October Monthly Update: We are everywhere

Hello friends,

This is Jenny Leis, and I'm back from a year of "cross-pollinating" with grassroots networks around the world.

October always seems to be the month when things crystallize. We've moved from summer to fall, with frequent thoughts of winter, embraced by a clarifying freshness of life.

Yes, and I am here to share with you how we are everywhere. After spending the last year journeying to meet grassroots projects that parallel TLC Farm's determined approach of being a forum for the emerging networks of social awareness/action and ecological regeneration, I come back to you with renewed insight into the "Movement of Movements" of which we are part.

We are everywhere. We are in Malawi bringing permaculture gardens to elementary schools in order to rebuild desiccated soil and feed malnourished children. We are in South Africa building a sustainability demonstration center in the highest-density, highest-crime neighborhood in Johannesburg and creating jobs for recyclers, buckets of vertical gardens and biodiesel! We are in Zimbabwe connecting rural communities to themselves in new ways, re-igniting traditional knowledge of herbal medicine and agriculture, teaching languages of permaculture, collective decision-making and community forums. We are growing salads in tin shack shanty towns, bringing community radio into neighborhoods, organizing peace caravans, fighting the oppression of eviction and land ownership. And we are singing words of struggle, words of freedom.

We are everywhere, and TLC Farm interweaves with this Movement of Movements. As we tend our gardens, we stand in solidarity with farm workers everywhere. As we teach our children, we align with the deepest form of activism today (education!). As we weave together--through programs or place--the myriad networks, issues, and people of the Portland area, we weave together the global hopes, fears, lives, work and activism of our little seven billion person earth.

It is all here on this seven acres in the south west corner of Portland, and we are all there: there with the landless and hungry, there with the beautiful bountiful gardens that grace every corner of this planet, there with people living under dictatorship, there with those that are free and passionate, there with the confused, there with the directed, there with the questioning, there with the exploring, there with the songs of all people in all time for the simple prayer for peace.

Yes, we are there, and we are here. And I, for one, give thanks for TLC Farm for having its muddy feet rooted in the ground and its open arms embracing the chaotically ordered Movement of Movements.

Viva TLC Farm!

 

September Highlights

Cornucopia

Over 100 people braved the grey skies and came out to our Harvest Festival and Auction, where we pressed apple cider, ate amazing pies, made corncob dolls, bid on wonderful auction items, listened to great music and made new friends. It was a truly lovely day, a good fundraiser, and we're excited to do it again next year!

Big thanks go out to Alexa Wiley, Aliah Farah, the Josh Cole Band and Ponderosa for their musical contributions, to Will Suejcar for donating an abundance of veggies, to all the local businesses who donated items to the auction (click here for a listing) and the many TLC Farm volunteers who gave so much time and energy to make the event happen.

The Mother Earth Kindergarten

It's begun! 13 beautiful young children come to TLC Farm three times a week for their outdoor kindergarten. It is such a joy to see kids out in all the elements, learning from and with the land.

The last sunny day of September

Another truly packed day at TLC Farm, on September 27th, a group of 30 Nike employees came out to TLC Farm and worked for five hours pulling ivy, cutting blackberries and creating new garden beds. At the same time, the Mother Earth kindergarteners romped, listened to stories and played with the goats. Then came the weekly class from Pacific Crest Community School, which is building a new path for our updated land tour. And then came the teenage girls from the Pettygrove school to make herbal salves with farm herbs and beeswax. The farm was abuzz with energy, and many hands made light work!  

Upcoming Workshops & Events

 

City Riparian Workshops: Friday, October 12, 3p-5:30p

TLC Farm is partnering once again with the City Repair Project to bring you City Riparian, a 3-day event from October 12th - 14th, 2007 in which neighborhoods come together to build shared public places that they have envisioned, designed, funded, and will maintain for themselves. Projects are founded on developing strong local relationships, social capital and equity, placemaking and ecological design, and supporting our local economy. By engaging neighbors in a collective process to design and build functional landscapes in the commons, we will incubate both social and natural capital, furthering the connections between people and their place.

The 3 workshops at the TLC Farm will be fast-paced. We will start by pruning, then will talk about preparing a winter garden & finally the compost heap. A guest farmie will be on hand to assist Jordan and vice-versa. We will dine in the outdoor kitchen and then catch the last bus back to Portland (or wherever).

Participants should take the #38 bus, Boones Ferry Road. Leave SW Columbia and between 6th and 5th at 2:32 or 3:32pm.  

Rainwater Harvesting Workshop: Saturday, October 27, 11a - 4p

Join Russ Romas, resident building-with-junk wizard and educator, at TLC farm for a half-day, rainwater harvesting workshop! This entry level experience will walk you through the process of setting up your existing downspouts to catch and utilize rainwater for your gardens. Come learn about:

• Rain-barrels
• Basic plumbing
• Planning and design processes
• Mechanical filtration (leaves and needles)
• Overflow
• Mosquito breeding
• Having a hoot of a good time while learning!

What: Rainwater Harvesting Workshop
When: Saturday, October 27, 11:00-4:00
Where: TLC Farm, Composting Toilet Building
What to Bring: Raingear, gloves, a snack maybe...
How: RSVP by emailing russ@tryonfarm.org
How Much: $10-$50 sliding scale donation
Who: You!  

Fermentation Fervor!

Local fermentation diva, Gretchen Westlight, is returning to TLC Farm to share her experience and knowledge with a variety of fermented beverages.  

Making Non-dairy Kefir: Saturday, November 3, 1:30 to 3:30 pm

Learn to make your own fermented sodas with non-dairy kefir culture, water, dried fruit, and sugar! Taste kefir made with different kinds of ingredients!

Gretchen Westlight will present instructions on how to make this enzyme-rich healthful tonic, and offer tastings to demonstrate a variety of delicious dairy-free flavors.

Kefir culture is a SCOBY: Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast (the tiny clusters are often called "grains," but there is no cereal grain involved). Every batch of kefir that you ferment will increase the culture, so you'll be able to make your own for as long as you like, and soon be giving your extra culture away, too! Each participant will receive their own culture and set of instructions.

Sliding scale $15-25 (no one turned away for lack of funds). We invite you to register online to be sure of a spot. You may also call TLC Farm at (503) 245-3847 or email workshops@tryonfarm.org.

Sliding scale $15-25 (no one turned away for lack of funds). We invite you to register online to be sure of a spot. You may also call TLC Farm at (503) 245-3847 or email workshops@tryonfarm.org.  

New Website feature: Blogs!

Our new community-driven web site is growing and evolving all the time. One of the more exciting new features is a participant blog capacity. Read (and write!) entries about curious, heartwarming, thought-provoking moments at TLC Farm. Get a feel for life in a sustainability laboratory, from a variety of perspectives.

Jenny Leis has started blogging to get us all into it: click "Blogs" at the top of the website header, or link directly to http://tryonfarm.org/share/blog. Read a few snapshots of "Days in the Life" of TLC Farm.

This is also a great way to upload photos you've taken to the website. Photos are a powerful way of communicating a richer flow of information, especially for folks using the site who've not had a chance to come out recently. We've added some powerful new capacities to upload photos directly into the site as you're editing; please let us know how it works for you.

To start blogging, make sure you've created an account ; then email Brush to be given Participant status. You'll then see "My Blog" on the menu at left, and away you go! (Feel free to email further with any questions.)  

Volunteer Opportunities

 

TLC Farm Board of Directors

There is an opening on TLC Farm's Board of Directors, and you (or someone you know) might be the right person to fill it! An ideal candidate for TLC Farm's Board has a demonstrated commitment to TLC Farm's mission, sincere interest in furthering the organizational goals, and some experience in business or non-profit strategizing and oversight. Enthusiasm for fundraising is a big plus! The Board meets every other month, and we invite board members to contribute to the working groups of TLC Farm however they can. If you are interested, please contact board president, Brenna Bell, at (503) 245-3847 or brenna@tryonfarm.org.  

Join a TLC Farm Working Group

Working groups are the semi-autonomous crews that make TLC Farm run. Each has its own focus and regularly scheduled meetings; representatives from each working group come together at the spokescouncils (every other Wednesday). Contact the group's point person for more information and for meeting times.

Youth Education

The Youth Education Working Group develops curriculum, does outreach, coordinates and teaches field-trips for students in pre-school through college, and grows the educational capacity of TLC Farm. The education coordinator is Matt Gordon; mattg@tryonfarm.org.

Volunteer Educator Position Description

(possible internship or independent study credit):

Our Hands-on Sustainability Program engages youth ages preschool through college in an interactive farm tour and hands-on activities and lessons on specific sustainability and ecology themes (gardening, natural building, forest ecology, restoration, etc.). There are opportunities for volunteers to develop ongoing relationships with groups that visit regularly.

Volunteer Educators will lead youth field trip activities at Tryon Life Community Farm using activities from TLC Farm's curriculum and their own creativity. Training for each volunteer educator includes an orientation/training session, observing/co-teaching two classes before being the primary teacher for visiting students. Each volunteer educator will then lead at least one field trip per month for at least 3 months. Field trips are usually scheduled during the daytime on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Each month, TLC Farm will strive to provide volunteer educators with at least one knowledge and skill building training. For more information, please contact Matt Gordon @ mattg@tryonfarm.org or 503.245.3847

Fundraising

Creating abundance for TLC Farm is the focus of the Fundraising Working Group. Through grant-writing, donor relationships, event planning, and outreach, this working group inpires generosity for the Farm. It's really about FUNraising! Interim point person is Brenna Bell; brenna@tryonfarm.org.

Social Ecology

A unique approach to decentralized self-management, the Social Ecology working group supports the various groups and individuals engaged with TLC Farm by: assessing communication and decision-making bottlenecks, exploring organizational policy solutions, and coordinating direct assistance for conflict engagement and personal wellbeing. Point person is John Brush; brush@tryonfarm.org

Finance

Accounting, 990s and mortgages and other fun! If you're itching to learn more, or already have skills in financial management, our Finance working group is the place for you. Finance point person is Sue Romas; sue@tryonfarm.org.

Physical Ecology

This working group focuses on all aspects of the physical world of TLC Farm: gardens, structures, animal husbandry, and more. Do you want to have a hand in creating perma-topia? Point person for gardens is Matt Gordon; mattg@tryonfarm.org and for structures is Russ Romas; russ@tryonfarm.org.

Events

Are you a party planner, workshop organizer or a natural with event logistics? Or do you want to learn more about any or all of these? The Events working group coordinates all the events, including benefit parties, educational workshops, conferences, etc. at TLC Farm. Events point fella is Chad Dermann; chad@tryonfarm.org.

Spiritual Ecology

This groups actively helps communities and individuals of faith to build a relationship with this land and the beautiful creatures co-habitating here. We seek to share this earthly sanctuary for group and personal renewal, meditation and prayer, rites of passage, celebrations, youth retreats, seasonal services, and spiritual ceremonies of all kinds. Point person is John Brush; brush@tryonfarm.org  

Ongoing Events at the Farm (FREE!)

We recommend calling in advance: 503.245.3847

On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays we are open for the public to come enjoy the land, volunteer (Fri & Sat), & take self-guided tours. We are closed on Mondays. If you'd like to stop by another time, please make an appointment.

• General Workparties

Saturdays: 11am-3pm

Saturday workparties can involve a wide variety of aspects of the work here at TLC Farm, from natural building to maintenance to working in the garden or with the goats. Come for as long or short as you like. Contact: russ@tryonfarm.org

• TLC Farm Non-Profit Spokescouncil Meetings

Every other Wednesday: 6pm

If you want to participate in the coordination of the exciting things this non-profit is doing, these meetings are the place to be. Dinner included if you RSVP! Contact: Brenna@tryonfarm.org

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"Tryon life it fits like a glove
and feel what it's like to be free.
Try breathing and seeking to be an instrument of love
and encourage one another on the journey.
Give thanks for the land and the sky up above
and pour your energy into building a community."
--from our songwriting friend, Jes Karper

TLC Farm, 11640 SW Boones Ferry Rd, Portland, OR 97219
.:: www.tryonfarm.org .::. 503-245-3847 ::.

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