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| Flamig Farm EggsPress Newsletter. March 2020 |
| | | Dear Farm Friends, I hope you have heard the really good news that Nevin is out of the hospital, in rehab and expected to make a full recovery from his stroke. He and I are deeply grateful for your support and love during this difficult time. It's your concern that has brought us to seeing the great day, the near day when Nevin comes home. Thank you!
Difficult times, right? As you and your family are, we are working hard to stay safe, do our part to stop the spread of COVID 19 AND keep our sense of optimism. Our primary hopes, and I'll bet you'll agree, are that when this is over we feel: - humbled by the dedication and sacrifice our medical and first responder heroes have shown their fellow Americans,
and - a renewed appreciation for Mother Earth and work much harder around the world to protect her, understanding that we humans are just one part of our priceless ecosystem.
We hope you find this issue of EggsPress includes things helpful and inspirational to you. Hope we will be able to see you soon on the Farm. The animals miss you! Farmers Julie, Pete and Chadam |
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Earth Day Celebration 2020 50 Years Old
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| Earth Day 2020 — 50th Anniversary
April 22, 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Since 1970, Earth Day has increased awareness of our planet, pollution, climate change, endangered species, and many other environmental issues. As we wrestle with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has rightly taken center stage among world issues today, we can also acknowledge and celebrate the work, education, and behavioral change that are making a material difference in our use and care of Planet Earth. On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans — 10% of the U.S. population at the time — took to the streets, college campuses and hundreds of cities to protest environmental ignorance and demand a new way forward for our planet. The first Earth Day is credited with launching the modern environmental movement, and is now recognized as the planet’s largest civic event. Though this anniversary celebration may be muted, the legacy it honors is worthy of recognition and our ongoing participation and support.
A little goes a long way when it comes to being greener. Without risk or exposure, here are some simple ways to honor the spirit and purpose of Earth Day:
Turn off your light when you leave the room
Don’t idle your car for more than two minutes
Bring a reusable cup to your favorite coffee shop
Collect rainwater
Try reusable batteries
Use a cloth towel instead of paper towels
Fix your leaky faucet
Take the stairs instead of the elevator
Calculate your carbon footprint
Leave the car at home or car pool
Give your home a “green” makeover
Turn the faucet off when you brush your teeth
Unsubscribe from junk mail
Switch to e-books
Unplug at night
Recycle old electronics
Add plants to your home
Make your yard creature-friendly
Start a garden
Switch to reusable bags
Repurpose jars (and other containers!)
Make your own cleaning products
Clean dishes by hand
Shop eco-friendly clothing brands
An important focus is on plastic pollution. Rubbish and plastics in our oceans are constantly washing up on beaches endangering animals and the beauty of the landscape, and every year, around 8 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean, rising to 160 million tons by 2025 at the current rate. All of this plastic breaks down into smaller pieces over time and has created a plastic soup in the Pacific covering an area twice the size of the US. So in addition to careful recycling, what is one thing you can do to help the plastic pollution problem? Go microbeads-free. Microbeads are tiny beads of plastic that are in many cosmetic products, such as face washes and toothpaste. They end up being washed down your sink into the ocean and can enter the food chain when marine animals consume them.
Fortunately, a ban this year means that microbeads can no longer be used in cosmetic products. However, this does not cover ‘leave- on’ products such as make-up. So, make sure the next time you buy any cosmetic products, check the label first for the ingredients list. A great toothpaste product that has no microbeads and does not come in a horrible, non degradable tube is sold at the website Bitetoothpastebits.com. |
| | What we're going through with COVID 19 is making it hard to stay upbeat and positive. Here are two ideas that work for many during difficult times: - POSITIVE THINKING
- MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION
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| | | "Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." - Abraham Lincoln
What exactly is positive thinking? You might be tempted to assume that it implies seeing the world through rose-colored lenses by ignoring or glossing over the negative aspects of life. However, positive thinking actually means approaching life's challenges with a positive outlook.
Positive thinking does not necessarily mean avoiding or ignoring the bad things; instead, it involves making the most of the potentially bad situations, trying to see the best in other people, and viewing yourself and your abilities in a positive light.
Try asking yourself a copule of these questions to put yourself in a more positive place.- What could you be grateful for and positive about right now, if you really wanted to? ...
- What's one problem you're thankful you don't have? ...
- What's something nice you can do for someone else right now?...
- What is one good thing that is positive or good about this situation?...
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MindfulnessMindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.
Mindful Meditation is a simple practice available to all, which can reduce stress, increase calmness and clarity and promote happiness. Learning how to meditate is straightforward, and the benefits can come quickly. Here, we offer basic tips to get you started on a path toward greater equanimity, acceptance and joy. Take a deep breath, and get ready to relax.
HOW TO MEDITATE: SIMPLE MEDITATION FOR BEGINNERS
- Sit or lie comfortably. You may even want to invest in a meditation chair or cushion.
- Close your eyes.
- Make no effort to control the breath; simply breathe naturally.
- Focus your attention on the breath and on how the body moves with each inhalation and exhalation. Notice the movement of your body as you breathe. Observe your chest, shoulders, rib cage, and belly. Simply focus your attention on your breath without controlling its pace or intensity.
- If your mind wanders, return your focus back to your breath.
Maintain this meditation practice for two to three minutes to start, and then try it for longer periods.
There are many good videos on You Tube that will give you more information and help you benefit from meditation.
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| | And before we conclude, here are some brief thoughts from our family to yours... |
| | Pete's Ponderings Are you frightened by the future given the virus crisis we're in? I am. And watching my family farm shut down until the virus passes, I'm worried about what we need to do to survive and make sure our family farm stays in business. I'm sure every business owner is worried. But maybe the task today is not to fight the virus only in order to return to 'business as usual.' I'm thinking the goal, instead, is two fold: 1) fight the virus, sure, but also 2) transform business as usual into something more humane and secure.
A recent article in The Guardian by Peter Baker talked about a 2009 book, A Paradise Built in Hell, The Extraordinary Communities that Arise in Disaster, written by Rebecca Solnit. In the book, she used case studies of disasters – including the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, the 2001 terror attacks and Hurricane Katrina – to argue that emergencies aren’t just moments when bad things get worse, or when people inevitably become more scared, suspicious and self-centered. Instead the author wrote about the ways in which disasters opened up human reserves of improvisation, solidarity and resolve, pockets of purpose and joy, even in the midst of loss and pain. While the book paid plenty of attention to the ravages of disaster, it paid attention to the possibilities it might contain, and how it might shake us loose from old ways.
So when this is done, I am going to do some things differently because I want one lesson of this crisis to be that as a global community we can treat each other and our planet better. |
| | Julie's Jewels
Hello everyone,
This is my first time officially sharing some of my current thoughts with you. I've been focusing on my many blessings, and - as a farmer - of course animals are one of my biggest and best. They are around me all the time.
If you have a pet at home (or live on a farm), I'm sure you agree that animals bring us constant joy.
They are funny.
They find happiness in the seemingly small things.
They never judge or hold a grudge.
They live in the present moment, which is really all any of us ever has.
And most importantly, their beauty and unconditional love, awaken a part of our souls we'd otherwise never know.
Our Farm creatures are sending you love and are looking forward to seeing you and making you smile on the day we reopen!
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| | | | Nevin's Noodlings Hi Everybody, I've been accused of trying to upstage the coronavirus by having a stroke and having to get shipped off to the hospital. Well, it's nothing I would choose to do, but I am looking at it as a blessing. Looking back at things in my life that once seemed as if they were tragedies, they've become blessings that I never could have imaged.
Pete and Chadam have been very interested in taking over the Farm. Well now they've been thrown right into the thick of it, and they are doing a great job. I almost feel as if things are going more smoothly than if I were there. Julie, the amazing, strong, powerful woman that she is - parentheses, did I mention beautiful? parentheses - is busier than ever, and she's hanging in there. Thank you baby!
So now I am at Mount Sinai rehabilitation center, the absolutely best place I could possible be, and I am making progress every day. I hear sometimes grocery stores are out of eggs, and we've been selling tons of chickens for people to produce eggs in their backyard. This indicates to me one of the blessings coming from the entire coronavirus: people want to become more self-sufficient, more resilient. We anticipate rototilling many backyard gardens this summer and teaching people how to grow vegetables. Like anything you've never done, it can be scary at first, but I say jump in, start small, and it will be a lot of fun. During WW II, The United States grew over 40% of our fresh fruits and vegetables in back yard and abandoned lot 'Victory Gardens.' We can and will do things like this again!
When you pick something in your garden and eat it right there or cook it and eat it within minutes or hours, it tastes amazing because it hasn't lost its life energy and nutrient density from being in transit from farm to grocery store to table. In upcoming columns, I will talk more about much-needed rebuilding of soil quality. Food grown correctly is much more nutrient dense and can heal our bodies readily. I am totally excited to get home and begin eating our homegrown vegetables and to help you do the same.
Community support from all of you has been phenomenal! Everyone at Flamig Farm and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We will all come out of this with many benefits and we will create a better world for all of us.
Blessing to all, Nevin |
| | | HAPPY AND HOPEFUL SPRING, DEAR FRIENDS |
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