extended by Sean. It was so foreign that I couldn’t really tell if it was ‘good’ or ‘tasty’. It was definitely exciting and I was happy as hell to try some of the meat that was being raised on the farm. The methods are beautiful. Shail aims for community engagement through healthy, organic, and sustainable food production. This was what prompted me to try the lamb. The animals are treated with dignity and respect. Through intelligent farming methods, Shail is able to produce food for her family, while also securing time for her family and food production. Through farming and Sean and Shail’s amazing partnership, the household is one of a productive household, instead of a consuming one. Sean rides his bike to work and is able to bike home to have lunch with the kids and Shail. The daily tasks are hands on and create a life full of direct connections to the land, the food, each other, and the community.
The next morning after an interview with Shail, The Birds rode South full of inspiration and energized conversation. I fell in love with The Beauties…(Shail, Sean, Tule, and Slate) in only a few days. Thank you, Joel, for the heads up and thank you Shail, Sean, Tule, and Slate for opening your home, land, and numerous jars of milk and honey for The Birds.
Love, Elkmother.
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Birds on Bikes 