Author Archives: Alexandra Wilson

How are you doing?  Have you recently taken a moment to stop, breathe and just be? Often, these moments are too few and far between.  This is especially true during this time of the year.  With spring showers (or snow…or even drought depending on where you are!) comes a deluge of other to-dos.  There’s the proverbial spring cleaning that seems to drag on and on; there are seeds to spread, seedlings to pot up and plants to get in the ground; there are lawn mowers to tune and bicycles to clean up; and there is always, ALWAYS, something to re-organize.

Busy workers hilling potatoes.

During the spring there is definitely a lot of do-ing.  It seems like we reserve the winter for our times of reflection and pause–and it makes total sense!  It feels right and natural to take time to reflect and meditate on life when the do-ing is lessened.  However, I believe that we should aim to include these moments throughout our days, weeks, seasons and lives.

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Did you know that every month is dedicated to a smattering of things?  According to Wikipedia’s “List of commemorative months” April is: Child Abuse Prevention Month, Financial Literacy Month (because of tax day?), National Multiple Birth Awareness Month, Autism Awareness Month, School Library Month, Month of the Military Child, Earth Awareness Month (happy belated Earth Day!), and Math Awareness Month (ugh) among several others.  The only one I was aware of, however, is National Poetry Month!

April is a great time to write and read poetry.  It is a time of hopeful waiting.  Winter is over, right?  Wrong says that one blizzard that waited until all of the snow had almost melted.  Gardeners and farmers are eager to work the soil, but it is too saturated and needs time to wake up.  April is the time of the year when I really, really, really (really) want to sit on the ground, outside without anything between myself and the ground (well, maybe some jeans); alas, we must wait for everything to dry out.  So, we might as well write something, yeah?

I do not consider myself a true poet.  However, a few times per year my poetic juices are stirred. Recently, my muse came as a cute little lady dressed like a pollywog!

Ava in her Warm Frog Suit. Our little tadpole!

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I’ve been thinking about farm names.  One day I’ll have a farm, and I want it to have the perfect name, of course.  Maybe it’s kind of like a group of musicians trying to pick out a band name, or maybe like an entrepreneur crafting the perfect name for a new business endeavor. Maybe it’s like picking a name for a new baby–sometimes the name has been chosen for years before the child is born, sometimes it takes a few days to know the baby before the perfect name arises.  I bet choosing a farm name comes in many different forms as well–how do farmers come up with them? What is the significance behind a name?

I’ve worked on a few farms: La Finca de Lapas (Parrot farm) in Costa Rica, Little Sugar River Farm in Wisconsin, Spring Creek Farm in Alaska and Sun Circle Farm in Alaska.  But what about other farms? I’ve volunteered on a few: Pioneer Produce in Alaska, Calypso Farm in Alaska, Brown Dog Farm in Alaska ,and Blue Moon Community Farm in Wisconsin.

Welcoming sign for visitors at Spring Creek Farm in alaska

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I’ve been thinking about farm names.  One day I’ll have a farm, and I want it to have the perfect name, of course.  Maybe it’s kind of like a group of musicians trying to pick out a band name, or maybe like an entrepreneur crafting the perfect name for a new business endeavor. Maybe it’s like picking a name for a new baby–sometimes the name has been chosen for years before the child is born, sometimes it takes a few days to know the baby before the perfect name arises.  I bet choosing a farm name comes in many different forms as well–how do farmers come up with them? What is the significance behind a name?

I’ve worked on a few farms: La Finca de Lapas (Parrot farm) in Costa Rica, Little Sugar River Farm in Wisconsin, Spring Creek Farm in Alaska and Sun Circle Farm in Alaska.  But what about other farms? I’ve volunteered on a few: Pioneer Produce in Alaska, Calypso Farm in Alaska, Brown Dog Farm in Alaska ,and Blue Moon Community Farm in Wisconsin.

Welcoming sign for visitors at Spring Creek Farm in alaska

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I saw a funny meme (okay…I don’t really know what a meme is…whatever) today about living in Alaska.  It has a man asking a little boy, “When does spring start?”  The little boy replies: “I live in Alaska…” with a sad look on his face, the man then tenderly hugs the boy, comforting his obvious dismay.  Well, I think spring has sprung!  The skies have been crystal clear and the temperature is rising.  Some days it’s even above freezing.  Plus, we have little to complain about compared to the brutal winter that the majority of the US faced this winter (although I’m still a bit jealous…).

BLUE skies and melting snow! Hello Spring

My father and stepmother visited two weekends ago to visit their cutey-patootie granddaughter Ava, and they were blessed with these same crystal clear, azure skies.  The mountain ranges were out in full force–they even got to lay their eyes on the behemoth Denali.  We also had beautiful views of Mount Susitna (also called The Sleeping Lady) during our drives to and from Anchorage.  There is a legend associated with this mountain that has become one of my favorite stories to share with others.

A grandfather and his new granddaughter!

Please allow me a moment to put on my story-teller cap here…

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My partner and I have a few silly arguments that we visit now and again–perhaps when we’re out to eat and the conversation is dry.  One is over the meaning of the word “milk.” He grew up on a dairy farm and insists that milk must come from a female mammal.  Any “milk” that is not animal based is not milk, it should be called juice…or something.  Soy juice?  Rice juice? No thanks….Coconut juice?  Sure! But I would expect something different from what I’d get.  My argument is that juicing something is also different than the processes used to make dairy free alternative milks.  We generally come to an impasse and move on.  Recently, he said that he would accept an alternative spelling–M-Y-L-K for the alternatives.  It works for me.

Home Made Almond Mylk: Easy and Delicious!

However, I digress…

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My partner and I have a few silly arguments that we visit now and again–perhaps when we’re out to eat and the conversation is dry.  One is over the meaning of the word “milk.” He grew up on a dairy farm and insists that milk must come from a female mammal.  Any “milk” that is not animal based is not milk, it should be called juice…or something.  Soy juice?  Rice juice? No thanks….Coconut juice?  Sure! But I would expect something different from what I’d get.  My argument is that juicing something is also different than the processes used to make dairy free alternative milks.  We generally come to an impasse and move on.  Recently, he said that he would accept an alternative spelling–M-Y-L-K for the alternatives.  It works for me.

Home Made Almond Mylk: Easy and Delicious!

However, I digress…

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“Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need. ” ~Khalil Gibran

Some recent news out of Minnesota shocked me–no, it wasn’t the consistently terrible below zero weather or disastrous snowfalls (I’m actually very jealous of the snow!).  It was the news that school districts had been throwing out low income students’ hot lunches if they couldn’t pay the 40 cent reduced price lunch.  If the lunches were replaced, it was with a cheese sandwich (I’m sure the “cheese” was a far cry from the real thing), and a carton of milk.  I guess something is better than nothing…but students need much more nutrition than a highly processed sandwich and ultra pasteurized milk.  These are probably the same students who come to school without good breakfasts.  How are they expected to perform well in school if they don’t have proper nutrition?  How could this happen in my home state?

But there was other news that piggy backed with this that made me SO thankful for genuine generosity.  A tutor in Texas figured that his students were probably experiencing this same thing, and he took the solution into his own hands.  He donated about $500 to cover the outstanding balances on 60 students’ lunch accounts so they could once again receive hot lunches in their school.

So…Here’s to the Generous!

Baby Ava proclaims: “Here’s to the Generous!”

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“Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need. ” ~Khalil Gibran

Some recent news out of Minnesota shocked me–no, it wasn’t the consistently terrible below zero weather or disastrous snowfalls (I’m actually very jealous of the snow!).  It was the news that school districts had been throwing out low income students’ hot lunches if they couldn’t pay the 40 cent reduced price lunch.  If the lunches were replaced, it was with a cheese sandwich (I’m sure the “cheese” was a far cry from the real thing), and a carton of milk.  I guess something is better than nothing…but students need much more nutrition than a highly processed sandwich and ultra pasteurized milk.  These are probably the same students who come to school without good breakfasts.  How are they expected to perform well in school if they don’t have proper nutrition?  How could this happen in my home state?

But there was other news that piggy backed with this that made me SO thankful for genuine generosity.  A tutor in Texas figured that his students were probably experiencing this same thing, and he took the solution into his own hands.  He donated about $500 to cover the outstanding balances on 60 students’ lunch accounts so they could once again receive hot lunches in their school.

So…Here’s to the Generous!

Baby Ava proclaims: “Here’s to the Generous!”

Continue reading →